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Out with the old and in with the new!  2011 came and went almost as quickly as Kim Kardashians's recent nuptials!  AKMG was blessed with another strong year in business, and memories that will last us an affili-lifetime!

Check out our recap of our favorite events at the ever-so-stylin' AKMG headquarters in 2011.  You may want to grab some popcorn or some tissues as we take a quick scroll through affiliate memory lane.

5.  January 2011 - AKMG moves into the Encore Wynn Hotel for 5 Days!

Love Vegas?  Love AKMG?  Well what's better than hanging with AKMG in Vegas?  (Let us know if you think of anything, because we are having a hard time!)  AKMG was proud to exhibit at Affiliate Summit Las Vegas for a third year in a row, complete with red carpet and director chairs - After all, we are the celebrities of affiliate marketing. 

4. March 2011 –  AKMG Acquired by Neverblue, April 1st, 2011!

3. April 2011 - AKMG  hits Ad:Tech San Francisco with a So Cal BOOM! 

Weeks following acquisition by Neverblue, the AKMG team rolled out the red carpet in the Golden Gate City.  Not only did AKMG bring one swanky looking team, but we were also hosts of the memorable Mailer Meetup.  If that isn't enough excitement for one conference, our very own Kimberlee White and Amber Paul spoke at Ad:Tech about the benefits of email marketing, while still managing to host not one but TWO nights at the place-to-be-seen: RedWood room in the Clift Hotel.  Mazal Tov!

We could go into more details about riding in Bentley's, networking at it's finest and how real "closers" do business - But you will just have to come see us at Ad:Tech SF in April of 2012.

2.  April 2011 - AKMG Brings the Party to El Segundo!

After 3 plus years on the Third Street Promenade and witnessing almost every street performer act known to man - it was time the AKMG office pack up their beach shoes and move from the West Side down to the industrial war zone known as El Segundo. (Yes, I did leave my wallet there)  We were sad to say good bye to our old school brick walls, beloved parking structures and favorite Starbucks baristas who made it extra hot and snappy --- but also very excited to have more space and new digs on California Street!  If you're in the LA area, stop by anytime to check out our growing skate deck collection or hang out in our comfortable third story lounge!

1. Dec 2011 - AKMG 2011 Holiday Party!

What do you get when you combine a solid group of marketing execs dressed to the nines, an open bar and swanky photobooth? You get one of the best nights of 2011 - Also known as the AKMG Holiday Party!  The champagne was flown' and the music was bumpin' as the team of AKMG invited some of their VIP clients to join them for an evening of celebration and cheer!   Who could forget all the laughs and hilarious photo ops that took place at Chelsea's Pub & Lounge in Hermosa Beach on December 3rd? 

So Facebook lowered your daily spend and Google gave you the slap after such a long love affair together... What to do next?  What verticals should you focus on since the days of ripping an Acai Berry landers are gone and Mary's days of internet riches from home have dwindled?  That's where WhatRunsWhere comes in, a service for publishers made by publishers.  Haven't heard of WhatRunsWhere and it's capabilities you say?  Well for your reading pleasure, below are some details and a quick Q & A from COO Max Teitelbaum, an industry veteran with a flair for all things related to media buying and a love for making affiliate managers earn his traffic.   

AP: Max, can you give me your elevator pitch on WhatRunsWhere?

MT: Whatrunswhere provides intelligence for media buying online. Not only did the founders use it to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for their personal campaigns, but now anyone can use the same powerful information to help boost their businesses ROI and buy media online in a more intelligent way. Whatrunswhere show's the A-Z of anyone's online advertising campaign, from what creative they use, to where they're buying their media.

Whatrunswhere provides you with the data to see where sites are being advertised, what networks to buy the ads through, what's working and so much more. They're the most comprehensive and best media buying intelligence tool in the world. They also allow you to track advertisers and see when they launch new ads as well as historical split test variations (keep an eye on your competition today).

AP: That's quite the elevator pitch. SOLD. I'll take one in every color.  So Max - tell what inspired the creation of WhatRunsWhere?

MT: Well my partner Mike actually made it.  He identified a huge need for data, that wasn't too easy to do and then spent 1+ years doing nothing but developing a solution to fix it. I'm just a pretty face.

AP: And a humble one at that.

MT: Very.  I mean, while it was being developed I just used it to run campaigns (through AKMG where I could) using the data I got from using the system.

AP: So this project started as something to use to help grow your own business - and then you decided since you have a need for it, every other media buyer must need this too?

MT: Sort of, we originally intended to have a limited member base, but decided to be generous and let everyone use it.  It's a long term thing for us, we want to provide the best service possible, after all the best businesses (like AKMG) are based on customer service and support.

AP: Let's start with the basics here, if you were just getting into media buying and about to launch your first campaign post continuity mayhem – how would you start with WhatRunsWhere?  Give me the run down.

MT: Well, I'd research via keyword or url the competitors in the niche. Look at their placements and use quantcast and alexa to figure out what demographics they're going for (and the site they advertise on are catering for). I'd then look at similarities between ads being run by the different advertisers. The point here isn't to just rip data, its to figure out what everything has in common, incorporate that into your advertising to limit risk and find new profitable things to test. So for example, if you saw animated gifs in a ton of banners, it may be worth getting your own done and seeing if that boosts your ROI. We're all about helping our users make more and spend less.

AP: So from the affiliate  manager stand point – Tell me what benefit WRW brings to AM's and working with their affiliates?  

MT: For an AM it allows you to see whats out there and running, it helps you give better tips to your affiliates and share better information than what's promoted on the network that week. It gives you a different view into what your affs should be running.

AP: Last question, give me your top 3 tips for any affiliate manager who is striving to achieve stardom in the AM Hall of Fame, other than to not wake you up from a nap?  (Not that I have ever been cursed out by you before... lol)
For AMs, top 3 tips would be:

1. Don't push offers to your affiliates just to push offers to your affiliates, actually get to know them. Don't just show them what's doing best on the network, give them personalized recommendations based on your relationship with them, figure out what they like.  They have a business to run like you, so treat it as that, and your affiliates will respect you more for it.

2. Even if I don't push traffic with you, reach out and be cool. Chances are I may in the future and showing me you care even if I'm not making cash with you is a great way to get me to start running traffic with you.

3. Don't call me when I'm napping... ever...

AP: Well thanks Max – I think we all learned a lot today about WhatRunsWhere and why only so few affiliate managers have been able to make it on your "acceptable to talk to” list.  For all you readers out there, you can hit up your AKMG AM on WhatRunsWhere and they will glady give you all the details and make sure you get taken care of by Sir Teitelbaum.  Just more proof that "big brother” is always watching =]

That’s right – it’s that time of year again.... No not Back to School – but Back to the Affiliate Summit East for year 3 in the big apple.  Just like any scholar student would show up for the first day of school with a fresh box of crayons, AKMG is planning on showing up to ASE with our most polished team to date.  Most of our affili-friends are used to looking for the booth with “all the girls” on the show floor, but we like to switch things up a bit and are bringing Cory Gilleland and John Cody to represent AKMG in addition to Layne Kennedy, Cathy Zandueta and Wendy Adams.  Of course, Kim and myself will be present on the exhibit and dance floor!   The team of AKMG is planning on hitting ASE harder than a heat wave hits The Hamptons, so it’s only necessary we put together a preparation list to survive the upcoming marketing mayhem.  Make sure to take notes on the below, because these are words of wisdom from trade show veterans that can run marathons in 6 inch heels.  To aid in your reading (and aesthetic) pleasure, Miss Layne Kennedy is going to highlight everyone’s favorite part of any trade show: the buzzing party scene. From there, I am going to circle back around and go over the “must attend” keynote sessions and speakers of the conference.   After all, ASE could best be compared to the forever adored mullet hairstyle circa 1985 >>> All business in the front and party in the back!

As with every year, you’ve found yourself in the same life-altering predicament. You have now RSVP’d to a dozen parties for Sunday and Monday night.  The same go-to venues, all your favorite companies, promising the best DJs and open bars all over the city. Well it’s time to make the hard decisions - which events to attend, and which “parties” to leave to the ASE newbies. 

On Sunday night head to the meatpacking district and hit up Neon in NYC at Dream Downtown for cocktails with EmpYre Media. Mix and Mingle for a late-night happy hour at the swanky rooftop pool and “beach” (boasting real sand), surrounded by the NYC Skyline.  Once you’ve gotten your fair share of Downtown, follow our stilettos back to Midtown to the Neverblue party on top of the Roosevelt Hotel at Mad46.  Elevate your NYC experience at this private soiree hosted by AKMG’s parent company (PM us if you haven’t yet made the cut), sipping dirty martinis while rubbing shoulders with the “who’s who” of the industry.  Dance the night away, as with all things AKMG, this chic and sexy exclusive event promises not to disappoint. 

On Monday evening, stroll over to the Affiliate Ball at the undisclosed location near the Hilton (admit it, the mystery is alluring enough in itself).  Cultivate your business while dancing to the beats of DJ Doug-E-Fresh, with an abundance of sponsors including Wicked Fire, CPA Trend and PlentyofFish.  Then it’s time to head off to the main event at the Greenhouse in the South Village, one of Manhattan’s best spots for nightlife. Take advantage of this networking opportunity with some of our favorites from A4D and EngageBDR, who definitely know how to throw a party….(Flashdancers 2010 anyone?)

So there you have it, you know where to be, when to be there, and most importantly, where to find all of us!

Thanks Layne... Make sure to bring an extra phone battery because I have a feeling you will be getting of texts from your many adoring affili-fans and industry colleagues. 

So after you pop a few Advil and get those bumpin’ house beats out of your head – you will want to make sure to attend some of the promising key note sessions at the Hilton. Feel free to stop by the AKMG booth, number 217 in between these sessions to tell us how much fun you had hanging out with us an how excited you are to do more business with us, as those are our favorite booth visitors! 

One of the most important sessions to attend is being held is 9D Tuesday the 23rd at 2:00 PM in the Sutton, in which the main topic is educating those on the proposed new privacy laws that will not only diminish user’s internet experience, but also devastate all online advertising.  If you want to be able to keep poppin’ bottles at each tradeshow, I highly recommend you attend to learn more about how to rally, educate and fight these misguided efforts.  Our very own Kimberlee White will be one of the speakers, along with Sarah de Diego, attorney at law, Peter Hamilton from HasOffers and Brad White, the Director of Business Development for uSamp.

For all you tech buffs, sink your fangs into the Mobile Marketing Campaign Optimization session.  The main speaker will be Gregg Stewart, the VP New Media Platforms at Neverblue. We all know the mobile revolution is changing and Gregg is going to speak about what it takes to be a successful mobile publisher and the key components to making a successful campaign.  Sounds digitally stimulating and since this event is taking place on Tuesday at 11:30 AM, you will have plenty of time to recover from the ultra-elite Neverblue Party on Sunday.  If you need more tips on how to make the most out of your ASE trip – or be added to the VIP list, be sure to follow @kymbrla, @laynekennedy511, or @ambspaul for real time reporting. 

See you all in NY... Make sure to look for the red 6 inch soles ;) 

AKMG is pleased announce that we have moved from our eclectic loft space in Santa Monica to a brand new industrial inspired, three story office space in the beachside city of El Segundo. The modern, yet contemporary, new space brings AKMG into it’s 4th year and another fiscally rewarding quarter of business. The new office infrastructure includes many architectural perks such as bamboo wood floors, 14’ vaulted ceilings, 2 patio decks facing the ocean, and plenty of stainless steel beams and slate accents throughout the space. Construction begins Tuesday, March 29th to begin the build out of an additional 500 square feet on the 2nd floor of already aesthetically pleasing space. All members of AKMG will be operating out of the new office despite a little dust and noise over the next 2 weeks.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Southern California geography, El Segundo is located in the beloved Southbay in between Marina Del Rey and Manhattan Beach. We are only 5 minutes from LAX, so if you are coming out the West side in the near future, be sure to stop by and check out our optimum new space!

Affiliate Summit East came and went quicker than any show I have attended in the past 6 years of my online marketing career,  (yes I have been babysitting pubs for that long now) but I feel this is by far the best trade show I have attended yet.  It definitely took a few years to perfect the location for Affiliate Summit East – Remember going to Miami in the middle of August with 95 degree weather and 100% humidity?  How could one forget trying to find a place that was open past midnight in Beantown, let alone a cab from the Seaport Hotel?  Without a doubt, New York’s energy, nightlife, amazing food choices and 4:00 AM last call make it the perfect location for ASE.  What’s better than networking at Flashdancers and then bumping into a super affiliate while waiting for some beloved “Cart Food” at 3:00 AM? 

This show was particularly exciting for the AKMG crew as we brought a whole new set of faces that included our new network director, Eva Wong, along with Affiliate Manager sensation Brandon “Kaveman” Moore. I think Brandon actually shaving his beard off got more attention than the ladies in matching white shirts at our booth!  The tradeshow floor was packed, and at all times there was a line of folks waiting to talk to someone at the booth or trying to get their hands on our Jay Z-themed skate deck (Can you blame them? AKMG repp’ed the sickest swag in the show).  

Some people get feisty over those darn decks, and I think I was offered money, alcohol, hand sanitizer, and someone’s first born child in exchange for one.  Not only did we produce our most popular deck yet, but our new booth took stylish and simplicity to a whole new level with a touch of Hollywood red carpet glam.  Since our booth was on the FIRST level (sorry to those networks that didn’t get their app in on-time) Our booth was conveniently located next to the Pulse360 booth and across from Copeac -- allowing for a front row seat to Eagle vs. Krongel’s “Kiss da Ring” drama d’jour.  What what?  If you weren’t there.... I am sure you heard about it.  Eagle, you know I heart you!  

Now for everyone’s favorite topic and what we are primarily infamous for.... The late night party stories.  First night into NY my partner Kim and I went to an amazing wine and food pairing dinner with Chris Clark and Bryn Youngblut.  After 8 full glasses of wine, let’s just say we were feeling quite dandy and by the end of dinner the only thing I could do was simply giggle and infest the rest of the table with contagious laughter.  From there an adventure to Flashdancers was an absolute must.  There was more cash, bottles and hot girls at our table than any other affiliate network’s attempt at throwing a sausage-fest party.  If you were a victim of our ice throwing (cough cough KEVIN) you know you liked it and if you weren’t...I bet you want to party with us at the next trade show.  After quite an epic evening, you would think one would be tired... But no... We still had 3 more nights of networking, partying and schmoozing pubs to tackle.

So this blog post is a little late because I have been consistently 100 plus emails behind every day on top of balancing a new endeavor as the head organizer for all the 202 Meetups in Southern California.  Sounds like an easy position right?  Well easy isn't quite the word I would use to describe when it came to putting this together, but the hard work and scramble definitely paid off.  When I say scramble... I mean SCRAMBLE.  Just ask my co-organizer in crime.... She not only got texts/phone calls from me at 3:00 am the morning before the Meetup, she also got a wake up call at 6:00 am to remind her that she needed to go hold down our place at the Burton Chase Park in Marina Del Rey and hang out with homeless people by herself while she waited for myself and my friend Eva to show up and take over staking out our location since they weren't available for reservation and on a "first come - first taken" basis...which meant in order to fight off homeless people playing poker, screaming children's birthday parties and family bbq's that someone would need to be sitting in this location until the Meetup started at 2:00.

Delegating staff to pick up food and party supplies from a water front view isn't too tough of a task on a beautiful summer day... but seriously I almost went stir crazy sitting at that park from 9:00 am until my helpers arrived around 1:30 PM to set everything up.  (Way to be fashionably late kids)  Guests started to pour in around 2:30, and by 3:00 we had well over 75 guests show up and over 10 pitchers of Sangria ready to serve.  One of our favorite Midwest values affiliates, Riley Pool agreed to speak at the Meetup about his experiences as a dating affiliate and all the lessons he has learned over the years buying banner inventory on display sites and battling with webmasters.  Riley got a little nervous before it was time to speak... so it was necessary to calm his nerves with a few tequila shots.  For me personally tequila shots are usually a sign that I will be losing a credit card, cell phone, employee or my self dignity sometime in the near future... but in Riley's case is actually made him a more confident and clear public speaker.  Different strokes for different folks I guess?

I initially had a few more people lined up to speak at the Meetup, but spontaneity is always more fun especially after a few glasses of home made sangria, so I decided to put Jason Akatiff aka Smaxor of Ads4Dough on the spot and had him do a Q & A session for everyone along with Nana Gilbert-Baffoe or as Eleah likes to call him "Nana Banana."  For those of you not familiar with Nana's back round, he is one of the original members of Prosper202 prior to the Bloosky sale and re-purchase - So it was a great pleasure to have him in attendance.  Both Jason and Nana answered probably 20 questions each and everyone in attendance seemed so engaged that they didn't seem to notice Eleah's laser eye'd dog running around AND that we had entirely run out of beer.  Even though we are technically competitors, I consider Jason to be a really close friend of mine and have an immense amount of respect for him, so it definitely meant a lot to myself and all the AKMG members that he took the time to attend our Meetup, and didn't kill me for making him answer questions for an hour!  Curious to know what Smax and Nana talked about?  Well next time you will have to attend ;)

The first ever AKMG sponsored Meetup ended up going until about 7:00 PM and we amazingly got everything cleaned up in less than 30 minutes.  Good thing affiliate marketers also like to eat! From there about 15 of us headed to Hal's in Venice and had a few post Meetup drinks and appetizers.  Alas, all the planning fully paid off and we heard from everyone that attended not only did they have a great time, but they took away some helpful tips and techniques that they would be applying to their business models.  I truly wanted to go back to the core values and principles that Wes Mahler had in mind when he started the Meetups.... Keeping it simple, informative and not jamming network sponsors down the throat of attending affiliates.

The next Meetup with be located in San Diego in which Chern Lee & Valentino Vaschetto of Pinnacle Dream Media are my fabulous co-organizers.  Dates are still to be announced and I promise the venue will not be The Ivy, Stingaree, Fluxx or Sidebar!  For those of you reading this and know what I am talking about, I hope you either have a big smile on your face because you understand my humor and what I am referencing (Alonzo especially) or you are shaking your head because you know how much your bank account balance is going to suffer if you go to any of the four places I just mentioned. This post is long enough.... Moral of the story here:  Meetup #1 was a success and that there are many more to come!

Hey all, my name is Eric Kim and after interning over at Demand Media, I just started working with the wonderful team of AKMG in sunny Santa Monica. As the Online Marketing Coordinator over here, I thought that I would provide some of my thoughts when it came to Online Social Media. An interesting fact about my background is that I actually taught a “Sociology of Facebook ” class over at UCLA.

My fabulous new boss Amber Paul will be chiming in from time to time on my blog, so heads up all the “hateroade” being served isn’t from just me….she wanted to help introduce  a man that really needs no introduction…because really, if you haven't seen the AKMG twitter a(ff)buzz, than you're not on twitter. So you can blame the sass on the stilettos.
 

1.    The Crowd is Always Right:

As they always say in the service-sector, “The customer is always right.” This also applies to online social media manifested through Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. Always listen for feedback and make sure to cater to your audience, and most importantly, your customers. When your fans or followers are saying positive things about your company or brand, most likely you’re doing something right. On the other hand, once you start hearing negative status updates, tweets, or comments about a decision that your company or brand did, you better start making some positive changes.

Yes that’s right guy…. No one cares about all your Facebook updates about your new Jersey Shorette of a girlfriend and how much you love each other and how much fun you have tanning and making out with each other instead of actually working to earn a living.

2.    People Trust their Friends:

If you are going to buy a new car, whose opinion would you trust more: the opinion of a friend or the opinion of a car salesmen? The same thing goes for online social media. Make sure that you foster strong connections with your network, and they will do all the work of spreading great PR for you and your company. Focus on building trust with your audience and the rest will take care of itself. 

Unless your friends own a continuity company that sells Google Biz opp or Acai Berry pills… then you really shouldn’t trust them over the used car salesperson because frozen merchant accounts can put a price on friendship…

 3.    Focus on Interaction:

Sociologically speaking, human life is all about interaction with other people. Therefore whenever you open the channels of communication with your audience via status updates or tweets, make sure to actually respond to what people are saying to you! Often times people forget that there are actually real people who are updating the social media sites. Therefore put the human side to social media and make build conversations with people! Don’t hesitate to ask your audience questions and ask for their opinions!  

Some affiliate managers do a great job of doing this…. Especially when asking their affiliates which they like better… the picture of them doing a beer bong in a bikini or a picture of them kissing another girl at the Azogydraboothdigital bash  Everyone’s opinions count right?

4.    Be Interesting:

Who is going to be more popular at the party, the social butterfly who is telling great stories to everybody or the loner who drinks punch by himself in the corner?   (These are also known as Eleah’s publishers…you know who you are) This is a no-brainer. This is because the social butterfly is one who actually has interesting things to say or tell others... IE why everybody hangs on Eleah’s every word because she loves to talk about herself… That’s right E-WWOOWW… The truth hurts. Winks.  The same is with online social media. You don’t want to tell the same story that everybody else is telling. Provide content that nobody that is different and unique…. So Barman stop trying to stare down the shirt of your  affiliate managers on the fly because it’s never gonna happen, no matter how scientific you get, so get back to optimizing that blog.

5.    Be Visual:

Individuals of today’s modern society are heavily image-dependent. This means that we love seeing images in our daily lives and whatever is more colorful or interesting gets more attention. 

What is more appealing, a colorful magazine or a boring black and white newspaper?  What is more appealing, a picture of Ryan Eagle’s new pinky ring or a picture of  Bryn Youngblut with his newest hired help of the week?  And for the love of God what is wrong with John Chow?!?! This goes the same with your online social media platforms. You don’t want the same generic template as everyone else. Customize your profile pictures, backgrounds, and color schemes.  I mean you want to at least make it where W4's Jason Walker will pay attention to your page enough to notice when you de-friend him…not because that ever happened…but just saying…  Design it in such a way that if someone saw your Facebook, Twitter, or Blog, they would be impressed…. And if all else fails, just post pictures of yourself popping bottles and you will be sure to get a positive response… BALLER.

AKMG is proud to announce to the launch of a revised and revamped publisher interface.  After many months of crafting, the new AKMG Affiliate Portal 2.0 has been released and set live.  New features include 24/7 live chat and support options for affiliates translated in 13 different languages including English, Chinese, French, German, Italian and Russian.

Publishers have a more aesthetic view into their monthly and daily stats as well as easier access to new offers along with top offers broken down by affiliate promotion channel.  Offer categories have also been modified for easier viewing and location, creating the ultimate user-friendly experience when logged into the AKMG Affiliate Portal.  Aside from the photographs and easily locatable contact information of affiliate managers, the new interface also has quick access options to AKMG  social tools including Twitter and Blog feeds, which are always full of up to date information and affiliate marketing news and tips.  

The overall goal of the revised interface is to enhance affiliate experience while logged in to AKMG.com and improve their business bottom line!  Keep looking forward to the changes taking place at AKMG, as there are many more to come!

It's been quite some time since the last AKMG blog post, especially one from yours truly - So I thought the opening of the AKMG Florida office is a perfect topic for breaking the ice this April Fools Day.  Our CEO, Steven Patton, took the liberty of opening this office for us and since he holds such an eye for design, he will also be doing all the interior decorating.  Kim and myself will take one for the team and test out the roof top pool to ensure we are doing our fair share of contributions.  The location of Fort Lauderdale is a prime location for a multitude of reasons which include being within a close proximity to a large amount of industry partners, gorgeous landscape, and our attorney being conveniently located in the same building. 

Amongst the other obvious reasons, the location will allow us to have more access to our international partners during operating hours, since Pacific standard time puts us three hours behind our East Coasters and another 8 hours behind our international European clients.  The Florida office will house a division of our internal media buying efforts, and with time some new hires to the AKMG sales team.  At a time of uncertainty in the industry and layoffs, AKMG is continuing to expand and keep a focus on stability and longevity, not just turning a quick profit.  As my partner Steven would say "We are in a constant marathon with our business, not just a sprint."

For those of you who receive invoices from us - please note that our payment address has changed!  We are looking forward to operating as a bi-coastal company and are excited about growing our relationships with all the companies we do business with in Florida, like we have been able to in the Los Angeles and Southern California areas.  Oh yeah - above all, definitely looking forward to toasting glasses of champagne by the roof top pool celebrating yet another fiscally successful quarter!

It's so hard to believe that Vegas Affiliate Summit is already done and over....and a few weeks have passed!  There was so much hype about this show and literally at the blink of the eye I was already checking out of my room in the Encore ready to make my way back to a stormy Los Angeles.Based on stats, there were over 4000 attendees at Affiliate Summit West, and rightfully so - as many agree that this was the best Affiliate Summit to date for more than one reason.  

The location of the Rio served it's purpose as the venue for the show, although I am genuinely hoping this location will change soon as the Rio is in definite need of a facelift.  Despite the all the hangovers and distractions that Vegas brings, the show exhibit hall was packed at all times.The Meet Market was literally shoulder to shoulder, so anyone who had a table definitely got their money worth.As for being an exhibitor, I was very pleased with the foot traffic that the exhibit hall brought - the booth was busy at all times with plenty of folks wanting to talk to the AKMG team.  Best part about Affiliate Summit is the audience that it tailors too - There is much less sifting through people at your booth that you don't know what they do and they really cant explain to you what they do. 

I would say the AKMG team easily came back with a stack of over 1000 business cards, some existing but a lot of new business as well.I really liked the location of our booth on the floor as well - in a easy to locate spot in the front, we also got a lot of attention for having 5 ladies dressed in fedoras and all black.

I have been a part of AKMG for 3 months now, and felt that Affiliate Summit was the first show I was fully able to come out with my new company, a new image and a new mission... also don't forget new high lights!  The ora of this show was different than most I felt, a lot of this due to the crash of rebills that recently took place.For the record - No - I am not being sued by Google, I think I got asked that 15 times at the show.... The former queen of biz opps has stepped down from her throne my friends. 

While most people were stoked to be at the show, it seems there were a decent chunk of folks looking to do some bill collections.It was amazing to hear just how many people had been stiffed or screwed out of money because they let some fly by night advertiser rack a huge bill with them, and then they got stuck holding the bag when the advertiser stopped returning their calls, fled the country or in some cases turned out to be a terrorist.  Luckily the dissolving of rebills and acceleration of merchant account drama didn't affect AKMG as much as it affected some of our competition...All I have to say is we feel for ya Smaxor.

The competition seems heavier than ever between the million networks that attended - networks banning other networks from their party, dirty looks and comments between AM's in the aisle's of the exhibit hall and in some cases networks blatantly mocking another network in their swag gear.  So much for professionalism... but that's a non existent term in an industry that slings acai berries and fake grant programs in order to keep the lights on.

The parties of course are a huge topic... but I want to ramble on about those later because I have a fabulous photo album to go accompany them, especially because the AKMG ladies seemed to be some of the only non paid girls at all of them!

I must touch base on one of the trademarks of AKMG, the beloved skate board decks.  Only 100 Vegas 2010 edition decks were made - and they were snatched up quicker than the free beer at the Convert2 booth.   Every year a new artist designs the decks, and this year we decided to go a little bit wild and had both sides of the deck decorated in artwork!  My personal favorite is a quote from Miss Eleah Portillo herself, "What happens in Vegas... End up on Facebook."In a few cases I had a few people that yelled at the AKMG ladies and myself when they came over for a deck and there weren't any left.... Sorry folks.... come to the booth earlier next time! 

For those of you that we promised to ship boards to... they are on their way!Since this is pretty long - I am going to conclude this as part 1 of my blog post - Part 2 coming later this week!In the mean time enjoy the photo of the ladies from the AKMG booth!