Barcelona was the stage for the iGB Affiliate Barcelona 2026, which brought together operators, affiliates, suppliers, and platforms for two packed days of commercial conversations, market insights, and deal-making.
This year, PiXGaming was present both as an exhibitor (Stand 81-J70), nominee of the European iGaming Awards, and as a contributor to the conference programme, with our own specialist, Gustavo Moretto (Affiliate Partnerships & Content Lead), speaking on one of the event’s most relevant panels for global growth.
Our presence in Barcelona reflects a simple reality of today’s iGaming landscape: performance is no longer just about reach; it’s about quality traffic, measurable outcomes, and responsible, compliant execution across multiple jurisdictions.
As worldwide regulation evolves and competition intensifies in key markets, operators need partners that can connect media, messaging, and optimisation into a strategy that drives sustainable player value and measurable results.
Why iGB Affiliate Barcelona Matters for Performance-Driven Growth
iGB Affiliate remains one of the most important meeting points for the affiliate ecosystem — where commercial partnerships take shape, new products are evaluated, and the industry pressure-tests assumptions about what’s working (and what isn’t). For PiXGaming, it’s an ideal environment to align with partners on the topics that currently define performance marketing in iGaming:
- Traffic quality over volume, with a sharper focus on intent and retention
- Conversion optimisation from click to deposit and beyond
- Reactivation and retention in a market where acquisition costs keep rising
- Compliance-first marketing across regulated and transitioning regions
- Full-funnel measurement that connects media spend to player value (LTV)
Across the event floor and conference sessions, it was clear that leading brands are doubling down on partners that can combine data-driven media with smart creative and a realistic view of local market nuance.
PiXGaming at Stand 81-J70: Conversations That Move Markets Forward
At Stand 81-J70, our team met with existing partners and new brands to discuss the practical side of performance growth and how proper retargeting is important for a brand. What happens after the click, how to improve re-engagement, and how to align acquisition goals with compliance requirements in different jurisdictions without compromising volumes is key for success in today’s iGaming landscape.
Many discussions centred on the same challenge: as competition increases, growth depends less on “more traffic” and more on better targeting, stronger segmentation, and higher-quality user journeys. That’s where PiXGaming’s approach — combining affiliate expertise with retargeting-led strategy — continues to resonate with operators looking for consistent outcomes.
On Stage Global Markets Head-to-Head: US v LATAM v Africa
A standout moment of the week was the panel session at Pulse Conference Theatre, where our specialist, Gustavo Moretto (Affiliate Partnerships & Content Lead) was joined by Alessandro Gherardi (Co-founder at Fomento Agency), Filippo Anzalone (Head of Sales at Odds Scanner Group), Ed Birkin (CEO at H2 Gambling Capital) and the Award-winning broadcast journalist and moderator Lea Hogg (Game Lounge) to discuss these markets.
With global expansion accelerating, this panel explored a core question facing both affiliates and operators: where is the smarter bet for growth right now? The discussion compared the realities of the US, LATAM, and Africa — three regions offering very different combinations of regulation, maturity, and scale for affiliates.
What PiXGaming Brought to the Discussion
Representing PiXGaming, Gustavo Moretto contributed an affiliate and performance marketing perspective grounded in day-to-day execution: how markets behave in practice, what operators often underestimate, and how performance strategies need to adapt across regions.
A consistent theme was that ROI is shaped by more than market size. It depends on the “small print” that affects performance outcomes, including:
- Regulatory constraints and compliance enforcement, which change how you can message, target, and convert users
- Traffic sources and channel mix, affecting intent quality and cost of acquisition
- Player behaviour and payment habits, which influence conversion paths and retention strategies
- Retention economics, where reactivation and lifecycle marketing can determine whether acquisition is profitable
Across all three regions, the conclusion was clear: scalable growth requires a marketing model built for measurement, optimisation, and long-term value — not just short-term volume.
Key Takeaways: What We Heard Repeatedly from Partners
Beyond the panel, many conversations across iGB Affiliate Barcelona reinforced a few shared priorities that are shaping 2026 planning:
- Acquisition must connect to retention: Operators are increasingly evaluating affiliate partners based on downstream performance and how traffic behaves post-deposit, not only initial conversion. Retention-focused tactics, including reactivation and segmented messaging, are becoming essential to justify acquisition costs.
- Market nuance beats “one-size-fits-all” expansion: US, LATAM, and Africa each demand different creative, offers, compliance considerations, and product positioning. The fastest teams are those that localise intelligently but without losing performance over time.
- Compliance is now a performance lever: Compliance is not just a legal checkbox anymore and it now affects conversion, attribution, and brand longevity more directly. Affiliates and operators that align early on responsible marketing and compliant messaging avoid costly rework and reduce campaign risk.
- Measurement and transparency are non-negotiable: The strongest partnerships are built on clarity, meaning sharing what’s being tested, what success looks like, and how results are reported. Brands want to understand not only what worked, but why it worked and when possible, how to scale it.
What’s Next: Continuing the Conversations After Barcelona
iGB Affiliate Barcelona 2026 confirmed what we see in day-to-day performance marketing: brands that win are those that treat acquisition as a lifecycle system; combining smart media acquisition, compliant creatives, and relentless optimisation and monitoring.
If we met in Barcelona, thank you for your time and trust. If we didn’t get the chance to connect, our team is happy to continue the conversation and explore where PiXGaming can support your goals; whether that’s scaling acquisition in a new market, improving conversion rates in existing ones, strengthening retention, or building a more resilient performance strategy across multiple markets.
Get in touch with the PiXGaming team to schedule a follow-up meeting and discuss opportunities for 2026.
