So here’s the full, honest picture of what you told us about Affilifest Margate 2025: what worked, what didn’t, and how we’re fixing it.

 

💚 Headline Stats

Net Promoter Score (NPS): 67

That puts us in the “excellent” range for events. For context, the benchmark for B2B events is 27.  Anything over 50 is considered very good, and over 70 is exceptional. This tells us that many of you left not just satisfied, but ready to shout about it to your teams, customers and friends.

84% say it’s a ‘must have’ event for your business

That’s compared to a benchmark of 66% who typically say yes to this question. This matters. It says Affilifest isn’t just a jolly on the beach, it’s driving real commercial value. 

“Great attendee list with real commercial value for us.”

“Amazing networking. We left with follow-up meetings, partnerships, and actual leads.”

“We got more face time in one day here than three weeks of cold outreach.”

That’s exactly what we hoped for.

93% say you’ll be back

Compared to the 64% industry average, this is huge. Most of you said “Yes – try and stop me” when asked if you’d return. We won’t 🙂

What You Loved (Your Words, Not Ours)

🧠 Roundtables

One of the most popular formats of the day. You loved the honest conversations, peer-led insight, and small-group energy.

“The roundtable was one of the most useful sessions I’ve ever been part of. Everyone shared openly.”

“Real value in the roundtables. Got perspectives I wouldn’t have found in 121s or panels.”

“We got to hear other brands and get a proper understanding of what is happening in the rest of the industry while bouncing ideas off of each other.”

More roundtables, more capacity, and repeat topics are in the works.

🕹️ Arcade Party

“It was actually fun – and not just 'event fun' but fun fun.”
“Everyone stayed until the end. I don’t remember that happening at another event.”

It hit the sweet spot of relaxed, playful, and productive. 

🎡 Big Wheel Networking: The Good, the Hilarious, the Fixable

The Big Wheel was one of the boldest formats we tried. You told us it was fun, unexpected, and helped break the ice and loads of you even said it was your highlight.

“The Big Wheel was mad but brilliant.”
“It felt like a great leveller – everyone dropped their guard a bit.”

That said, a few of you raised fair points about making it more useful commercially:

“Big Wheel Networking - more methodical pairing”
“Loved the format, but some pairings weren’t the best fit. A bit more curation would help.”

What we’re doing:

• Trialling a curated version where 1 profile stays seated and others rotate

• Adding signage and structured timing to keep things moving

• Giving attendees a clearer sense of who they’ll be paired with – without losing the spontaneity

The Big Wheel will be back in Margate 2026, but with a few tweaks to help it deliver even more value

🪩 The Vibe

Comments like “it didn’t feel like a normal conference” came up a lot. The venue, the people, and the mix of business and fun all contributed to something that felt different.

“I got to talk to people I’d never meet in a formal setting.”

“The venue enabled organic connections and I ran into clients/partners I didn't expect to see and was able to catch up with them.”

“I loved the thought and detail that went into the vibe and it was clear that the organisers wanted this to stand out against all other industry events, which it successfully did!”

“It was the perfect balance of being entirely industry focused and allowed me to get the most out of meeting with existing and new partners, while nailing the 'fun' element through new features that I thought worked perfectly.”

“Photo booth, stickers, ice cream, – it all added up to something special.”
“Felt more thoughtful and human than most industry events.”

 

You loved the mix of structured and spontaneous moments. We'll keep building space for both.

 

💸 Value for Time and Money

We know attending events isn’t just about the ticket cost - it’s your time, travel, and energy too. So we asked: was it worth it?

Your average score: 4 out of 5

That means over 80% of you rated it 4 or 5 out of 5, which we’re proud of,  but we know we can still do better.

“Great value for time – especially the number of relevant people in one place.”
“Would’ve loved one more day to really make the most of it.”

A few attendees, especially those coming in for just the day, found the Margate location a stretch.

“Margate wasn't THAT easy to get to”

We understand the extra effort that comes with a Margate location. It’s the trade-off for an event that’s not in a sterile hotel, but on the beach, at a theme park, with space to actually connect. It’s not as close to London, but that’s part of what makes it feel different.

What we’re doing:

• A 2 day event to deliver more meetings and content and get even more out of the journey.

• For Margate 2026: look at accommodation deals

🛠️ Where We Missed the Mark

☕ Coffee Chaos

“Queue for coffee was the only negative thing I heard all day.”
“There just wasn’t enough coffee to go round. It slowed everything down.”

What we’re doing:

• More stations and more baristas

• Better signage and wayfinding for key refreshment areas

📅 Meeting Logistics

“Some meeting rooms were hard to find or too far apart.”
“I had meetings that didn’t show up, and some that overlapped.”
“Roller Cafe wasn’t the best place to find someone - numbered tables would help.”

What we’re doing:

• Rework the venue layouts so meeting areas are more central and intuitive

• Clearly marked Meeting Points

• Numbered tables in the Roller Cafe
   

🕐 Not Enough Time

“Talks ran over and that had a knock on effect with meetings.”
“I’d love to see it go to two days next year.”

What we’re doing:

• Exploring a two-day format

• More buffer time between sessions

The Broader Takeaways

We ran this survey because we genuinely believe feedback should be a two way street. Affilifest isn’t a black box - it’s a platform for the industry. That means opening the door to criticism, not just compliments.

It also means being open with the results. So here’s our commitment:

• We’ll publish a feedback summary after every Affilifest

• We’ll action what we can, and explain the trade-offs when we can’t

• We’ll keep being curious and asking questions, and humble enough to actually do something about what you say

If you gave feedback - thank you.
If you came - thank you.

If you’re coming to Manchester - we’ll see you there.

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