We recently sat down with Brendon Spiteri, an Affiliate Relationship Manager at the iGaming behemoth SBC and had a gripping interview where we discussed a plethora of engaging topics that ranged from Brendon’s impressive professional journey in iGaming and even some facts about his personal life.
So, sit back, grab a drink, and join us as we explore the intricate world of affiliates with one of the best affiliate managers in the business!
Hello Brendon, let us start by saying that it is a pleasure to have you as our guest, and we look forward to picking your brain and learning about the intricate world of iGaming marketing.
Brendon, you are an Affiliate Relationship Manager at SBC, one of the biggest and most reputable brands in the iGaming industry. Tell us, how did your journey in iGaming start? What inspired you to enter this industry?
I have been part of the iGaming industry for nearly 7 years now, before iGaming I worked in sales in local shops, however, my friend recommended the industry to me and I took the first opportunity as Customer Service with a Casino/Sportsbook Operator and to be honest it was one of the best decision I ever made as I soon fell in love with the industry and how vast it is.
Your reputation in this industry precedes you, as you occupied various positions in Customer Service, VIP Relationship Management, and Safer Gambling Analytics. How did your previous experience prepare you for your current role in SBC?
It helped tremendously as from VIP Relationship I saw the B2B and B2C side of the industry also helped transition well into Affiliate Relationship Management, however, I took the time to learn affiliation and digital marketing more as extra studies also taking on projects that are more marketing oriented with the previous company, thanks to all the previous experience I started SBC with a strong knowledge of Affiliation and digital marketing which put me in a position to understand Publishers more and provide them the best value they can get from SBC conferences.
Brendon, you are a marketing expert who specializes in affiliate marketing. What do you consider are the most important attributes that an affiliate marketing expert should have? Also, what is the most challenging part of your job?
I believe an Affiliate marketer is a jack of all trades so having a basic understanding of all marketing channels (SEO, PPC, Influencer marketing, Media Buying etc) is a must while also understanding data as that will be the core when making decisions on your marketing efforts.
My role in SBC is different than traffic acquisition, however, since we look after all Affiliate companies in the SBC portfolio our goal is to ensure all our affiliates are happy and get the most value from our events we also create more networking opportunities for our Affiliates such as Online conferences and Affiliate meetups or Dinners
SBC specializes in pretty much every major vertical in iGaming, including events, conferences, media, advisory business, etc. How important is coordination with other teams and sectors of the company in order to efficiently organize iGaming events and successfully complete tasks?
It’s very important as being the first point of contact of our Affiliate portfolio we are the ones that discuss interests and using that feedback with other departments within SBC we can create more value example the SBC Digital Day – Affiliate Marketing and even the Affiliate Leaders Summit which are heavily focused in the Affiliate Marketing side of the industry.
Speaking of international venues and events, SBC is preparing to host the highly-awaited SBC Lisabon Summit 2024 (24-26 September), which will not only see a three-day agenda for the first time ever but is also expected to gather a record-breaking audience. What can we expect from arguably the biggest SBC Summit to date? What separates SBC Lisbon 2024 from SBC Barcelona 2023?
SBC Barcelona is still remembered by a lot of attendees and Lisbon will be even better, exhibition floor spanning a whopping 100,000m2, and an opportunity to connect with 25,000 industry professionals, having multiple dedicated parts of the conference such as the Affiliate Leaders Summit, Payments Expert, SBC Leaders and the main floor.
Based on the sheer size it is arguably one of the biggest iGaming events of the year and based on the feedback there is already amazing hype from everyone!
Similar to this, SBC will also host Affiliate Leaders Summit (25-26 September) which will see 5000+ affiliates and operators under a single roof. Who is Affiliate Leaders Summit for? Why is it important to attend this event?
Affiliate Leaders Summit will be the first-ever Affiliate marketing-specific part of the SBC Summit Conference. This part will have Publishers and Advertisers all under 1 roof making it as essential if you are looking to collaborate with Affiliates and other marketing companies within the iGaming vertical.
SBC is not limited to organizing physical iGaming events, as it also prepares to host one of the most important digital summits in the business, the Affiliate Digital Day 2024, scheduled to take place on September 4th. What will this year’s edition bring to the table? What can we expect?
At SBC we’re making sure that Affiliate Leaders as a brand does bring value to our Affiliates and based on feedback we have gotten the topics are curated for that interest, while also bringing speakers from the industry who are well-known to share their insight on everything relating Affiliate Marketing.
Let’s end this interview on a more personal note, Brendon. What do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have any particular hobbies or past-time activities that you would like to share? What would you be if you weren’t a successful marketing expert at one of the biggest companies in iGaming?
Spare time I enjoy going out for walks specifically in parks as it helps me think also nature is something that needs to be cherished. I believe in a such fast-paced environment as the iGaming industry you need to have an outlet to relax, also hobbies I enjoy listening to music and video games with my childhood friends when we have time that is haha.
I wouldn’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for iGaming being introduced to me before and it changed my career growth completely.
