Organisers of July’s edition of iGB L!VE – the first to be held in London – have announced the launch of the AI focussed iGB Affiliate Manager Academy which will be held July 1 as part of London iGaming Week.

The training and mentorship program which is being curated in partnership with Affiverse, founded by veteran affiliate marketer Lee-Ann Johnstone –  and which guides businesses on how to launch, scale and grow successful affiliate programs, has been designed to help organisations of all sizes understand how to leverage new tactics and simple AI tools to recruit, retain and activate affiliates more effectively.

The Academy will offer a mix of practical learning, tactical assessments and personalised coaching providing affiliate managers with an invaluable opportunity to learn from industry leaders. Each unique session will include topical insights drawing on the dominant trends in the market.

Looking ahead to the Academy Lee-Ann Johnstone said: “I’m delighted that Clarion has invited Affiverse to develop a bespoke training academy specifically for iGaming Affiliate Managers.

“In an industry that’s constantly evolving, and which is powered by the early adoption of new technologies, businesses and  affiliate managers  have to keep learning in order to remain competitive. The only way we get to understand the affiliate space and all the complexities it entails is on the job – from others!

“It has always been important to me that those who have knowledge pay it forward and I’m really excited to be given the task of leading the curation of this unique event bringing the best of the best together in order to teach, train and coach affiliate managers as we move forward.

“The gap between AI-empowered affiliate managers and those relying solely on traditional methods is widening every month. The iGB Affiliate Manager Academy will provide the bridge to ensure businesses are on the right side of that divide.”

Reflecting on the importance and objectives of the iGB Affiliate Manager Academy, Global Portfolio Director Naomi Barton said: “Our live events are all about delivering real value to our international community of stakeholders. Lee-Ann and her team at Affiverse are spearheading the academy syllabus and content stream alongside IGB’s events production team to provide tailor made training and mentoring for new and existing affiliate managers as well as those who want to learn and scale their affiliate programs faster.

“The workshop will provide insider access to the exact AI-driven techniques that are assisting brands to deliver real results. Most significantly this isn’t just theory — instead it’s a hands-on expert-led roadmap focussing on immediately implementable tactics that will transform your program performance.”

Businesses of all sizes active in the igaming affiliate industry are being invited to enter the annual iGB Affiliate Awards which will take place 3 July in parallel with iGB L!VE.

The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday 28 March 2025 with the shortlist expected in early  May.

The Awards, which have become a must-attend celebration of the industry, will be presented at East London’s famous Art Deco Grade II-listed Troxy venue. Paying homage to its musical heritage, including staging performances by Liam Gallagher, Garbage, Morrissey, the Cure and Stereophonics as well as hosting the NME Awards, iGB Affiliate nominees and guests will enjoy an evening of Britpop-themed entertainment as they get to relive the cultural explosion of ‘Cool Britannia’.

Award categories comprise: Best Casino Affiliate, Best Sports Betting Affiliate, Best Bingo Affiliate, Best Poker Affiliate, Best Crypto Affiliate, Best Streaming Affiliate, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Affiliate Employer of the Year and Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year. Best Affiliate Manager, Affiliate Idol aka Lifetime Achievement Award. Best Affiliate Programme, Best Affiliate Network. Best Tech (NEW), Best Affiliate Management Platform (NEW), Best Digital Agency, Rising Star, Best Newcomer, Innovator of the Year and the publicly voted Game of the Year.

Widely regarded as constituting the most transparent and rigorous awards process in the industry, the iGB Affiliate Awards panel of external industry judges have been selected for their expertise on both the igaming affiliate sector and in specialist areas pertaining to individual awards, such as safer gambling.

Before joining the panel, judges are required to sign an NDA to keep all submitted information confidential and the winners’ names secret until the event has taken place. They are also obliged to declare all potential conflicts of interest prior to judging.

Naomi Barton, Global Porfolio Director responsible for iGB Events stated: “The decision to keep the iGB Affiliate Awards in London alongside the relocated iGB L!VE has been welcomed by the industry.

“The opportunity to experience the very best products and services on the iGB L!VE show floor during the day and then to celebrate the fantastic achievements of the igaming affiliate community amongst friends and colleagues at the Awards is a wonderful, once-in-a-year opportunity.”

She added: “Speaking with previous winners, being judged ‘best in class’ at what is the premier recognition platform for businesses of all sizes in the igaming affiliate industry demonstrates to current and future staff that you are a leading company, it helps attract talented employees and is a rich source of pride for the broader team.”

• Total attendance up 13% year-on-year
• Visitors from 163 nations make journey to Barcelona
• Spain top represented nation at ICE
• UK top represented nation at iGB Affiliate
• Visitation exceeds 100,000 for first time

The Barcelona editions of ICE and iGB Affiliate have ripped up the record books attracting a total of 59,101 unique attendees surpassing the previous high of 52,345 which was set in 2024 – the last editions to be held in London.

The ICE unique attendance of 50,019 represented an 11% year-on-year uplift with iGB Affiliate recording a total of 9,082 unique visitors an increase of 24% on the previous highest which was set 12-months ago.

ICE and iGB Affiliate registered a total Visitation figure, which measures the number of person days spent at the Fira Gran Via Barcelona of 107,664 another gambling industry world record. Nine nations recorded four figure attendances with Spain topping the table (8,954), followed by the UK (6,518), Malta (3,074), Cyprus (2,328), Ukraine (1,938), United States (1,730), Italy (1,496), Bulgaria (1,252) and Germany (1,157).

Stuart Hunter, Managing Director Clarion Gaming said: “The data has been interrogated by an independent registration body and reflects the number of unique attendees.”

He added: “I am delighted that the transition of ICE and iGB Affiliate to Barcelona has been so well-received by our international community of stakeholders. The data has confirmed an all-time opening day high of 32,788 ICE attendees and a closing day attendance of 24,926 which was 20% higher than 2024’s closing day.

“Growth was achieved across all key jurisdictions, including Continental Europe, North America, LATAM, and Asia, with notable new growth recorded from the UAE and India. While UK attendance saw an anticipated reduction in numbers, like-for-like UK company representation remained stable. Looking behind the data it has been a case of UK companies rationalising their representation to their senior teams. The overall attendee growth mitigated and exceeded that reduction.”

Looking ahead to 2026 Stuart Hunter confirmed that 86% of the event space is already booked. He stated: “The response has been so positive that many exhibitors have already rebooked and in many cases secured additional space for January 2026. ICE will expand into Hall 1 addressing exhibitor requests for extra space while iGB Affiliate will relocate to Hall 8 providing attendees with a dedicated arrival experience. The success of the 2025 event underscores the value of the move, and we look forward to building on this momentum for 2026.”

Naomi Barton, Portfolio Director, iGB Events described the response to the first edition of iGB Affiliate to take place in Barcelona as ‘simply outstanding’. She stated: “The growth of iGB Affiliate has been phenomenal and Barcelona has underlined the popularity and status of the brand. Whilst the figures can only tell part of the story the unique attendance of 9,082 was a 24% uplift on 2024 with the 2025 figures representing the fifth consecutive year of significant growth.”

She added: “108 nations were represented at iGB Affiliate making it one of the most international live b2b events on the industry calendar. All of the metrics that we use to measure performance are looking extremely healthy and we are in the midst of analysing in more detail the exhibitor and visitor surveys that we commission after each event. Our attention now switches to July and the relocation of iGB L!VE from Amsterdam to ExCeL London.”

The ultimate goal of conferences like this is for brands to make connections with key thought leaders and decision makers and ultimately establish themselves as the best paying online casino in South Africa or Canada or whatever country they are operating in.