Every serious high-ticket dropshipping entrepreneur reaches a point where their next growth lever isn’t another ad campaign or product – it’s a relationship. A partnership with a content creator driving traffic to your niche. A deal with an affiliate network putting your store in front of qualified buyers. A conversation with someone who’s built what you’re building, and is willing to share how. These relationships happen in one place more than anywhere else in the affiliate marketing industry: Affiliate Summit.
Affiliate Summit runs the biggest affiliate marketing conference series in the world. Founded in 2003, it hosts two flagship events annually: Affiliate Summit West (ASW) in Las Vegas every January and Affiliate Summit East (ASE) in New York City every summer. Together they draw 11,500+ attendees, facilitate 183,000+ annual industry connections, and serve 34+ verticals from ecommerce to lead generation to content publishing.
This is an independent review of Affiliate Summit as a conference experience – what it is, who it’s for, what happens there, the cost of attending, and whether it’s worth it for ecommerce entrepreneurs and affiliate marketers in 2026.
Check out Affiliate Summit here
What Is Affiliate Summit?
Affiliate Summit is a conference series for the performance marketing and affiliate marketing industry. Founded in 2003 by Shawn Collins and Missy Ward, it was built specifically for the affiliate ecosystem – the publishers, advertisers, networks, and tech suppliers that make up performance-based marketing.
The two primary events serve different audiences and geographies:
Affiliate Summit West (ASW) runs every January in Las Vegas at Caesars Forum. With 7,000+ attendees and hundreds of exhibitors, it’s the world’s largest affiliate marketing event. ASW26 took place January 12-14, 2026; ASW27 is scheduled for January 26-28, 2027.
Affiliate Summit East (ASE) runs every summer in New York City at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. With 4,500+ attendees, it’s strategically positioned in the country’s media capital. ASE26 is scheduled for July 27-28, 2026.
The conference is built around a specific philosophy: the people who generate revenue in affiliate marketing (the affiliates and media buyers) attend free of charge, while advertisers, networks, and suppliers pay to access them. This model creates a room where everyone has a commercial reason to be there, and deals actually happen.
Who Attends Affiliate Summit
Five distinct groups populate Affiliate Summit events:
Affiliates and media buyers are the heart of the event. These are publishers who drive traffic and earn commissions – content creators, bloggers, coupon and cashback sites, comparison sites, influencers, and media buyers who run paid traffic to affiliate offers. Qualified affiliates attend free of charge.
Advertisers and ecommerce sellers are brands with affiliate programs looking to recruit new publisher partners, negotiate terms, and expand their affiliate revenue channel. Ecommerce entrepreneurs with their own stores who want to build an affiliate program attend in this category.
Affiliate networks and platforms are the intermediaries connecting advertisers with affiliates – companies like CJ Affiliate, Rakuten, Impact.com, ShareASale, and others. They attend to recruit both advertisers and publishers to their platforms.
Technology suppliers are the tracking, attribution, fraud detection, compliance, and SaaS tools that support the affiliate ecosystem. They exhibit to reach potential clients.
Agencies and service providers assist advertisers and affiliates with program management, creative, and strategy.
Ticket Pricing
Affiliates and media buyers: FREE. This is the defining pricing structure of Affiliate Summit. Qualified affiliates who earn commission through owned-and-operated affiliate campaigns apply for complimentary passes. Applications open in February for ASE and are reviewed; you must be earning affiliate revenue (not an advertiser, network employee, or agency selling services) and provide proof. Applications for ASE26 close June 27, 2026.
Advertisers and other attendees: Paid tickets at various price points. Pricing varies by event, timing (early bird vs. standard), and ticket tier. Group discounts are available for 5+ attendees registering together; larger groups (10+) can contact Affiliate Summit for custom rates.
Exhibitor/Meet Market tables: Separate paid packages for brands and networks wanting a table presence on the expo floor to meet with affiliates in structured sessions.
Contact Affiliate Summit directly at affiliatesummit.com for current pricing on paid passes and exhibitor packages.
Check out Affiliate Summit here
What Happens at Affiliate Summit
The Meet Market
The Meet Market is the defining feature of Affiliate Summit that no other conference in the industry has replicated at scale. It’s a structured networking exhibition where advertisers and networks set up tables and affiliates rotate through in rapid-fire scheduled meetings.
At ASW25, over 10,000 meetings were facilitated and 116,508 total connections were made across the event. One attendee described it as “a great place to meet a lot of advertisers in a very short period of time.” For affiliates seeking new programs, or advertisers seeking new publishers, the Meet Market compresses months of email outreach into a day.
The Meet Market runs on the first day of each conference. Coming prepared with business cards, a clear pitch on your traffic and audience, and a list of specific advertisers you want to meet is essential to getting value from it.
Content Sessions (60+ at ASE, More at ASW)
Affiliate Summit runs multi-track content programs covering the full spectrum of performance marketing. ASE26 is expected to run 6 tracks including:
Ecommerce track: AI-powered ecommerce, scaling stores and affiliate programs, DTC strategies, platform-specific advice for high-ticket product sellers. This is the most directly relevant track for EP community members.
Lead generation track: Scaling lead gen with referral marketing vs. cold outreach, navigating regulatory changes, social advertising strategies for lead gen.
Ads and media buying: Advanced strategies for Facebook, TikTok, Google Ads; tracking and attribution in a post-cookie world; paid traffic scaling tactics.
Content and Commerce track: Monetization strategies for content publishers, SEO in the age of Google SGE and AI search, traffic diversification, affiliate program selection for content sites.
Tracking and attribution track: Technical sessions on measurement, fraud detection, compliance with privacy regulations.
Creator economy/influencer track: Micro and nano influencer strategies, creator partnerships, commission structures for creator affiliates.
Keynote sessions from affiliate network heads, major brand CMOs, and top affiliate operators anchor each day. Session content is practitioner-focused – specific tactics and case studies rather than theoretical frameworks.
Expo Hall and Networking Events
Hundreds of exhibitors display tracking platforms, affiliate networks, analytics tools, compliance solutions, creative services, and more. Evening parties, dinners, and informal gatherings round out each event. The official Affiliate Summit event app allows scheduling meetings with specific attendees before arriving – critical for maximizing time on-site.
Affiliate Summit for Ecommerce Entrepreneurs
Specific reasons the EP community should pay attention to Affiliate Summit:
Building your own affiliate program: If you’re running a high-ticket dropshipping store with meaningful revenue, building an affiliate program to recruit publishers who drive buyer traffic is a scalable growth channel. Affiliate Summit is the fastest way to meet the publishers who could represent your store.
Expanding your affiliate income as a content creator: EP community members who create content – YouTube channels, blogs, review sites – and monetize through affiliate commissions can use Affiliate Summit to negotiate direct deals with advertisers, discover higher-paying programs, and build relationships with networks that open access to premium offers.
Learning from practitioners: The ecommerce and ads content tracks feature speakers who are actively running the campaigns and programs they describe. The tactical quality is generally high because the audience demands it.
Networking ROI: One verified attendee from All Inclusive Marketing closed a six-figure deal on-site at ASW25 – a deal that justified every Affiliate Summit event they’d ever attended. The density of decision-makers in a single venue makes high-value connections genuinely possible.
Free affiliate passes: If you are an affiliate marketer earning commission income, the free pass structure for affiliates at both ASW and ASE removes the financial barrier to attending one of the industry’s top events.
What Real Attendees Say
According to the Affiliate Summit official attendee testimonials, the event consistently receives descriptions like “the best networking opportunity in the industry,” “a money machine,” “I leave each time with new contacts and business-changing ideas,” and “a great place to meet a lot of advertisers in a very short period of time.” One senior director from McClatchy Media described it as: “I networked with so many new people I would never have met in my industry who provided insights into new opportunities.” In 2025, one company closed a six-figure deal on-site at ASW, with the attendee stating the ROI from that single deal made all Affiliate Summit attendance worthwhile.
According to the AMNavigator affiliate conference calendar – which has tracked affiliate marketing events for nearly two decades – Affiliate Summit West and East are consistently classified among the “most noticeable, large-scale, global events in affiliate marketing” at the caliber of Affiliate World and PI LIVE. 81% of affiliates prefer ASW over any other event according to Affiliate Summit data.
According to IREV’s analysis of top affiliate marketing events for 2026, Affiliate Summit East provides unique value for connecting with US market-specific advertisers who rarely attend events in other regions, making it particularly valuable for publishers and affiliates looking to access premium domestic offers. The analysis notes that major deals, platform launches, and enterprise advertisers concentrate here.
Senior industry participants consistently describe the attendee profile as more senior than comparable conferences – a consequence of the commercial orientation that filters out casual attendees.
Pros and Cons
What makes Affiliate Summit worth it:
The free affiliate pass structure is genuinely unique and makes ASE and ASW accessible to publishers at any income level. No other conference of this scale offers qualified affiliates free access as a core policy.
The Meet Market format is the industry’s most efficient networking infrastructure. 10,000+ facilitated meetings in a single event is a number no email campaign or LinkedIn strategy matches.
The attendee quality and seniority is consistently cited as above average for marketing conferences. The commercial orientation means fewer casual attendees and more decision-makers.
Concentrated US market access, particularly at ASE in New York, is the fastest way for international publishers to build relationships with US advertisers.
Content quality tracks ahead of more general marketing conferences because the practitioner audience demands tactical depth.
What to know before attending:
Affiliate Summit rewards preparation and punishes showing up without a plan. First-time attendees who arrive without a clear value proposition and pre-scheduled meetings often feel lost in the volume.
The event can feel overwhelming at scale. ASW with 7,000 attendees is physically large – without pre-planning (specific sessions, pre-scheduled meetings, target advertisers identified), time passes quickly without productive outcomes.
Paid ticket pricing for advertisers and agencies can be significant when combined with hotel costs near the venue (particularly in Las Vegas and New York City).
The affiliate pass application process requires documented affiliate revenue and has an approval requirement. This meaningful gatekeeping ensures attendee quality, but means not every applicant receives free access.
Affiliate Summit vs. Alternative Conferences
| Conference | Location | Attendees | Best For | Cost (Affiliate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affiliate Summit West (ASW) | Las Vegas, Jan | 7,000+ | Largest event; all verticals; maximum networking volume | Free (qualified affiliates) |
| Affiliate Summit East (ASE) | New York, Jul | 4,500+ | US market access; content and commerce publishing | Free (qualified affiliates) |
| Affiliate World Dubai | Dubai, Mar | – | Paid traffic and ecommerce; strong Middle East/Asia content | Paid |
| Affiliate World Europe | Budapest | – | European market; cross-border ecommerce | Paid |
| PI LIVE Europe | London | 3,000+ | Commerce content, loyalty, editorial publishers | Paid |
| Affiliate World Asia | Bangkok, Dec | – | Asia-Pacific affiliate market; ecommerce DTC | Paid |
Affiliate Summit’s free affiliate pass makes it the lowest-cost entry point into major affiliate conference networking for qualified publishers. Affiliate World events are the primary alternative for a more global, paid-traffic and ecommerce-focused audience at comparable scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Affiliate Summit?
Affiliate Summit is the world’s largest affiliate marketing conference series, founded in 2003. It runs two major annual events: Affiliate Summit West (ASW) in Las Vegas every January (7,000+ attendees) and Affiliate Summit East (ASE) in New York City every summer (4,500+ attendees). The event brings together affiliates, advertisers, ecommerce sellers, networks, and tech suppliers for networking, deal-making, and education. 11,500+ total annual attendees, 183,000+ annual connections made.
Is Affiliate Summit free to attend?
For qualified affiliates and media buyers: yes, completely free. You must apply and be approved (demonstrating that you earn commission through owned-and-operated affiliate campaigns, not as an agency or network employee). Applications for ASE26 open in February 2026 and close June 27, 2026. Advertisers, agencies, and other attendees pay for tickets at varying price points. Group discounts are available for 5+ registering together.
What is the Meet Market at Affiliate Summit?
The Meet Market is Affiliate Summit’s signature networking format – a structured exhibition area where advertisers and networks set up tables and affiliates schedule rapid-fire meetings. At ASW25, over 10,000 meetings were facilitated. For affiliates looking to find new programs and for advertisers looking to recruit new publishers, it’s the most efficient partnership-building format in the industry.
When and where is Affiliate Summit 2026?
Affiliate Summit West (ASW26) took place January 12-14, 2026 at Caesars Forum, Las Vegas. Affiliate Summit East (ASE26) takes place July 27-28, 2026 at the New York Marriott Marquis, Times Square. The next ASW (ASW27) is scheduled for January 26-28, 2027 in Las Vegas.
Is Affiliate Summit right for ecommerce entrepreneurs?
Yes, in two ways. First, ecommerce store owners who want to build affiliate programs attend as advertisers to recruit publisher traffic. Second, content creators and affiliate marketers who promote ecommerce products attend as affiliates (free of charge) to find new programs and build relationships with brands. The ecommerce-specific content track covers AI-powered ecommerce, DTC strategies, and performance marketing for online stores.
How do I prepare for Affiliate Summit?
Use the event app to schedule meetings before arriving. Identify specific advertisers (if you’re an affiliate) or publishers (if you’re an advertiser) you want to meet in the Meet Market. Bring business cards with clear information about your audience, traffic volume, or program details. Have a specific value proposition ready – what you offer, who you serve, and what you’re looking for. Plan your sessions in advance using the agenda to avoid choice paralysis on-site.
My Verdict on Affiliate Summit
Affiliate Summit earns a 9.0/10 as the essential conference for anyone serious about affiliate and performance marketing – whether they’re running an affiliate program, earning affiliate commissions, or building a business in any vertical that intersects with performance-based marketing.
The combination of free admission for qualified affiliates, the industry’s most efficient networking infrastructure (the Meet Market), the concentrated decision-maker audience, the practitioner-focused content tracks across ecommerce, lead gen, paid traffic, and content publishing, and the unmatched scale for US-market relationship building makes Affiliate Summit the conference against which all others in the affiliate space are measured.
The honest trade-offs: the event rewards preparation and punishes showing up without a plan, paid ticket costs and accommodation near Las Vegas and New York add up for advertisers, and the affiliate pass application gatekeeping (while appropriate) means not every applicant gets free access.
For EP community members who are earning affiliate commissions, running affiliate programs, or building content businesses – the free Affiliate Summit affiliate pass for ASE26 in New York City on July 27-28, 2026 is the highest-ROI conference opportunity in the affiliate marketing calendar. Apply early; seats are limited.
Check out Affiliate Summit here
Building a scalable affiliate and ecommerce business requires both the right skills and the right relationships. Start with these free resources from Ecommerce Paradise:
- Free Beginner’s Guide to High-Ticket Dropshipping
- Free Mini Course
- Free High-Ticket Niches List
- Free Supplier Directory
Or if you want personalized guidance on building your ecommerce business, check out our private coaching program or join the Ecommerce Paradise community. I wish you guys the best of luck out there.
Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.
