DealMaker Canada 2026 Recap: Partner Marketing Events Highlights

As one of the most anticipated partner marketing events on the calendar, DealMaker Canada 2026 brought together leading advertisers, publishers, and industry partners for a high-impact gathering in Toronto. Designed to spark smarter conversations and stronger partnerships, this year’s event gave attendees space to connect, share ideas, and build momentum for the months ahead. 

From the Venngo Welcome Reception through Friday’s full agenda, DealMaker Canada delivered what the partner marketing industry values most: meaningful networking, actionable insights, and fresh perspectives on growth. With a strong mix of strategic content, partner conversations, and product innovation, the event reflected the continued evolution of partner marketing in Canada and across North America. 

Here are the key highlights from DealMaker Canada 2026. 

Making connections and driving growth at partner marketing events

DealMaker Canada continues to stand out among partner marketing events because it creates intentional opportunities for partnership. The event began on Thursday evening with a Welcome Reception, sponsored by Venngo, where attendees connected over food and drinks before the main day of programming. It set the tone for a collaborative, relationship-first experience.  

Friday opened with breakfast, followed by Connection Table and open networking sessions that gave advertisers, publishers, and agencies dedicated time to meet, exchange ideas, and explore new opportunities. Throughout the day, attendees moved between content sessions and networking touchpoints, creating the kind of conversations that often lead to long-term success.  

Opening remarks from Krysta Gutteridge, Vice President of Sales (and our Rakuten Advertising Canadian champion) highlighted the strength of the Canadian affiliate landscape and reinforced the growing role partnerships play in broader marketing strategy. As brands look for more efficient, measurable ways to drive performance, affiliate continues to prove its value across the funnel.  

“I know I’m biased, but this event gets better every single year. The energy in the room is palpable, and you can see that the attendees are full of excitement as they (re)connect with industry friends, colleagues and while this is still a workday, the smiles and laughter make this such a highlight of everyone’s yearly calendar. I had some great feedback on the quality and usefulness of our content again this year – the panel with Walmart and Corus showcased how important all levels of the funnel are, and the different paths brands can take to see conversions, and the fireside chat with Baskits CEO Robin Kovitz was eye opening for our audience to hear directly from a leader who has more than just one channel of marketing on her plate. Our industry is constantly changing, and in-person events are the most productive use of our time to accomplish all our respective goals.”  

While content and connections took center stage, we ended the day with an exciting raffle! Our partners had the chance to win a prize from several of our stellar partners, including La Vie en Rose, Baskits, Aeroplan, Rakuten Kobo, Canadian Down and Feather, TRU Earth, Rakuten.ca and Moroccan Oil. Thank you to our partners for making the day so special for fellow attendees!  

Walmart Canada’s strategic approach to partner growth

One of the day’s standout sessions was the fireside chat, Walmart Canada’s Strategic Approach to Partner Growth. Moderated by Chiara Bellini, Manager, Client Services at Rakuten Advertising, the conversation featured Kyle Goodchild, Digital Marketing Manager at Walmart Canada, and Erica Ricketts, Director, Programmatic Sales at Corus.  

The discussion explored how affiliate and partner marketing have become increasingly important as strategic levers for growth, customer acquisition, and brand visibility. Rather than viewing affiliate as a lower-funnel tactic alone, the session focused on how brands can unlock greater value by embracing a fuller-funnel approach.  

Panellists shared insights on:  

• The expanding role of upper-funnel partnerships 
• How publishers deliver value beyond last-click conversion 
• Why performance marketing should align with wider business goals 
• How brands can build partnership strategies that support both awareness and revenue 
• The session underscored an important industry shift: affiliate marketing is no longer just about closing the sale. It is about building smarter, more connected customer journeys. 

Fireside Chat: An inside look at building a Canadian success story

In The New Performance Playbook for Marketing Leaders, moderated by Annie Barry, Director Client Services at Rakuten Advertising, attendees heard from Robin Kovitz, President and CEO of Baskits Inc. 

This conversation offered more than a traditional marketing playbook. It gave attendees an inside look at what it takes to build and scale a business in Canada. Robin shared the story of how she acquired Baskits and helped grow it from a beloved local brand into a nationwide gift-giving platform. 

 The session explored the realities of entrepreneurship, leadership, and growth in the Canadian market, with insights on: 

• Growing a recognizable brand in a competitive landscape 
• Expanding from a local business to a national platform 
• Navigating changing customer expectations 
• Building a business with long-term vision and resilience 

For attendees, the session was a compelling reminder that strong growth strategies are built not only through channel expertise but also through bold leadership, adaptability, and a deep understanding of the customer.  

FinServ Roundtables: navigating change in financial services affiliate marketing

A key addition to this year’s agenda was the FinServ Roundtables, which brought publishers and financial institution clients together for focused discussion on how the channel is evolving.

A central theme was the impact of AI-driven search and clickless discovery on affiliate strategy, measurement, and compliance. Attendees also discussed the continued value of publishers as trusted third-party voices, especially as brands look to balance visibility, accuracy, and consumer trust in a changing digital landscape. 

 The roundtable added a valuable layer to the event by creating space for more tailored, practical conversations around the opportunities and challenges shaping financial services affiliate marketing.  

Publisher Spotlights: Adgenda and Aeroplan CA

The Publisher Spotlight session gave attendees a closer look at two publishers bringing unique value to the affiliate ecosystem: Adgenda and Aeroplan CA. 

These spotlights helped illustrate the breadth of opportunity available within affiliate marketing today. By hearing directly from publisher partners, attendees gained a better understanding of how different models, audiences, and partnership approaches can support campaign goals across awareness, consideration, and conversion. 

The session also reinforced an important takeaway from DealMaker Canada 2026: strong affiliate programs are built on collaboration. Conversations like these help advertisers discover new ways to work with publishers, uncover untapped opportunities, and create partnerships that deliver long-term value. 

 Product innovation, networking, and a celebratory close  

Attendees also explored emerging technology during the Product Demos, including Rakuten Advertising’s Mirai and Detect tools. The session also featured a demo of impact.com’s creator tech presented by Amer Toukan. The session reflected growing interest in creator partnerships, evolving engagement models, and tools that help brands and publishers adapt to a changing digital landscape. 

After a full morning of content, attendees continued conversations over lunch before moving into Huddle Table networking and Finance Roundtables in the afternoon. These sessions created additional opportunities to connect, problem-solve, and discuss priorities for the months ahead. 

The day ended on a high note with a live raffle, adding a fun and celebratory close to the event while spotlighting the generosity of Rakuten Advertising’s incredible partners.  

The raffle was a fitting end to the day, reflecting the community spirit that makes DealMaker Canada one of the most valued affiliate events in the region. It was also a great reminder of the strength and diversity of the partner network represented throughout the event.  

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DealMaker Canada once again demonstrated why it remains one of the leading affiliate events in Canada. By bringing the industry together in one room, the event created space for the conversations and connections that move performance marketing forward. 

We are grateful to our attendees, speakers, partners, and event team for making this year’s DealMaker Canada 2026 such a success. To learn more about upcoming affiliate events, explore our events page and stay tuned for future recaps.