Like a lot of internet entrepreneurs, I probably need to get out more and so the chance to pop along to the a4uexpo roadshow in Glasgow and meet up with fellow affiliate marketing people seemed too good an opportunity to miss. Miss it I nearly did though because the venue - The Zinc Bar - didn’t actually exist, but thanks to a kind waitress in a nearby restaurant and an a4uexpo banner outside a bar we finally found it.

This was actually the first event of its kind that I’ve attended and so didn’t know what to expect. A quick look down the list of attendees before leaving the house meant that I would be walking into a room knowing nobody but my wife who came long too, but once I’d been given my name badge it was easy enough finding people to talk to.

Colin Boyd from Drive Business and Michael (didn’t get a business card so don’t know your last name!) from Equator both made the night for me. It was fantastic talking to people who know all about the Google God, what Colin calls “domaincest” and premium rate numbers. I really hope I bump into both again soon.

There were a lot of people from the networks and agencies there, including people who obviously know the industry inside out. Affiliates like myself were a little thin on the ground which surprised me. I had made a mental note to talk to Neil Anderson from myexperiencedays.net, because I run a similar site, but from what I could gather he didn’t turn up. Maybe another day. I also missed the opportunity to talk to another affiliate, Keith Bond from Fashion Style You and Golfing News , who I was introduced to shortly after arriving, but never bumped into again.

I didn’t fair much better with the affiliate networks, but did speak to Liane Dietrich (thanks for the food!) and Dave McCarthy from LinkShare, a network I had to admit I hadn’t come across before. Their clients include British Airways, House Of Fraser and a host of other merchants and I will definitely be looking at working with them in the near future as an affiliate. I also had a good chat with Colin Campbell from Paid On Results, another network I haven’t worked with before, but will now be looking to do so.

As far as merchants went, it was good to grab a few words with Chris Clarkson from Sunshine.co.uk who impressed me greatly with their efforts to boost affiliate sales in the run up the Summer season. If you have any travel sites definitely check them out because they are a merchant going places and they want to take you with them.

All in all a good night out and hopefully some good contacts made for the future. Many thanks to Claire and Pete from Existem for hosting the evening and for making us feel welcome at our first a4uexpo event. It certainly whetted our appetite for more and although we won’t make this October’s big a4uexpo blow out in London, we will certainly be at the next in 2009.