Highlights from DealMaker Australia 2023

On Thursday, 10^th August 2023, our annual DealMaker Australia event took place at the iconic Luna Park Sydney, and what a day it was.

Sunny and 23ºC, nearly 300 industry-leading advertisers, publishers and agencies joined us for a day full of connections, partnerships and fun. They enjoyed content sessions by the harbour, coffees under the sun, meetings on a Ferris wheel and a jam-packed dance floor under the dazzling lights of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Luna Park truly brought out the fun side of everyone at DealMaker Australia.

Thanks to our sponsors Afterpay, Cashrewards, ShopBack, Blue Light Card Australia, Skimlinks, Honey, Linkby, Student Beans and Duomai who made this event bigger and better than ever.

Here are some of the highlights that made this year’s event truly unforgettable.

Building Resilient Affiliate Partnerships

Our Managing Director of International, Rakhee Jogia, kicked off DealMaker Australia by discussing a taboo four-letter word, ‘cost’. This session was followed by a panel ‘Building Resilient Affiliate Partnerships’, emphasising the importance of collaboration and flexibility to keep up with the times and keep delivering results. Our panellists include representatives from Princess Polly, Petbarn and Afterpay and the session was hosted by our very own Senior Vice President of APAC, Stuart McLennan. Their top tips for building resilience include setting realistic expectations, embrace adaptability and prioritising work-life balance.

Uncapping Affiliate

In the second content session of DealMaker Australia, we welcomed Cristel Gonzales and Mike Cheng from City Beach on stage for an insightful fireside chat on ‘Uncapping Affiliate: Embracing Unlimited Revenue Potential’. Hosted by our Senior Director of Client Services, Manuel Kambos, our speakers revealed strategies to operationalise an uncapped approach, boost performance and foster dynamic partnerships. Inspiring quotes from the session include:

“If Google was commission-based, you wouldn’t cap it.” – Mike Cheng, City Beach

“Capping affiliate budget only hinders your growth” – Cristel Gonzales, City Beach

All About Attribution

The final panel ‘Affiliate: The Attribution All-Rounder’ unravelled the complexities of affiliate marketing across the entire customer journey, from awareness to activation. Cotton On, Microsoft, Cashrewards and Skimlinks took the stage with our Vice President of Client Services, Angus Sladden, to dive deeper into the importance of attribution and how it affects the wider business, even outside of affiliate. To summarise, Angus said, “Attribution isn’t just a buzzword. It’s deeply engrained within organisations, especially those that are ramping up digital and looking to grow efficiently.”

More Connections, More Fun

Doing business really shouldn’t be this much fun. We bid farewell to DealSpace, said hello to Partner Palooza and welcomed quirky characters to the room. Our guests enjoyed a carnival-themed space with games and prizes up for grabs. They were treated with gelato, popcorn, sweets and bubble tea. And it wouldn’t be DealMaker without networking, which remains at the heart of what we do. This year, nearly 400 meetings were booked at the event.

Celebrating the Best of the Best

Our highly anticipated Golden Link Awards Asia-Pacific took place after DealMaker Australia with the sun slowly setting in the background. We celebrated our partners who are raising the bar, delivering exceptional results and driving the future of our industry. Discover the impressive list of Outperformers here.

Wrapping Up the Party

It’s true. DealMaker Australia has a reputation for throwing one of the best After Parties in the industry. Thanks to ShopBack, our guests felt like celebrities for the evening with a Glambot on-site. There may have been dance battles and live karaoke on the dance floor.

In case you missed it, here’s the full photo gallery and a video sneak peek of what went down at DealMaker this year:

At the heart of the Australian affiliate industry are its people, and it’s places like DealMaker that brings everyone together. From our sponsors and speakers to every single attendee, a huge thank you to everyone who helped us create another incredible DealMaker Australia. Here’s to another year of connections, partnerships and fun!