The AW Bangkok conference was recently held in Bangkok, attended by representatives from BROFIST – CFO Taras and Head of Affiliate Sergei.
They honestly shared their impressions of the conference, the audience, and, of course, Bangkok itself.

General impressions

A lot of people 😅 The first and most important thing Taras and Sergey noticed was the huge number of people who attended the conference. This may be due to the fact that many affiliate industry representatives enjoy spending the colder months in Thailand, where they can work productively and immerse themselves in the local atmosphere.
There were numerous booths, all in a hit-and-run format—get a contact and then move on to the next meeting. The format and density of the stands are more suitable for those who come for a market overview and quick contacts than for a measured networking session. For Tier-1 casino affiliates, the exhibition itself may not seem the most productive—the main focus is clearly shifted toward large-scale volumes, alternative approaches, and new traffic sources.

Closed side events as a guaranteed source of deals

Sergei and Taras also noted the large number of closed-door side events held during AW Bangkok. Closed-door events have been common practice at conferences for the past few years, but they have recently gained increasing popularity. The main goal of closed-door events is to network with affiliates in your affiliate program and negotiate more favorable terms in person, rather than simply meeting colleagues and chatting with them. Companies also often hold closed-door events for industry leaders to potentially establish business connections for future collaborations.
Among the many events, Taras and Sergei highlighted events from Fridman and Affiliate Last Call by Combo Cards x Yosa.

Also read: Key points of working with agency accounts when targeting Tier-1 GEOs by BROFIST x Combo Cards

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The Tier 1 market is becoming increasingly popular

Taras’s main discovery at the AW Bangkok conference was the large number of Asian teams confidently entering the Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets with in-app and Facebook Ads traffic. This suggests that the European and Tier 1 markets are no longer a local geography, but rather a more global one. This also suggests that, despite the intense competition in Tier 1 among affiliate programs, we can expect intense competition among European and Asian teams in 2026.
Interesting fact: many years ago, affiliates discussed in affiliate chats that teams from China were beginning to enter the gambling market and were doing so at the level of local teams — excellent localization of creatives, new visual approaches, and rapid hypothesis testing. Now, this insight from Taras confirms that the market continues to develop and there is always room for new players.

Conclusion

In addition to Thailand’s pleasant climate, incredible landscapes, and exotic animals, the AW Bangkok conference provided a tremendous opportunity to share experiences, network quickly, and gain a wealth of insights ahead of 2026. While we don’t want to predict the future, we sense that 2026 will be strikingly different from previous years in the affiliate industry. This isn’t surprising — the affiliate marketing market is constantly evolving. The key is to stay on top of trends and quickly pivot when the market demands it.