AI, SEO and Performance to Headline Affiliate Leaders Summit 2026 Agenda

The Affiliate Leaders Summit will make its standalone debut alongside SBC Summit, taking place at Lisbon's Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena from 29 September to 1 October. The conference programme is built around two stages and six tracks, all geared to the trends transforming the affiliate and performance marketing fields.

Two stages, six tracks

The Affiliate Leaders Stage will centre on three pillars: Platforms & Performance, Future of Affiliate Strategy, and Content & Discovery. Its sessions will tackle how affiliates and performance marketers can keep pace with shifting traffic sources, tougher regulation, new audience habits and the growing role of artificial intelligence.

The separate Conversion Conf Stage, developed with the Conversion Club community, offers the Scale, Growth and AI tracks. These focus on the practical side of building and running marketing businesses, from sales systems and team structures to media buying and automation.

SBC chief executive and founder Rasmus Sojmark said the decision to launch a dedicated event lets the programme speak directly to what the industry is facing now. "Affiliates are under pressure to perform better while relying less on any single platform," he remarked, noting that changes in search, paid media and social channels, combined with AI's influence on discovery, are forcing businesses to adapt. He said the speakers were chosen from people handling these challenges in their day-to-day work, so attendees leave with practical insight into current strategies and future opportunities for sustainable growth.

Day one: platforms, performance and first-party data

The opening day of the Affiliate Leaders Stage examines how to dismantle the walls between SEO, paid media, CRM and content to create funnels that convert and audiences that stay. Sessions will then look at using behavioural data and loyalty schemes to turn attention into retained players as traffic sources splinter and discovery moves away from traditional search. The decline of third-party cookies and the rising importance of first-party data round out the day's agenda.

On the Conversion Conf Stage, the Scale track considers how businesses can move past the early phase without losing control. Full-funnel B2B marketing, predictable sales systems, product-market fit, scalable operations, talent retention and leadership structures are all up for discussion.

Day two: strategy, growth and diversification

The second day of the Affiliate Leaders Stage, Future of Affiliate Strategy, looks at how stricter advertising regulations, greater platform control and climbing acquisition costs are forcing affiliates to rethink sustainable growth. Delegates will consider diversification across markets and revenue streams, staying compliant, safeguarding operator relationships and adapting to AI and fragmented player journeys. The programme also asks which content formats still command attention and where the industry's next commercial opportunities could appear.

Over at the Conversion Conf Stage, the Growth track explores the channels and creative tactics likely to produce results in 2026. Scaling media-buying teams, creating conversion-focused user-generated content, and deciding whether influencer work should stay in-house or go to external specialists are among the topics. Telegram, TikTok, PPC, and the tension between professional production and AI-generated material will also be covered.

Day three: content, discovery and AI

The final day's Content & Discovery sessions consider how affiliates can remain visible as the balance between SEO and paid media shifts and generative platforms such as ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews reshape information discovery. AI's potential to support traffic quality, fraud detection and compliance will be examined, along with short-form content, generative engine optimisation and audience building without compromising trust or quality.

On the Conversion Conf Stage, the AI track addresses how artificial intelligence is changing affiliate businesses from within, including automated workflows and the creative and trust-building tasks that still demand human involvement. The emphasis is on identifying where automation provides a genuine edge and where human judgement cannot be replaced.

Passes and registration

Affiliates can apply for complimentary VIP passes, while a VIP Pass is open to operators, agencies, suppliers and other professionals involved in acquisition and performance marketing. The full agenda and booking details are available on the official event website.