Our team kicked off 2026 in Barcelona for iGB Affiliate’s inaugural edition in the Catalan capital (January 20-22). After more than a decade in London, the conference’s relocation to Fira Gran Via marked a significant shift for Europe’s premier affiliate marketing event.
We went out there with a strong team this year. Our CEO Eran, our COO Ziv, our CMO Avi, our Sales Director Gabriel & our Partnerships manager Cristian all took par of the event. Here’s what it was all about.
Why Barcelona?
After an extensive bidding process that considered London, Madrid, Paris, and Barcelona, Clarion Gaming chose Barcelona as the new home for both ICE and iGB Affiliate through 2029. The decision came down to world-class facilities, outstanding hospitality infrastructure, and the ability to scale as the events continue growing.
The 240,000 square meter Fira Gran Via provided exactly that room to breathe. And Barcelona as a city deliveres everything you’d expect with easy airport access, extensive hotel options and Mediterranean weather in January.
The Numbers Tell the Story
The first Barcelona edition exceeded expectations. Over 8,000 affiliates and industry professionals from 119 countries attended, along with 250 exhibitors. The event generated €191 million in economic impact for Barcelona and Catalonia and supported approximately 3,100 part-time jobs.
These numbers confirmed what many in the industry suspected, the move to Barcelona wasn’t just a change of venue, it was an upgrade.
Conference Content: The Evolution of Affiliate Marketing
The agenda reflected where affiliate marketing is heading rather than where it’s been. AI and search dominated conversations throughout the two-day event.
AI’s Impact on Search and Traffic
The opening brunch session set the tone: “Search! Where Will the Quest for Traffic Take Us?” panelists discussed how AI fundamentally changed search in 2026. Google’s algorithm updates created unprecedented volatility, while AI-driven search started compressing traditional affiliate real estate.
Demographic Shifts
“Death of the Single Demographic” examined how the iGaming industry’s traditional focus on one generational cohort is fracturing. Gen Z players behave differently than millennials, requiring distinct acquisition and engagement strategies.
The panel explored how operators and affiliates need to segment approaches rather than applying broad-brush tactics across age groups.
Scaling and Exiting
The keynote panel “What They Don’t Tell You About Scaling and Exiting Affiliate Businesses” provided rare transparency on business fundamentals. Founders discussed when to pivot versus when to double down, how to structure businesses for potential acquisition and the realities of valuation in the current market.
Global Market Opportunities
The “Global Markets Head-to-Head: US v LATAM v Africa” session compared three high-growth markets across regulation, compliance, traffic volume, deposit values, and player behavior.
Latin America’s regulatory maturation, Africa’s digital infrastructure development, and the US’s state-by-state complexity each present different opportunities and challenges for affiliate expansion.
Exhibition Floor Dynamics
The exhibition floor featured 250 exhibitors across affiliate networks, tracking platforms, payment solutions, and traffic sources. The layout facilitated extended conversations without the cramped conditions that sometimes plague conference floors.
Networking: Barcelona’s Secret Weapon
If London was about business efficiency, Barcelona was about relationship building with better weather and fun networking.
The conference incorporated multiple networking formats. The iGB Introducing program provided pre-bookable meeting spaces with scheduled slots. The Affiliate Lounge offered a dedicated space exclusively for affiliates to connect away from the sales floor.
What This Means for Reacheffect
The Barcelona experience provided several key insights for our strategy:
Market Intelligence: Understanding which markets are attracting investment and which face headwinds helps us allocate resources effectively.
Technology Adoption: Seeing which AI tools and platforms are gaining traction versus which remain experimental helps us make informed technology decisions.
Partnership Opportunities: Face-to-face conversations with networks, operators, and tech vendors identified potential partnerships that email exchanges never would.
Competitive Landscape: Understanding how other affiliates and networks are positioning themselves helps us identify differentiation opportunities.
First Barcelona, Next Stop?
The inaugural Barcelona edition exceeded expectations. The venue worked well, the city enhanced rather than distracted from the business agenda, and the attendance quality justified the investment.
For 2026, Clarion Gaming has already announced expansion into additional halls at Fira Gran Via. The demand has been strong enough that they’ve outgrown the original space allocation within a year.
If you’re in affiliate marketing and weren’t in Barcelona, you missed meaningful conversations about where the industry is heading. The 2027 edition should be on your calendar now.
For companies like Reacheffect, these events provide the combination of strategic market knowledge, tactical implementation ideas, and relationship development that drives business growth.
We’ll be back in Barcelona next year, and if you’re serious about affiliate marketing in Europe, you should be too.
The tapas, architecture, and Mediterranean winter sunshine are nice bonuses.
