Andreas and Walter host the legendary TES Conferences twice a year and have become true icons of the European adult industry. We had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with Andreas for an interview.
What year was the first TES and where was it held?
The first TES Affiliate Conference was held in June 2009 in Barcelona. Back then still under the name “The Barcelona Summit”.
What growth has the event seen since it started?
The TES Affiliate Conferences have always had a very steady and stable growth. We started in 2009 with less than 300 attendees and since then we have managed to add an approximately 100 new attendees every 6 months. We are now on our way back to pre-COVID heights of over 2,000 attendees per conference., making us one of the largest affiliate conferences held in Europe.
Why did you decide to create the event?
Back in 2009 really pan-European affiliate conferences did not exist as we know them today. There were affiliate conferences in various European countries, but usually they would focus just on their very own domestic market. There was an affiliate meetup in London which was mainly targeted towards the UK market, then there was an affiliate conference which was mainly held in German for the German speaking markets, etc. The same happened back then in various countries, but a conference that brought together attendees from all the European countries, as the TES Affiliate Conferences do today, did not exist back in 2009.
Therefore “Europe” was a “market niche” back in the day that no one took care of. That is when we decided to launch the first real pan-European affiliate conference back then in June 2009. Since then many, many other affiliate conferences have followed in our footsteps and by now there is a large variety of pan-European affiliate conferences that attendees can pick and choose from, one of which we are.
How has the event expanded in terms of the different verticals attending?
When we started the TES Affiliate Conferences most attendees would come from the “Adult Online Entertainment” vertical. But over the years we have managed to add more and more other verticals to the mix, to the point that we are by now also the largest conference for the global Online Dating Industry. Apart from that we see more and more attendees joining us from the Cryptocurrency, iGaming, iGambling, Nutraceuticals, and other Internet verticals. So that by now our attendees are quite a mixed group working in a large variety of Internet verticals.
How tough was 2020 through 2021 with covid and its aftereffects?
2020 and 2021 were of course tough on everyone. And especially the in-person event industry. One of the few industries that had a – short-term – benefit from the whole Covid-situation were the providers of virtual conference platforms. But now that things are back to normal, nobody really gets excited about virtual conferences any longer. It is just not the same to stare at people on a laptop screen then having a drink with them.
For ourselves the damage to the company because of Covid was luckily limited. First we got lucky, and we still managed to get a conference done in February 2020, right before everything basically shut down in March 2020. With that we at least managed to not lose money in 2020.
In 2021, we kept on testing the waters if and when and in which format it was safe to produce a conference again. In the summer of 2021 we found the solution by hosting an outdoor conference situated in a tropical garden. With this we were able to minimize the Covid-risk to a maximum (later our attendees then decided to go into town to party on their own – but that is a different story). Also that conference was hybrid, meaning that there was also a virtual part to it. Something that I hope we will never have to repeat.
Last but not least, if you know Walter and me, we are pretty basic people that do not need a very luxurious lifestyle. Therefore our “war chest” was pretty well filled when Covid started in 2020, and we would have survived Covid a couple more years without having to consider closing the company. Probably a very rare situation in the global events industry.
Do you have a favourite venue and/or country for the event?
Not really. I am happy when I see our guests having a nice and productive time. It is very obvious that people love our events in Prague. But people also loved our events in Budapest, Barcelona, Sitges and Cascais. Usually my favorite event is always the last one, since every time we are, due to the enormous support which we receive from the global online industry, in the position to make our events a little bit nicer than before. Therefore the last event is usually the one that I refer to as our best one. I hope the same will hold true for Seville in March 2025. But, we have all our bases covered, so it should be another good one in March in Seville. 🙂
There is a buzz about the next event in Seville, why Seville and what can we expect from this event?
Well, basically our conference hotel in Cascais informed us at short notice that they were going through some renovation work in 2025 and 2026 and that therefore they could not host our group. Then Walter and I had to find a new venue at short notice. But we got lucky, and we found not just one, but two great new venues for our conferences: The Barcelo Sevilla Renacimiento in Seville for March 2025 and the Hard Rock Hotel in Marbella for March 2026.
Seville was a tip by a personal friend of Walter and me who runs an organization for event managers, and who thought that the Barcelo Sevilla Renacimiento would be a perfect fit for our group – and he was right.
What is the main method of attracting businesses and individuals to the events?
The TES Affiliate Conferences have always mainly relied on “word-of-mouth advertising” done by former attendees. As already mentioned, we started out with some 300 attendees in 2009. Then those 300 attendees brought in 100 of their industry friends, then we were already 400. Then those 400 decided to bring in another 100 attendees, for a total of 500. And this has been going on like that for the past 15 years. Until recently we spent next to nothing on paid advertising for our conferences. Now that things are going well for us, we decided to finally also re-invest a part of our company’s income into paid advertising in order to attract an even larger and even more diversified crowd of attendees to our TES Affiliate Conferences. But this has happened, as mentioned before, only very recently.
Do you have a favourite town or country where you can relax and wind down from the busy year before launching into the next event planning and management?
As a single dad my traveling days are numbered. But luckily Walter and I live with Malaga in a place where others go on holiday. So, basically every day is little mini-holiday for us as soon as work is done 🙂
How do you come up with new ideas for sponsorship and sales?
Usually we look and we listen to our clients if something is missing/needed at our conferences that we are not yet providing. And that we then turn into a sponsorship. For example, people kept on inquiring about how to get from the airport to the event hotel, so we created an airport shuttle bus sponsorship. Then people were looking for food at our conferences, so we started to offer a lunch sponsorship. Then people did not find a place where to charge their mobile phones safely. So, we created a mobile charging station sponsorship, etc., etc. We try to not just “invent” useless sponsorships just to take people’s money, but rather have new sponsorships fill a real void, a real need at our conferences.
About the Event’s Growth and Vision
What inspired you to start the European Summit, and how has it evolved over the years?
Back in 2009 really pan-European affiliate conferences did not exist as we know them today. There were affiliate conferences in various European countries, but usually they would focus just on their very own domestic market.
There was an affiliate meetup in London which was mainly targeted towards the UK market, then there was an affiliate conference which was mainly held in German for the German speaking markets, etc. The same happened back then in various countries, but a conference that brought together attendees from all the European countries, as the TES Affiliate Conferences do today, did not exist back in 2009.
Therefore “Europe” was a “market niche” back in the day that no one took care of. That is when we decided to launch the first real pan-European affiliate conference back then in June 2009.
Since then many, many other affiliate conferences have followed in our footsteps and by now there is a large variety of pan-European affiliate conferences that attendees can pick and choose from, one of which we are.
Well, the TES Affiliate Conferences have always had a very steady and stable growth. We started in 2009 with some 300 attendees and since then we have managed to add an approximately 100 new attendees every 6 months. Which brings us to a current attendee number of some 1.500-2.000 attendees per TES Affiliate Conference, making us one of the largest affiliate conferences held in Europe.
When we started the TES Affiliate Conferences most attendees would come from the “Adult Online Entertainment” vertical.
But over the years we have managed to add more and more other verticals to the mix, to the point that we are by now also the largest conference for the global Online Dating Industry. Apart from that we see more and more attendees joining us from the Cryptocurrency, iGaming, iGambling, Nutraceuticals, and other Internet verticals. So that by now our attendees are quite a mixed group working in a large variety of Internet verticals.
What sets the European Summit apart from other affiliate industry events?
The TES Affiliate Conferences are definitely more personal. We have managed to create an “Online Industry Family” over the past 15 years. The way people engage and treat each other during TES Affiliate Conferences is definitely very special and very unique.
How has the European Summit grown or changed to adapt to industry trends and attendee needs?
The TES Affiliate Conferences have always mainly relied on “word-of-mouth advertising” done by former attendees. As already mentioned, we started out with some 300 attendees in 2009. Then those 300 attendees brought in 100 of their industry friends, then we were already 400. Then those 400 decided to bring in another 100 attendees, for a total of 500. And this has been going on like that for the past 15 years. Until recently we spent next to nothing on paid advertising for our conferences.
Now that things are going well for us, we decided to finally also re-invest a part of our company’s income into paid advertising in order to attract an even larger and even more diversified crowd of attendees to our TES Affiliate Conferences. But this has happened, as mentioned before, only very recently.
Can you share some standout moments from past Summits that illustrate its impact on the industry?
The largest impact for me personally has actually made the year 2024. Our attendees always have a great time together and love each other very much. But only since 2024 our attendees actually refer to each other as “family” and to our TES Affiliate Conferences as “family gatherings”. This is very special to us, and this is also what makes us stand out between most of the other affiliate conferences, since this is extremely hard to replicate/copy.
Insights on the Affiliate Industry
Which sectors within the affiliate industry have seen the most significant growth recently, and what do you expect for the future?
I don’t really know. iGambling seems to be a still growing market. The nutraceuticals and self-help sectors seem to be doing well as well. But also the adult online and online dating industries seem to have stabilized after some ups and downs in the past. Currently the single largest trend is everything related to “Artificial Intelligence” for sure.
Networking and Collaboration
What networking opportunities can attendees expect, and how do you ensure these foster meaningful connections?
How does the Summit support first-time attendees in maximizing their experience and meeting potential partners?
For someone considering their first Summit, what can they expect, and how should they prepare?
Pfff… so many. First of all, attendees can already connect with each other via our very own “TES Mail” system which allows the attendees to email each other. Then attendees can also contact each other via the mailing system of our Whova networking mobile app. After that we will open a Telegram group for all the attendees to use approximately a week before the actual conference. This Telegram group is always a very popular way to meet and mingle before, during and after the actual conference itself. Then there will be a “meet market” on the first day where the attendees can already meet most of the sponsors.
And last but not least there will be “Speed Presentation” sessions taking place on the second and third day of the conference, where people can present themselves, what they are offering and what they are looking for to a larger audience. Last but not least: there are a large amount of Networking drinks, open bars to socialize, and entertainment to unwind at the end of the day. A perfect setting to informally get to know each other. This really works (especially for newbies) to feel right at home.
What role do you see collaboration playing in the future of the affiliate industry, and how does the Summit facilitate these connections?
You see, in my opinion, people – even in the Internet business – will only do so much business with each other without ever having met in person. I will buy a 10 Euro book or a 100 Euro pair of sneakers on the Internet. A TV for 1.000 Euro I would probably only order on the Internet from an absolutely trustworthy source. Advertising for 10.000 Euro – I would most likely at least have a video conference call with the receiver of my money. And if we speak 100.000 Euro or more – I definitely want to meet the person in real life first before I wire any money anywhere. Therefore in-person conferences are so important, and will never be replaced by virtual conferences.
TES Affiliate Conferences facilitate human connections by only and exclusively hosting in-person conferences with no virtual part to them whatsoever. Or just say, “TES Affiliate Conferences are all about forging and empowering inter-personal connections”.
Event Highlights and Future Direction
Are there any new features, speakers, or innovations planned for this year’s event that you’re especially excited about?
Well, we are currently working very hard on adding more and more new verticals to the conference. We are very excited to see how the end result will turn out in 2025 🙂
How do you envision the European Summit evolving in the next five years?
I foresee more and more attendees from more and more verticals joining us at our upcoming TES Affiliate Conferences which will then probably put us up there with the very largest and most important affiliate conferences out there.
Personal and Professional Insights
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from organizing one of Europe’s largest affiliate events?
Watch your reputation. You only have one, and that is all you have. Treat people as you want people to treat you. Stay fair, and do not screw people over. Sometimes do good without getting paid for it. What goes around, comes around. Something positive always comes back to you.
What advice would you give to new affiliates or entrepreneurs looking to break into the industry?
Come to our conferences and ask as many people as many questions as you can. Listen, take notes and learn from their mistakes, so that you can avoid them. As mentioned before, our TES Affiliate Conferences are “family reunions”, and you will not be able to find people willing to speak to you more openly at any other (affiliate) conference out there.
What are some qualities you think successful affiliates share, and how can industry events like the Summit help cultivate these?
Affiliates or not, I think successful people have the ability to gather a lot of information in a short period of time, and to draw the right conclusions from them. A lot of information that will be shared “under the radar” at our TES Affiliate Conferences will never make it into the news. Therefore it is important to speak to people directly. And that is just what the TES Affiliate Conferences facilitate. Open and personal two-way communication.
For the Future Attendees
What should potential attendees know about the European Summit that they might not expect?
That we are very different from any other affiliate conference out there. We are not an expo. There are no formal booths or stands at our conferences. People do not wear suits. We don’t get involved into superficial gadgets. Attendees at our conferences just show up to network, exchange information, make money and have a great time.
What tips do you have for attendees to make the most of their time at the Summit?
Just talk to people and ask them as many questions as you can. If they do not have the answer to your question, they will refer you to someone who does. Engage as much as possible with the other “family members” and create “meaningful relationships” instead of just “business contacts”. This will help out in the long run more than anything else in your business (and private) life.
Thank you, Andreas, for your time and see you soon at TES Seville in March 2025.
