Fresh off its event in Barcelona, Spain, the Casino Affiliate Programs (CAP) announced that the industry conference will travel to Sydney, Australia for the first annual “CAP Down Under.” The event will occur from November 25th through 28th at the Shangri-La Hotel and will mark the first iGaming conference held in Australia, which is home to a blossoming poker industry.
One of the interesting notes from the Barcelona event was the postponement of its Affiliate Series of Poker (ASOP) event, which was halted by local police due to its legality. There were no arrests, according to a press release distributed by CAP, but it did mark an unusual circumstance at the event in Spain. On the launch of the CAP’s Australia installment, organizer Alex Pratt commented, “The aim of CAP Down Under 2008 is to provide a relaxed atmosphere where affiliates and affiliate managers can network, learn, and come together for one common cause: to make the iGaming affiliate industry the best affiliate industry in the world.”
Pratt added, “Like all CAP events, we’re hosting this exciting conference in one of the best hotels available: Sydney’s premium 5-star Shangri-La hotel, in beautiful Sydney harbor. And we’ve negotiated some incredible rates for this world-class hotel as well.” Here is a preliminary schedule of events:
Monday, November 24th
All Day – Delegates Arrive at Hotel
Evening – Opening Party
Tuesday, November 25th
Day 1 of CAP Down Under
Morning – Conference & Expo
Afternoon – Expo and ASOP
Evening – Networking Event
Wednesday, November 26th
Day 2 of CAP Down Under
Morning – Conference & Expo
Afternoon – Expo and ASOP
Evening – Networking Event
Thursday, November 27th
Tourism activity for all delegates and sponsors
Registration to the CAP Down Under is open to a variety of industry participants. The fees are similar to those that were charged in Barcelona:
Affiliates – Free of Charge
CAP/PAP Certified Programs – £299 + vat
Non CAP/PAP certified programs – £499 + vat
Full Tilt Poker and CentreBet have signed on as sponsors already. Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsorships are still available. The entire idea for holding a world-class conference in Australia came from a post made in the CAP forums. The question asked, “Would you be interested in attending a CAP event in Australia?” Out of 87 respondents, 74 said they would, or 85%. However, many in the forums questioned the cost of the flight to Australia, which is literally around the world from Europe. The trip typically includes a refueling stop in the United States or Asia. However, the location gives members from Japan, China, and New Zealand easy access to the event site.
Other CAP events are held annually in Barcelona and London. The CAP Euro (Barcelona) conference hosted sessions about social networking, marketing through the mobile, search engine optimization, e-mail marketing, the legal environment in the United States, and rakeback. Spanish language sessions were also available given the event was held in that country. Sponsors included PartyPartners, Bet US, Ladbrokes, Everest Poker, Chipleader, and Partner Logic.
The conference serves as a prime opportunity for internet gambling websites to interact with major business in the industry. Networking and arranging agreements are two of the highlights for any attendee. Many affiliates travel to several conferences per year held by the CAP. We’ll keep you posted on updates from the CAP Down Under, which is about seven weeks away.
