The Affiliate Leaders Summit will bring together affiliate executives, operators and performance marketing specialists for its Future of Affiliate Strategy track on Sept. 30, with sessions examining how regulation, artificial intelligence, changing audience behaviour and international expansion are reshaping the affiliate industry.
The track will focus on the impact of tighter advertising restrictions, evolving platform policies and emerging markets on the affiliate business model, as companies seek to adapt to changing traffic sources and attribution challenges.
Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and Founder of SBC, said: “Affiliates have always been quick to adapt, but right now there’s just so much coming at them at once. AI is changing how people find brands. Regulation keeps shifting. Attribution is getting harder to pin down. Having the right knowledge has never mattered more.
“The Affiliate Leaders Summit, and this track especially, is about looking ahead, helping affiliates arrive prepared and ready to make the most of these changes.”
The track will open with a panel titled “Ad Crackdowns = Affiliate Minefield”, which will examine how affiliates can maintain conversions while complying with tighter advertising restrictions and platform enforcement.
Vadim Aidlin, CEO of Mamuta Media; Laila Bertagnolli, CEO of Deal Machines; Rene Gabriel, Sales Director at Livesport; and Leanne Muleba, Chief Operations Officer at Matching Visions, will discuss viable traffic sources, content compliance and the commercial impact of failing to meet new advertising requirements.
A second session, “Future Shock: The Predictions Affiliates Don’t Want to Hear”, will examine the longer-term sustainability of traditional affiliate models as AI, regulation and greater platform control alter customer acquisition.
Pierre Cadena, COO of Catena Media; Stephen Clibbon, Head of Affiliates at VL Partners; Jenny Gonzalez, co-founder and CEO of Rocahead; Elena Granishevskaia, Head of Affiliate Marketing at M88 Mansion; Milorad Matejic, COO of Gentoo, and Yonit Shvinkelstain, co-founder of Leverage, will discuss the future of search engine optimisation, attribution and cost-per-acquisition models.
The summit will also examine potential growth areas in the affiliate sector during a session titled “The Future of Affiliation: Where Is the Next Billion Dollar Opportunity?”
Chris Duncan, COO of Spotlight Sports Group; Karina Ferraioli, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Master Affiliates Network; Elaine Gardiner, Managing Director of TAG Media; and Esko Rissanen, Director of Revenue at Gentoo, will assess opportunities in prediction markets, sweepstakes, AI search, creator economies and emerging performance models.
Changing consumer habits will be the focus of another session, “Content That Still Cuts Through: What Audiences Actually Engage With Now”, which will explore how affiliates can respond to the growing influence of short-form video, livestreams, creators and online communities.
James Connelley, Chief International Officer at LiveScore Group; Jamil Qanai, Director of Commercial at LiveScore Group; Greg Lacan, co-founder of UniK SEO; Javier Rodríguez, Head of Affiliation and Digital Marketing Manager at Afiliapub; Rui Costa, Head of Content at Gentoo; and Sue Dawson, Operations Director at FTD Digital, will take part in the panel.
Other sessions will address how affiliates can balance growth and compliance across multiple jurisdictions, pursue opportunities in Latin America, Africa and Asia, and use emerging verticals to reach new audiences. The track will also include a presentation on attracting a new generation of bettors to horse racing.
Attendance at the Future of Affiliate Strategy track is reserved for Affiliate Leaders Summit VIP Pass holders, while affiliates and regulators may be eligible for a free pass.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/08/24/126021-affiliate-leaders-summit-to-examine-regulation-ai-and-new-growth-opportunities
