The last couple of days have been busy. We sent the Nov./Dec. issue of Revenue to the printer on Thursday and then I headed off to ShareASale ThinkTank in Scottsdale, Arizona Friday morning.

I did not attend the first ThinkTank, held last year in Las Vegas. But I feel privileged to have been among the 80 invited guests at this fantastic event, which was an incredible meeting of affiliates and merchants.

Held at a gorgeous resort, ThinkTank was a weekend-long session of networking and inside information. At times I felt like a lurker peeking in on the inner workings of a network that is clearly beloved by both its merchants and affiliates. And it’s easy to see why all the parties invited feel such an affinity for ShareASale.

The network, more than the other players in the space, is a reflection of its CEO – Brian Littleton. You can’t underestimate Brian’s personality as the major influence of the company. Brian is ShareASale. The attention to detail, the personal service and the genuineness of Brian makes people want to work with him. His high ethical standards are beyond reproach. Each and every person working with Brian (or for him) regards him the utmost with respect and truly thinks of ShareASale as a family. Those that work for him - Carolyn Tang and Sarah Beeskow - ooze the same responsive, professional, friendly and fun attitude.

There are certainly both advantages and disadvantages for ShareASale as the fourth largest performance network. I’m not knocking any of the big three networks (LinkShare, Performics and Commission Junction), however, in my opinion, while the big guys are often eyeing each other’s moves, ShareASale is plotting it’s own course. The company is often able to move very quickly to leverage new technology and innovation.

They are also able to respond to the feedback of merchants and affiliates faster - something that both parties want and have come to expect from ShareASale. Nearly every person that I spoke with said that if they needed something done or had a problem, they could simply pick up the phone or send an email and their problem would be solved nearly immediately – often by Brian himself.

ShareASale has also gained a reputation in the industry for throwing first-class and really fun parties to bring people together. So, naturally ThinkTank featured lots of networking, cocktails, golf and even some Texas Hold ‘Em.

The first day was a marathon of a dozen merchants getting up to present formal pitches to top affiliates. I have never been to an event where affiliates where so prepared. Many affiliates had done their homework on these merchants and came armed with lots of questions, comments and suggestions.

I especially applaud Scott Hazard, CEO of Brightside Media, who did a full analysis of each company. One merchant told me he was absolutely blown away and thrilled that Scott presented his company with a binder of the detailed research. I heard that all the other merchants had the same reaction.

The second day focused on a handful of industry topics and then SAS specific issues were addressed. While I’m not going to get into the details of what was said at these sessions, I’ll tell you that merchants and affiliates weren’t shy about giving their feedback and opinions. Brian, who stood up, microphone in hand, for more than four hours in the middle of a group, facilitated the entire second day discussion. He asked questions and he took questions. It’s just not the kind of intimate discussion between a CEO, merchants and affiliates that I’ve seen (or maybe just not been privy to) at other network events. It was fascinating and inspiring.

Many of the topics and ideas talked about gave me good fodder for future stories that deserve exploration and impact the entire industry.

I’ll post a few photos from the event when I return to the office.