Casino Affiliate Conference Report - Barcelona 08

Just got back from the casino affiliate conference in Barcelona run by CAP. It’s the second time I’ve attended the Barcelona conference, my fourth “CAP Euro” and hmmm, must be my 10th industry conference in the past 4 years or so. Actually, strictly speaking it was my 10th and 11th, as I attended EIG this week too - same city, different venue and more geared towards the “online” gambling industry as a whole rather than affiliates.

I was a bit disappointed by EIG to be honest, although the affiliate site “GPWA” (Gambling Portal Webmasters Association”) had part of the exhibition and had asked me to speak about affCAFF and moderate a Panel session for new and aspiring affiliates, so I got involved. If you’ve ever attended ICEi (January every year in London), then EIG is a fraction of the size, although to be fair, ICEi covers land-based casino games too and is a massive show with a ton of games to try. So perhaps unfair to compare.

CAP Euro itself, I have to say, was one of the best yet. It was held over 3 days - 2 days of exhibitions and talks + 1 day of networking) - at the Princesa Sofia hotel near Camp Nou. Last year it was at the Hesperia Towers - a nicer hotel and better venue, but a little further out of Barcelona itself which upset a few of the party-goers. I’m not a party goer myself - I go to network and the thump-thump does my head in, so you can normally find me back at the hotel bar after a meal every night. Frankly, I get to see a lot more people that way and it suits me down to the ground. On this occasion, I also got to See Barcelona despatch Espanyol too.

The conference was on two floors and if you are a casino affiliate, or poker, sports or bingo, then IMO you have to atend at least one of these events. It’s a good opportunity to get a grasp on the industry, meet other affiliates and guage the mood, discuss the pros and cons of casinos and poker rooms, share the knowledge and eat & drink lots! Not least too because relationships are the root of good business, and often it’s hard to know who to trust until you’ve met them. Sure, some people know how to talk the talk, but face to face you can normally seperate out the bullsh!tters from the good folks - that’s partly why I go.

Just having flown back, I’m not quite sure what I got out of it this time round. I need to sit down, write up some thoughts and contact a few people, but there are some interesting ideas, potential projects to do and a few casinos to shift around a bit. Guess that’ll keep me busy for a while. I met this time with several affiliate programs I deal with, most notably Roxy Palace, Club USA, Referback, Income Access and Canbet, and chatted away to a few more such as Start Partner, Virgin, Jackpot Joy, Ladbrokes and the guys from Affiliate Club. I also met some fellow affiliates whom I respect greatly and have mostly been in this game way longer than me: Gideon, Ben, Christine, Fred, Bryan and Dave to name just a few. Always great to compare notes.

Roll on CAP London in January is all I can say.

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