In this edition of the Affiliate Buzz, host and Instructor of the Affiliate Marketers BootCamp, James Martell reviews two upcoming affiliate marketing conferences - ShareASale Think Tank 2016 and Affiliate Summit East 2016.

As mentioned in the previous episode, Affiliate Buzz #409, James and his guest, Asif Malik described affiliate conferences as a small, fun communities that can help you bring in great profits in the affiliate industry while making close friends who feel like family.

The episode kicks off with James introducing the week’s topics: conferences including ShareASale Think Tank and Affiliate Summit East, breakations, and U.S. politics, namely his fascination with Republican candidate Donald Trump.

ShareASale Think Tank 2016

ShareASale Think Tank 2016 is a 2-day conference that runs May 15-17 at the beautiful Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile. This will be the 10th year for the conference, and James and Arlene have attended annually since the first year.

James points out that one of the best things about ShareASale Think Tank is the price; for affiliates the cost to attend the event which includes a 2-night hotel stay, three meals per day during the course of the event, and passes to the event is $100. The only extra expense you have is travel, like airfare.

ShareASale Think Tank differs from other conferences in the way that you cannot just register, pay you fee, and attend. Brian Littleton, founder and president of ShareASale, picks a cross section of those who apply to attend for a mix of guests ranging from brand new affiliates to seasoned industry veterans.

James explains that Think Tank 2016 expects to have around 100 bloggers and 40 or so merchants and agencies. Unlike Affiliate Summit, Think Tank is a more intimate event with great training sessions, networking opportunities, and some type of surprise compliments of Brian.

Bookending Think Tank with a Breakation

As James explains a bit later in the podcast, a breakation is a term he and Arlene coined to describe the few days scheduled around a time where you work really hard. The benefit of a breakation around a conference is that you can write off everything associated with the conference.

If you haven’t been to Chicago before, James recommends book-ending a trip to Think Tank with a breakation. During your extra day or two before or after the event, you might take in:

* the Willis Tower (formerly called the Sears Tower)

* Navy Pier

* a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Chicago

* a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field

James describes Chicago as a friendly, clean city. He and Arlene look forward to making their sixth trip there for this event.

Affiliate Summit East 2016

After a short break, James harkens back to 2004 when he and Arlene attended their first Affiliate Summit, which took place on a Carnival Cruise ship from New York City, U.S.A. to Halifax, Canada.

Before boarding the cruise ship, James and Arlene attended a ShareASale event in a pub in SoHo where they met Vinny O’Hare for the first time. This event hosted approximately two dozen guests, so you can see how Think Tank has grown in the past twelve years.

Affiliate Summit East takes place July 31-August 2 at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City. This massive event expects to host about 5,000 guests for training sessions and networking opportunities.

James reminds that if you go, be sure to stop by the ShareASale booth where they often hand out free passes to their ShareASale Under the Stars party. You can try to buy passes the ShareASale website but the party sells out in record time.

As with ThinkTank 2016, James recommends book-ending your trip to Affiliate Summit East with a few extra days before or after the conference as well. New York City is so breathtaking, you’ll find no end of sights and activities to enjoy including: