If you couldn’t get enough of listening to Mr Gramshammer then you are in for a treat because Day 2 sees him speak twice more. At 11.OO Andrew Firmin of Argos will be speaking with Florian on the subject of retailers and their affiliate programmes complimenting advertising push. Then Florian and Andy will join forces again at 13.00 on a panel discussing the eConsultancy Affiliate Survey.

To be honest we think these words of wisdom are going to be worth the entry fee alone – but I did get paid to say that. If you feel like congratulating Florian on his speaking performances then look out for him and the CJ team at one of the Expo’s networking parties, details here.

Don’t forget to come along and visit both the Commission Junction and ValueClick media teams at stand 36. In addition Argos, Legal & General and Air France are among some of our clients that will be exhibiting this year.

Networking at the A4U is a must, and there will be a range of opportunities to do so from speed networking to the official A4U party. You can find out more about these activities and more by clicking here.

If you’re still struggling for an excuse as why to come-well there is good news. All CJ clients get a 10% discount on tickets when registering with the code: CJCLIENT10. You can register by clicking here.

This is a fantastic opportunity to share your opinions and viewpoints with your peers so make sure you take part.  The deadline is on Friday and completing the census only takes ten minutes.  So grab a coffee and take part – you get a free copy of the report if you do.

Two years ago a similar report was compiled which provided unique insight into affiliate marketing, the time has now come to revisit the subject.  The online world moves so quickly that the research is sure to bring different topics and new perspectives to the forefront of the industry; mobile is now on the scene and video has developed as a leading proposition within affiliate marketing.

We’ll be discussing the findings at the A4U Expo in London in October, along with Andrew Firmin, affiliate manager at Argos. So you can hear more about it all there – questions are always appreciated as well.

If you’re planning on heading to the Expo please do come and visit us, we’ll be at stand 36.  We would love to meet you for a chat or even just to say hello.

Wait, there’s more!  Florian Gramshammer, UK country manager for Commission Junction and Andrew Firmin, affiliate manager at Argos, will be speaking at the conference.   Pop along at 11.00-11.45 on the 19^th to hear them discuss how retailers can use their affiliate programmes as a resource, integrating and complimenting activity with any advertising push.

Florian and Andy will also be on a panel with Chris Johnson from A4U talking about the eConsultancy Affiliate Survey and discussing results of research conducted on this year’s affiliate landscape.  This is at 13.00-13.45 on 19^th as well.

It’s the perfect time to purchase your tickets to ensure you don’t miss out on such a great event. If you’re an avid microblogger, you can also receive further news by following the event on Twitter, @A4UEXPO.

Click here to go to the website and book, and don’t forget CJ clients get 10% discount on tickets and can register with the code: CJCLIENT10.

We hope to see you there.

It’s such a talked about topic because it’s important for both marketers and publishers.  Marketers are always looking to analyse their return on investment, learning more about their audience and consumer behaviour.  It’s also about bread and butter for publishers, making sure they get the credit and commission they’ve earned.

It’s a complex discussion with no one-stop solution.  I recently wrote a piece for A4U on this very topic – if you’re keen to learn more you can read it here: http://www.affiliates4u.com/news/2011/08/who-has-right-play-god-ongoing-attribution-debate/

Last week marked the launch of the first ever PerformanceIN Fashion & Beauty event, courtesy of our good friends, the a4u. A motley crew of four (Hardeep, Jay, Ellie & I) made out way down to the stunning Hurlingham club in Putney Bridge for a fun filled day of fashion, networking, seminars and lobster! CJ cleverly parked up closely to some rather fetching cupcakes (thanks eConversions!) so we were well placed to entertain some of our favourite merchants, publishers and fashionistas.

We set up the stand to showcase how we as a Network can grow Fashion brands, learn about what’s new in the affiliate fashion world and to meet and greet new potential partners. Fashion retailers are an important part of the affiliate marketing mix and it was great to see an event tailored specifically for this vertical.

Over the course of the day we had the opportunity to chat with new affiliate partners and re-engage with our existing ones. The a4u had organised an excellent programme of seminars focused on getting the most out of the affiliate channel in the fashion sector. It was great to hear a range of perspectives from some of the most influential advertisers in the industry and to get a taste of how things stand from the blogger’s eye view.

The lobster lunch was a clear winner (as well as the constantly replenished pastries!) and the atmosphere was electric throughout the day making room for great networking opportunities. With this event a4u proved, yet again, that they’re at the forefront of the affiliate marketing industry.  We’re looking forward to the next PerformanceIN Travel event, taking place in November.  After the success of the initial fashion event, the PerformanceIN series is set to be on our agenda for a while to come.

• Argos - who won in both categories they entered; the retail award and best use of affiliate marketing as part of an integrated campaign
• lastminute.com who won in the travel and leisure category. Fingers crossed that they also win at the NMA awards in a couple of weeks. Lina will also be presenting this at the IAB affiliate marketing seminar on the 24th of June. I will blog about that shortly
• Payday who were shortlisted in the Finance section
• Hildegunn who was shortlisted as Publisher’s Choice of Account Manager

Congratulations must also go to all of the other winners, advertisers, affiliates and agencies alike.

I was actually at the awards, kindly invited by Payday UK  which is a rare treat for a marketing person in this industry (boo sob). The event was great  – loads of people, lots and lots of CJers from over the years who have gone on to do great things at networks, agencies and affiliate companies. A bit of a family reunion.

I did attempt to take photos to show you all and whilst I would never claim to be the best photographer in the world I can usually do a bit better than a blurred shot of the floor which is what my camera is now full of. I toyed with uploading a photo to show you how very poor they were but then I felt this would diminish the outstanding success of the award winners and shortlisted companies. So I am not going to!

Well done everyone. Thanks A4U. Over