On 1st May 2025,  Hannah and I will be following the success of Affilifest Manchester and running our second event together in the seaside town of Margate and in this post I’ll explain why we decided to run Affilifest and why we picked the town of Margate.

Let's start with Affilifest first…

If you are reading this, you likely know that for 10+ years, I ran AffiliateHuddle and was exceptionally proud of the event;  it always had very positive reviews and I genuinely believe it has added huge value to the affiliate channel in the UK.

But despite all that shows success; I hit the point where I wanted to try and do something a little different;  I wanted to attempt to break free from the traditional style of a conference and bring something different to the market.

This won’t happen overnight;  but the plans that we’ve got for the first show and the many that will follow it are exciting and the key thing I want to achieve is this:

I want people to come away from the show and tell their friends and family about how great it was – both personally and professionally for them.

There are not many other shows where that would happen and it’s a very lofty goal;  but it all starts with the venue….

⭐ Dreamland, Margate ⭐

I’m going to take a moment to indulge myself and take you on a trip down memory lane...

My parents and family have always lived in South East London / North West Kent and every year growing up we’d get on the train from Dartford to Margate with my elderly grandparents. My grandad, who unfortunately is no longer with us, fought in WW2 but before I was born had a stroke, which made him disabled, and so these days in Margate were always so special for him and for us.

My favourite rides at the time were the Mary Rose (which would go upside down and everyone would lose the change in their pocket) and  The Scenic Railway – a wooden rollercoaster that still exists there today.

The visit to view the venue was the first time I’d been back in many years;  Dreamland closed when families started moving their vacations abroad but years later reopened as a “retro” theme park and now also hosts many music events on their outdoor stage.

So when looking for venues to try and do something a little different; this was the top of the list for me;  I’ve many fond memories in Dreamland and I’m hoping that this show is the start of many more to come there too.

The show will have great content, great meetings and everything else that you could come to expect from my time running AffiliateHuddle;  but it will also have networking on the big wheel;  it will have a roller disco and yes it will have some rides running, as well as food carts and so much more!

So if you’ve not registered yet – now's  the time;  and I look forward to seeing you there,

James