{"id":10921,"date":"2026-04-27T15:55:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T12:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mondiad.com\/blog\/?p=10921"},"modified":"2026-04-27T15:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T12:59:12","slug":"why-attend-mac-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mondiad.com\/blog\/why-attend-mac-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Attend MAC in 2026: Stefan Muehlbauer on Trust, Strong Teams, & Power of Face-to-Face"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In affiliate marketing, much still comes down to trust, speed of contact, and the quality of the people you work with. That\u2019s why MAC <\/a>remains a key event for the industry. It\u2019s where new partnerships are formed, hard-to-reach contacts are engaged offline, and connections often grow into long-term collaborations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stefan Muehlbauer \u2014 CEO of Affpal, a partner marketing and recruitment expert, and director of the Masters in Cash dating program \u2014 will be speaking at MAC <\/a>this year. We caught up with him to discuss strong teams, the value of in-person meetings, the CIS market, and the tangible benefits you can take home from the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stefan on the Market and What Often Goes Unnoticed in a Partner Manager\u2019s Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You have a broad perspective on the affiliate marketing landscape: management, recruitment, consulting, program work. How does that shape your view of the industry today?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It gives us a really strong barometer for trends<\/a> and a clear sense of where the market is headed. Hot verticals<\/a>, the resurgence of niche markets, emerging regions \u2014 you can read all of that through consulting and recruitment requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, layoffs, candidates switching verticals, or lowering expectations tell us where things aren\u2019t going well. Covering these three areas gives you a holistic view of the market \u2014 and, more importantly, you start speaking the language of the industry. My company started by building content and personal brands for affiliate managers, and it\u2019s rewarding to see this type of personal branding become an industry standard: now affiliate managers and founders themselves are taking the stage, not just partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do people often underestimate about the work of a partner manager?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reliability and attention to detail. Too often, people equate a manager\u2019s value solely with sales skills \u2014 which, yes, are essential to get started with partners. But once you scale, that becomes less important. The role of a trustworthy, honest consultant rises to the forefront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much of affiliate marketing still relies on personal contact and trust between partner and manager?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s even more important than the offer itself. Of course, if the product is completely terrible, great communication won\u2019t save it \u2014 but to reach a certain level, you need relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about it this way: a partner invests time and money into promoting offers<\/a>. How can they do that without trust in the program or network? And who represents that program? The partner manager. Offers and advertisers also need protection, so the partner has to earn trust too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Masters in Cash, where I oversee the matchmaking program, we have a clear distinction between partners we know and those we don\u2019t. Unknown partners start with revshare, then get a low-paid CPL offer, and gradually scale. If we\u2019ve met in person and had an open, thorough conversation, a lot of that process can be skipped entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why MAC Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What makes MAC <\/a>exciting for you this year?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a huge show, and I\u2019m honored to be invited as a main speaker alongside colleagues I truly respect. Plus, I\u2019ve never been to Yerevan. It\u2019s been on my list since last year, but personal reasons kept me from attending then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do you value conferences like MAC in general?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connections. Only a small part of me goes proactively seeking new business. After 16+ years in the industry and attending over 300 conferences, I can say that new business contacts often become the best long-term partners \u2014 sometimes indirectly, through referrals.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"MAC<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

From a business perspective, I usually aim for a 300% ROI from a conference trip \u2014 and that\u2019s the beauty of it: we always hit that goal, even factoring in booth costs. In our industry, one right contact can cover all expenses. It could be an HR client building a whole media buying team or a network landing a major partner who drives six-figure volumes from month one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My personal record as an affiliate manager? 15,000 mobile subscriptions in Tier 1 in one week from a single new contact. Even if we were the main sponsor, it would have covered the costs \u2014 and the partnership lasted almost four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When do you usually get a real sense of a person, team, or potential partner at a conference?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually within five minutes, sometimes even faster. A short conversation or a drink together is often enough. Especially with partners, it\u2019s simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n