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The first edition of AGS Rome 2026, presented by TrafficStars, marked a major step for Affiliate Grand Slam. AGS had previously existed in a smaller format within the wider SiGMA ecosystem. Rome was the first time it stood on its own as a full-scale, multi-vertical summit for affiliate and performance marketing.
Getting there meant starting almost from scratch. A new AGS team had to build the format, exhibition, programme, partnerships, and delegate experience without a previous standalone edition to follow. That made seeing thousands of people fill Fiera Roma over four days especially significant.
By the time the summit closed, AGS Rome 2026 had welcomed 5,000+ delegates, 270+ exhibitors, and 70+ speakers. Meetings filled the exhibition floor, industry leaders took to the AGS Stage, and networking continued well outside the venue.
From Day 0 experiences and a packed Hall 2 to keynotes, panels, and the first AGS Awards, these were the highlights that shaped AGS Rome 2026.
Networking started even before the exhibition floor officially opened. Day 0 gave delegates and exhibitors time to register and settle into Rome. And it also gave them several ways to start meeting people before the main summit programme began.
Platinum ticket holders headed to Marco Simone Golf and Country Club for the SiGMA Nexus Elite Golf Tour. The club hosted the 2023 Ryder Cup, the first ever held in Italy. Guests played 18 holes across almost 100 hectares, with views stretching across the Roman countryside. Breakfast, lunch, and champagne stops gave guests plenty of time to network between rounds.
Premium and Platinum ticket holders could also take part in the Roman Experience. The programme offered four ways to explore the city through its history, art, culture, and landmarks.
First, the VIP Guided Tours took delegates through some of Rome’s best-known sites. One route covered the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum. Another explored the Vatican Museums before continuing to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.
Then, also part of the experience, the Rome Expedition took networking into the streets through a team challenge across the historic centre. Participants followed clue cards, quizzes, and a map through piazzas, alleyways, and major monuments. Photo challenges, talking statues, and puzzles helped teams collect the clues they needed to complete the route.
Others chose a more hands-on experience through the Roman Mosaic Workshop. An expert restorer guided participants through the traditional process using marble or ceramic tiles. Delegates enjoyed shaping the pieces by hand, created their own designs, and left with a handmade souvenir.
For those looking to fit in a game before the summit, padel also entered the programme through the Bloko Padel Tour Rome Edition. Players met at Caesar’s Club for the final stage of the tournament. The tour offered another relaxed setting for delegates to compete, meet, and catch up before the main programme began.
MGID closed Day 0 with La Grande Notte, an invitation-only evening for the affiliate community. Italian food, drinks, music, and live entertainment set the tone before the exhibition opened the following morning.
When the doors opened at Fiera Roma, Hall 2 became the dedicated home of AGS. Across 7,000 square metres, 270+ exhibitors filled six sections of the hall. Meetings moved from stands to walkways, lounges, and the spaces around the AGS stage throughout the day.
For many exhibitors, the value came from finally putting faces to conversations that had previously happened virtually. Linda Dubina, Head of Direct Supply at Evadav, summed up what brought her to Rome.
“I came here for three things. First of all, it’s a great source of traffic. The second thing is the great handshakes. It’s always a pleasure to meet people you’re talking to online. The third thing is, of course, great espresso because Italy is the best place to drink the best coffee in the world.”
The exhibition floor featured some of the biggest names in digital advertising. Google and Google AI joined Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat, giving delegates direct access to platforms behind major acquisition channels.
Traffic and advertising companies also took up a sizeable part of Hall 2. TrafficStars, PropellerAds, MGID, Adsterra, and ExoClick were among the brands exhibiting across the three days.
Other familiar names included Advidi, Mobidea, Smadex, BIGO Ads, and MediaGo. Together, they gave delegates more options to compare traffic sources, advertising platforms, affiliate services, and campaign technology in one place.
The floor also covered tracking, payments, affiliate technology, networks, and other performance marketing services. Some conversations started with scheduled meetings. Others happened simply by stopping at the next stand, spotting a familiar name, or meeting someone between sessions.
Copies of the first AGS magazine, featuring PropellerAds CEO Alex Vasekin on the cover, were distributed across the hall and quickly snapped up. The inaugural issue features candid interviews and practical insights from industry founders, operators, creators, and specialists. The issue is available to read through the AGS Magazine digital archive.
More than 70 speakers delivered keynotes and participated in panels across the three-day AGS programme, hosted by Philipp Schoeffmann. Many sessions focused on decisions marketers are making inside campaigns right now.
On Day 1, speakers approached customer acquisition and scale from several angles.
Maor Benaim, CEO of Wolf Marketing, revealed the adjustments behind a Meta account spending $300,000 daily.
Then, Van Oakes, Founder of GOAT Media, explored giveaways to reduce acquisition costs, while SNOW founder Josh Snow focused on partnerships among brands, affiliates, and creators.
And from a discovery perspective, TikTok’s Head of Indirect Sales Niv Shaked discussed how trust, community and changing consumer behaviour influence the affiliate funnel.
Day 2 brought another round of practical sessions, from retaining customers to improving conversions.
Nick Shackelford, partner at BREZ, discussed how subscriptions help businesses retain customers after their first purchase. Sergei Glaukus, founder and CEO of 88Projects, then shifted attention to launching a nutraceutical product.
Amin Siala, founder and CEO of Intelligent Systems, stressed the value of focus in building lasting affiliate businesses: “To maximise the likelihood of your success in the world of business, you just got to focus on one thing.”
The discussion then moved to landing pages with Oliver Kenyon, co-founder and CEO of ConversionWise. Drawing on his team’s experience creating over 9,000 pages, he shared his landing page playbook for better conversions.
From landing pages, the focus shifted to AI’s role in ad production and testing. Panellists included Phoenix Ha of PYRA Creative LLC, Marisha Lakhiani of Mindvalley and Zach Murray of Foreplay.co.
Panels and masterminds made up most of Day 3’s programme, covering longevity, e-commerce and customer retention.
But before the panels, Dayu Yang, CEO of EcommOps, explored how e-commerce businesses can build AI into their wider operations. He left brands and businesses integrating AI into their systems with an important reminder:
“It is my belief that people should at the core of everything. Designing and managing the system. Now, we’re at a stage in the timeline where AI is kind of taking over everything. And no one exactly knows what the future is going to look like. But we have a place where what we do, how we build, how we run things, that is going to be part of the future.”
The programme then moved into panel discussions, beginning with the opportunities and challenges of marketing longevity products.
Rohit Ajmani, co-founder and CEO of Idea Clan, joined HelpGrid CEO Jeannie Mai in the longevity discussion. Fellow panellists included Iman Dovey, director of partnerships and marketing at ShipOffers. Sam Awwadah, director of affiliate marketing and growth at Direct Meds LLC, also contributed. The panel connected health offers with customer acquisition, trust and compliance.
From health offers, the conversation moved to e-commerce growth and AI. Jess Vassallo, founder and CEO of Evocative Media, joined Ajdin Brković, founder and CEO of MonetizeAd. Alexander Lodeweyckx, CMO at Sheko and co-founder of ForesightiQ, also contributed. Shopnomix executive vice president of partnerships Mark Grimshaw completed the panel.
The closing masterminds focused on AI and campaign scaling across Meta and Google Ads. Google Ads contributors included Ashish Gaba, founder of Worify, and Florin Simovici, CEO of Traffic Manager Group. Lead Scaleya co-founder and CEO Sahib Singh joined them to discuss optimisation and spending decisions.
The AGS Awards took place on 04 November at Corsie Sistine di Santo Spirito in Sassia. The ceremony recognised people, companies, brands and projects across affiliate and performance marketing.
The evening opened with A Journey Through Rome: The Reign of Empress Drusilla. Marcello and Mommo Sacchetta directed the performance, which combined live vocals, dance, acrobatics and immersive visuals.
Costumed Roman goddesses and gladiators welcomed guests, while harpist Martina Natuzzi provided live music. The entertainment continued between dinner, award presentations, raffle, quiz and charity auction.
Among the night’s major honours was PR Campaign of the Year, awarded to MGID. Maor Benaim entered the Affiliate Hall of Fame, while Ringba received the AGS Hall of Fame honour. See the complete list of winners for all categories.
The night also gave guests several chances to take something home. The raffle prize was the Ultimate European F1 Weekend for Two. After the final award, guests tested their knowledge in a quiz, adding a competitive finish to the evening. The top three won a Rolex, an iPhone 17 and a Luxury Amalfi Coast Experience for Two, respectively.
One of the evening’s highlights was the charity auction supporting the SiGMA Foundation. Guests bid on four artworks, a signed Cristiano Ronaldo jersey and a private desert safari in Dubai. The auction raised €30,600 for the Foundation’s education, healthcare and local development projects.
AGS Rome will return in May 2027, in line with SiGMA World’s new schedule. The move heeds the industry’s call for a more balanced event calendar, giving businesses more time between shows. Organisers also plan to triple the outdoor space for networking, entertainment and hospitality.
Book your AGS Rome 2027 ticket by 30 November 2026 to save up to €700. The offer covers Standard, Premium, and Platinum tickets, with savings that vary by package.
