The ROI problem with affiliate and media buying events, with LinkUnite

Rising costs and clashing dates force affiliates and lead-gen firms to justify every conference trip. LinkUnite co-founders Amanda Faris and Sara Malo join hosts Jim Banks and Rob Adler on The Media Buying Podcast to look back at Affiliate Summit and Lead Gen World.

In this episode

• Malo says companies no longer send their entire sales team and now look at event ROI: "if you're coming to an event, you better be bringing some leads" (7:00, 7:48).

• Lead Gen World and Affiliate Summit fell only four or five days apart, and attendance was down at both, Malo says; Lead Gen World moves to February next year (3:43, 5:02).

• Banks says meat market tables that once cost about $1,000 to $2,500 now run $8,000 to $10,000, for which he could rent a terrace at the Chandelier for three or four days (11:10, 11:34).

• Faris describes LinkUnite as experiential and small-group, built on activities rather than meat-market card swapping and scanning, and says it grows from one event to four in 2026: Austin, Kansas City, Toronto and Fort Lauderdale (13:13, 14:53).

• Adler says about 80% of his grunt work is automated, and that a thousand custom emails can cost less than 5 cents (26:16, 27:16).

• Malo says LinkUnite plans to grow globally and already has members in India and Israel, but for now it is just her and Faris (32:03, 32:40).

Episode from The Media Buying Podcast with Jim Banks and Rob Adler, published on YouTube.