What Operators Stand to Lose by Skipping Affiliate Leaders Summit 2026

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Warning. If you’re an operator thinking of skipping this year’s Affiliate Leaders Summit, you could be missing out on some serious opportunities.

For the first time, the Affiliate Leaders Summit will take place as a standalone event alongside SBC Summit.

Taking place from 29 September to 1 October at Lisbon’s Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena, the event will welcome more than 10,000 delegates from over 150 countries, making it the global meeting point for affiliate marketing professionals.

Whilst many believe the event is purely created with affiliates in mind, operators have just as much to gain.

For affiliate managers, acquisition teams and media buyers, the Affiliate Leaders Summit presents an opportunity to discover new partners, strengthen existing relationships, understand where the affiliate industry is heading and uncover the technologies shaping the future of player acquisition.

Skip it, and your competitors will be one step ahead. Attend, and you’ll be leading the way.

Is the Affiliate Leaders Summit 2026 worth it?

Skip the Affiliate Leaders Summit, and you won’t have access to the dedicated Affiliate Leaders Summit show floor. It is separately ticketed, so an SBC Summit pass alone does not give operators access to the affiliate companies, networks, agencies and technology providers attending.
Skip it, and you miss the concentrated opportunity to find new affiliate partners and traffic sources. Instead of trying to identify potential partners across the wider SBC Summit audience, ALS puts SEO affiliates, PPC specialists, streamers, tipsters, comparison sites, networks and agencies in one dedicated environment.
Skip it, and you lose access to the dedicated Affiliate Leaders Summit SBC Connect platform. Affiliate Leaders Summit attendees can search for relevant affiliates, publishers, content creators and performance marketers, start conversations and arrange meetings before arriving in Lisbon. SBC Summit-only attendees won’t have access to the platform.
Skip it, and you won’t have access to the affiliate-focused conference content. The sessions covering affiliate strategy, SEO, paid media, AI, content, acquisition and changing audience behaviour sit within Affiliate Leaders Summit and are not accessible to SBC Summit-only attendees.
Skip it, and you miss direct access to the technology built specifically around affiliate acquisition and programme performance. Tracking, attribution, reporting, compliance, programme management and traffic acquisition providers are part of the ALS show floor, so operators attending SBC Summit alone will not have the same access to that dedicated supplier ecosystem.
Registering for Affiliate Leaders Summit does not mean sacrificing SBC Summit. The Affiliate Leaders Summit VIP Pass gives access to both events, so operators can get the full Affiliate Leaders Summit experience, while still accessing SBC Summit’s exhibition, conference programme and major evening events.
Skip it, and you risk losing out on a major advantage over your competitors. Affiliate Leaders Summit attendees can pre-book affiliate meetings, visit the dedicated show floor, attend the acquisition-focused sessions and identify new partners, while SBC Summit-only attendees are outside that part of the event.

SBC Summit or the Affiliate Leaders Summit? Why not both!

Let’s clear up one of the biggest misconceptions first.

Many operators assume they have to choose between SBC Summit and the Affiliate Leaders Summit.

But here’s the thing: the Affiliate Leaders Summit VIP Pass gives you access to both events.

That means you can explore everything the Affiliate Leaders Summit has to offer while also accessing SBC Summit’s exhibition floor, conference programme and evening networking parties, such as the Opening Party and the INFINITY Lisbon Party featuring Tiësto, Blasterjaxx and Marc Vedo.

Even better, with the Affiliate Leaders Summit VIP Pass priced at €599, you’ll enjoy all of these benefits while making a significant saving compared to purchasing separate passes.

So, whilst your competitors who only opted for an SBC Summit pass are restricted to one event, you’ll have the best of both worlds

Meet the global affiliate community

With the Affiliate Leaders Summit now a standalone event, it is the only place during SBC Summit week dedicated entirely to the affiliate industry.

Bringing together thousands of affiliate marketing professionals, it offers operators direct access to every part of the player acquisition ecosystem.

Whether you’re looking to recruit new affiliates, strengthen existing partnerships or expand into new markets, you’ll meet professionals across a wide range of affiliate models, including:

SEO affiliates
Sports tipsters and prediction platforms
Casino streamers and content creators
Paid media and PPC affiliates
Comparison and review websites
Affiliate networks and agencies

For affiliate managers, this means identifying new partners before your competitors do.

For acquisition teams, it means discovering new traffic sources and marketing channels.

For media buyers, it means building relationships with specialists already generating high-quality audiences.

Instead of waiting for the right opportunities to come to you, the Affiliate Leaders Summit puts the entire affiliate ecosystem right in front of you.

SBC Connect: A dedicated affiliate networking platform

Affiliate Leaders Summit attendees will have access to their own SBC Connect platform.

More than a simple event app, SBC Connect serves as your personal headquarters for the week, complete with an online agenda, floor plan, live notifications and a personal planner.

Crucially for operators, it also allows you to begin networking with affiliates before the event even starts.

Using the platform, you can search affiliate attendees by company, role and vertical, start conversations, and arrange meetings in the SBC Connect Lounge (F741).

As this platform is exclusive to Affiliate Leaders Summit attendees, it’s the only way to schedule meetings with affiliate partners, publishers, content creators and performance marketers before arriving in Lisbon.

That gives operators a genuine competitive advantage. While you’ll arrive with a diary full of pre-booked meetings, operators attending SBC Summit alone will be relying on chance encounters on the show floor or cold outreach through LinkedIn and email.

Download SBC Connect today, available on Android, iOS and desktop.

Discover new partners and the technology driving successful affiliate programmes

The Affiliate Leaders Summit show floor brings together the industry’s leading affiliates and the technology providers helping operator affiliate programmes perform more effectively.

Operators will have the opportunity to meet independent affiliate businesses including Better Collective, Catena Media, Flashscore and Gentoo, all actively seeking new commercial partnerships.

Affiliate managers can also connect with teams from Betsson Group Affiliates, Novibet, Stake and N1 Partners, providing opportunities to network with industry peers, benchmark their affiliate strategies and gain a better understanding of how other operators are approaching acquisition and affiliate partnerships.

Alongside them, affiliate technology, advertising and traffic acquisition specialists including ReferOn, PartnerMatrix, PixGaming, Clever Advertising, TrafficJunky, and PropellerAds will showcase the latest tools for tracking, attribution, reporting, compliance and programme management, helping operators enhance their own platforms.

Whether you’re looking to recruit new partners or optimise the way your affiliate programme operates, the show floor allows you to tackle both objectives in one place.

View the show floor here.

A conference agenda built around marketing, acquisition and modern engagement

In partnership with Conversion Conf, the Affiliate Leaders Summit will host a dedicated three-day, two-stage conference programme.

Covering AI, SEO, paid media, content, audience engagement and affiliate strategy, the agenda will help operators understand where affiliates are investing, how acquisition strategies are evolving and which trends will shape player acquisition over the next 12 months.

For operators, understanding these changes isn’t simply educational. It provides a competitive advantage, helping affiliate managers, acquisition teams and media buyers strengthen partnerships, identify new growth opportunities and adapt their strategies to changing player behaviour and marketing regulations.

Sessions particularly relevant for operators include:

Acquisition strategy

Media buyers

Affiliate managers

View the full agenda here.

Don’t let your competitors get there first

Operators who choose to skip the Affiliate Leaders Summit risk missing far more than just another industry event.

They’ll miss the opportunity to build stronger affiliate partnerships, discover new acquisition channels, explore the technology powering today’s most successful affiliate programmes and gain the market intelligence needed to stay ahead of the competition.

While others leave Lisbon with new commercial relationships, fresh acquisition strategies and a pipeline of future opportunities, those who stay home may find themselves playing catch-up.

Get your ticket to the Affiliate Leaders Summit here.