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Originally Posted by fuzebox
I was told they no longer give free affiliate passes for dating affiliates and had to pay for one this year.
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Damn, I didn't realize you were there; it would've been good to connect in person. It's always better to talk shop face-to-face than through GFY, especially at something like ASW, where the real conversations happen in the gaps between seminar sessions.
Sorry to hear they're tightening up on the comp passes for dating affiliates. Makes sense from their perspective, I guess; the show's grown so massive and mainstream-focused that they can afford to be selective about who gets in free. Still sucks when you've been in the game long enough to remember when they were actively courting our corner of the industry.
That said, even paying for the pass, I'm finding ASW worth every dollar compared to alternatives. The dating vertical only had a few company representatives, but what really made it valuable for me was everything adjacent to dating. Payment processors who understand high risk. Traffic sources that don't flinch at offers. Automation infrastructure that works regardless of vertical. Influencer marketing strategies that scale across industries.
I'm running about 50/50 now, half my business is still rooted in adult, and half is branching into mainstream partnerships. ASW is one of the only places where that crossover makes sense. I can pitch phone farm automation to a creator economy brand in the morning, then discuss black hat traffic with someone who works with influencers in the afternoon. The versatility of the attendee base is what justifies the cost.
Next year let's make a point to actually meet up. I'll be back for ASW 2027, already confirmed. If you're planning to attend, hit me up ahead of time and we'll coordinate schedules. Too many good operators at these shows that I never actually cross paths with because we're both bouncing between sessions and meetings.
Either way, I hope the show was productive for you despite having to pay in. The opportunities are there if you know where to look.