The only conference checklist you actually need.

Most conference checklists tell you to bring business cards and wear comfortable shoes.

This one is different. It's what we actually use ourselves before every affiliate marketing conference: the thinking and preparation that makes the whole trip worth it.

We've broken it down by timeline and key moments, so you know exactly what to focus on and when.

One week before.

Start with one goal.

Before anything else, figure out what you actually want from this conference. New advertiser partners? A specific GEO you want to open? A problem you need the right conversation to solve?

One clear goal shapes everything that follows. It determines who you talk to, what you ask, and how you follow up afterward.

Pick 7 advertisers. Not 30.

Once you have your goal, it's time to get specific about who can help you reach it.

The exhibitor list gets published before most conferences. Go through it and pick 7 advertisers you genuinely want to meet. Then do basic research on each one: their offers, GEOs, and reputation in the industry.

For each meeting, prepare 3 real questions. Not "tell me about your company." Questions about actual numbers, payout terms, and how they handle problems when they come up.

The advertisers worth working with will appreciate the specificity.

Know your own numbers.

While you're researching advertisers, take time to review your own performance.

Pull up your traffic stats from the last 3 months. At some point in almost every meeting, someone will ask about your numbers. Being prepared with your own data is one of the simplest ways to show you're serious.

When logistics turn into strategy.

Add your confirmed meetings to your calendar and decide where you'll be on the first morning of the conference. A chaotic first hour usually turns into a chaotic first day. Knowing where you're headed when you walk in saves more energy than any networking tactic.

Also, take a few minutes to prepare a short version of who you are and what you do. Three sentences, not ten. You'll use it more than you expect.

At the conference.

Think of it in three parts.

Conferences work better when you stop treating every day the same way.

Day one is for getting a feel for things. Walk around, have casual conversations, and then start meeting people. 

Day two is where the real work happens. This is when you have your prepared meetings and ask your real questions. The groundwork from day one makes these conversations sharper.

Day three is for depth and the unexpected. The people you want to talk to again. The conversations that happen when you're no longer in hustle mode. Often, these turn out to be the most valuable.

Take notes right after each meeting.

Here's something small that makes a big difference.

Don't wait until the end of the day to write things down. Do it right after each conversation. By evening, three meetings blur into one, and the specific things that felt important start to disappear.

A few sentences on your phone is enough. What was discussed, what the next step is, was one thing that stood out.

After the conference.

The conference doesn't really end when you leave the venue. What happens in the days after often determines whether the trip was worth it.

Follow up within 48 hours.

This is probably the most skipped step, and it's one of the most important.

After 48 hours, everyone gets busy, and the window for meaningful follow-up closes faster than you'd expect. Your message starts to feel like a cold outreach instead of a continuation of something that already started.

When you do follow up, make it specific. Not "great to meet you." Something concrete, like "I'd like to run a small test in this GEO" or "can we get on a call next week to go through the numbers?"

A specific follow-up moves things forward. A vague one usually doesn't.

Pick one thing that changes something.

Finally, after every conference, choose one insight that will actually change something in how you work.

Just one. Not ten takeaways you'll write down and never look at again. One thing that turns into action.

That's usually where the real value of a conference lives.

A note from us.

We go to affiliate marketing conferences ourselves, and we've made most of these mistakes before getting the rhythm right.

If you're heading to TES Marbella this March, we'll be at booth G4. We'd love to be on your list of seven.

Come with your questions. We have answers.