If you’re serious about affiliate marketing, media buying, or performance campaigns in 2026, then Ad:tech New Delhi 2026 isn’t just another conference—it’s your battlefield, classroom, and networking goldmine wrapped into one.
Held on 17–18 March 2026 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, the event brought together 6,000+ delegates, 120+ speakers, and 100+ exhibitors, making it India’s largest digital marketing convergence of the year. While it’s branded as a broader ad‑tech and marketing expo, for affiliates and performance marketers, it effectively functions as a high‑level affiliate‑marketing summit hidden inside a much larger ecosystem.
So, what actually happened there? And, more importantly—how can you use those insights to scale your affiliate business in 2026 and beyond?
Let’s break it down step by step.
Ad:tech New Delhi 2026 – Affiliate & Performance Marketing Breakdown
What is Ad:tech New Delhi 2026?
Ad:tech New Delhi 2026 is India’s premier digital marketing and ad‑tech conference, positioned as the country’s largest gathering of brands, agencies, publishers, and technology platforms. It focuses on AI‑driven marketing, programmatic advertising, data‑driven strategies, and performance‑marketing innovation—all of which are highly relevant for affiliate‑style offers, media buying, and performance campaigns.theprint+2
Event overview & scale
Ad:tech New Delhi 2026 is not the type of event where people just swap business cards and leave. It feels more like a live marketplace of ideas, tools, and deals.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
Key stats:
- 6,000+ attendees from brands, agencies, publishers, tech vendors, and startups.offer18+1
- 120+ speakers across five major content pillars.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
- 100+ exhibitors and sponsors including Google, Amazon Ads, JioCinema (Star India), Paytm Ads, and leading affiliate‑tech platforms.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
The venue, Yashobhoomi in New Delhi, is massive, and that scale mirrors the diversity of participants. You’ll find startup founders, affiliate marketers, media‑buying agencies, enterprise CMOs, and AI‑product leaders all under one roof.theprint+1
What’s especially interesting for affiliates is how performance‑driven marketing has quietly taken center stage. Earlier editions leaned more on branding and media strategy, but 2026 put a strong spotlight on ROI‑driven, data‑backed campaigns—which is exactly the turf where affiliate marketers operate.passionateinmarketing+1
Why it matters for affiliates
India still doesn’t have a dedicated, large‑scale affiliate‑marketing summit like Affiliate World Asia. So where do serious affiliate marketers go?
More and more, they go to Ad:tech New Delhi.
It has become the unofficial affiliate‑marketing summit of India because it gathers:
- Affiliate networks
- Tracking SaaS platforms
- Performance advertisers
- Media buyers and UA specialists
If you’re running CPA, CPL, or RevShare campaigns, this is where you meet the people who control budgets, offers, and partnerships.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
For an affiliate marketer, that alone makes it one of the most high‑signal events you can attend in the region.
Theme: The Bold Front – Marketing at the Edge of Change
Marketing at the Edge of Change
The 2026 theme—“The Bold Front – Where Courage Meets Intelligence”—isn’t just slogan‑level branding; it reflects a real shift in how marketing works. We’re moving from:newdelhi.ad-tech+1
- Manual optimization → AI‑driven decisions
- Single‑channel campaigns → Omnichannel ecosystems
- Guesswork → Data‑backed precision
This is a big deal for affiliates because basic landing pages and generic creatives won’t cut it anymore. You need systems, AI‑driven testing, and smarter tracking.passionateinmarketing+1
Impact on performance marketing
Performance marketing is becoming smarter, faster, and more competitive. AI tools now optimize bids, audiences, and creatives in real time, so your edge comes from strategy, not just execution.theprint+1
At Ad:tech 2026, this shift was visible everywhere—from keynote talks to deep‑dive workshops. The message was clear: adapt or get left behind. That applies directly to affiliate‑style campaigns run on Google, Amazon Ads, mobile‑ad networks, and open‑web placements.aninews+1
Key content pillars for affiliates
DeepTech & AI in marketing
AI in affiliate campaigns
AI is no longer optional—it’s your co‑pilot. Sessions at Ad:tech showed how AI is reshaping:
- Ad targeting and audience segmentation
- Bid optimization and budget pacing
- Creative testing and rotation
- Landing page personalization and A/B testing
Imagine running 10 versions of a landing page automatically and letting AI pick the winner. That’s the level of sophistication being discussed.passionateinmarketing+1
Affiliates who already use AI tools report:
- Higher CTR and click‑quality
- Lower CPA
- Improved ROAS and profitability
If you’re not using AI in some form—whether for creatives, bids, or page optimization—2026 is the year to start.theprint+1
Identity, data & the post‑cookie future
Attribution challenges for affiliates
Cookies are fading, and that’s a nightmare scenario for affiliates who rely purely on cookie‑based tracking.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
The event highlighted three critical shifts:
- First‑party data collection
- Consent‑based tracking and privacy‑compliant workflows
- Cross‑device and cross‑channel attribution
This means you need to rethink how you track conversions. Relying only on cookies is like building a house on unstable sand.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
Smart affiliates in 2026 will:
- Use server‑side tracking and offline‑event‑measurement where possible
- Work with tracking SaaS platforms that support post‑cookie attribution
- Build owned data assets (email lists, retargeting pixels, etc.)
Commerce wars & fast‑buying behavior
Affiliate monetization opportunities
Welcome to the era of the “10‑minute consumer”—people who see an offer, decide quickly, and either convert or drop off.aninews+1
This changes everything for affiliates:
- Your landing pages must load fast and be mobile‑optimized
- Your offers must be crystal‑clear (no confusing copy)
- Your CTA must be strong and repeated at key moments
Affiliates who master this speed and clarity can dominate in performance commerce, mobile‑app installs, and e‑commerce offers.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
Creative + AI synergy
High‑converting creatives
Creative is no longer just about design—it’s about data‑driven experimentation.passionateinmarketing+1
Ad:tech sessions showed how mixing human creativity with AI insights can produce:
- Higher engagement
- Better click‑through rates
- Improved conversion rates
Think of it like this: AI gives you the map, but you drive the car. You still decide the angles, offers, and funnels, while AI optimizes which creatives and clusters perform best.theprint+1
Affiliates who ignore AI‑driven creative testing risk falling behind those who automate variations and learn from every click.
Affiliate‑focused sessions & workshops
Click2Commission mobile‑performance session
One of the most relevant sessions for affiliates was the Click2Commission Partner Event – “Winning The Mobile Game in 2026.”[newdelhi.ad-tech]
Key takeaways:
- Scaling omnichannel mobile campaigns beyond social‑retargeting networks
- Focusing on open‑web placements and performance‑based traffic
- Optimizing for mobile‑first users and fast‑converting flows
If you’re running app‑install, mobile‑offer, or push‑notification campaigns, this session alone was a goldmine of practical tactics.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
Google, Amazon Ads & HubSpot workshops
These workshops were practical, not theoretical, and highly relevant for performance‑focused affiliates.aninews+1
- Google workshop: Covered performance search, display, and YouTube strategies for direct‑response and brand‑performance campaigns.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
- Amazon Ads workshop: Focused on e‑commerce conversions, sponsored‑product tactics, and performance‑commerce workflows.aninews+1
- HubSpot workshop: Explained lead‑gen funnels and nurturing workflows, useful for CPA or lead‑based affiliate offers.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
The biggest takeaway: performance marketing is becoming more integrated with martech. You can’t just drive traffic anymore—you need to nurture, segment, and push users toward conversion.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
Exhibitors & the affiliate ecosystem
Top sponsors
Some of the biggest names on the performance‑marketing stage were visibly present:
- Google – core for performance search, YouTube, and display.facebook+1
- Amazon Ads – critical for e‑commerce and performance‑retail offers.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
- JioCinema / Star India – big‑screen inventory for video and performance‑video campaigns.facebook+1
- Paytm Ads – performance‑ad network tied to UPI and digital‑payment ecosystems.[facebook]
- Moloco, Vertoz, Click2Commission – performance‑marketing and affiliate‑tech platforms focused on mobile, AI‑driven bidding, and tracking.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
These aren’t just tools—they’re ecosystems. Understanding how they work helps you build better affiliate and performance‑marketing strategies.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
Tracking & affiliate platforms
Platforms like Trackier and other affiliate SaaS players had a strong presence at the event.[newdelhi.ad-tech]
These tools help you:
- Track conversions across multiple sources
- Manage campaigns and creatives from a single dashboard
- Optimize performance using data, attribution, and AI‑assisted insights
Without proper tracking, your affiliate business is essentially flying blind. Choosing a reliable, post‑cookie‑friendly platform is a must for 2026.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
Networking & deal opportunities
Who you can meet
Ad:tech is packed with decision‑makers who control budgets and campaigns:
- Performance marketing heads
- User‑acquisition (UA) managers
- Brand owners
- Media‑buying and affiliate‑program managers
These are the people who approve offers, negotiate payouts, and sign long‑term partnerships.offer18+1
Partnership strategies
If you approach networking strategically, you can:
- Secure exclusive offers for your traffic sources
- Negotiate better payouts or tiered commissions
- Build long‑term partnerships instead of one‑off bursts
Think of it like business speed‑dating with real upside. For affiliate marketers, every strong connection here can mean higher‑quality offers and better ROI.offer18+1
Awards & industry recognition
The Ad:tech Honours Awards 2026 celebrate innovation in marketing technology, with new categories in data, commerce, content, automation, and AI.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
For affiliates, this matters because:
- It highlights reliable platforms and tools
- It builds trust in the stack you choose to work with
- It signals emerging industry trends you can ride early
Working with award‑recognized or award‑nominated platforms often means better performance, stability, and support.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
Practical takeaways for affiliates
If you want to apply what was showcased at Ad:tech New Delhi 2026 to your affiliate business, focus on these priorities:
- Adopt AI tools for optimization (creatives, landing pages, bidding).passionateinmarketing+1
- Shift to omnichannel strategies across search, social, display, and open web.aninews+1
- Invest in systematic creative testing and data‑driven designs.theprint+1
- Build direct partnerships with networks, brands, and UA teams instead of relying only on aggregators.offer18+1
- Re‑engineer tracking for a post‑cookie world using first‑party data and advanced tracking SaaS.theprint+1
The biggest mindset shift: affiliate marketing is evolving into performance partnerships, not just traffic arbitrage.offer18+1
Conclusion
Ad:tech New Delhi 2026 made one thing clear: affiliate marketing is no longer a side hustle—it’s a core part of the digital performance economy. The lines between affiliate, performance, and brand marketing are blurring fast.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
If you want to stay ahead, you need to think bigger. Use AI, build relationships, and focus on long‑term growth instead of chasing short‑term wins. Because in this new landscape, the winners won’t just be the fastest—they’ll be the smartest, most strategic, and best‑connected.passionateinmarketing+1
FAQs
1. Is Ad:tech New Delhi useful for affiliate marketers?
Yes. While it’s not a branded affiliate‑marketing event, it functions as India’s largest indirect affiliate and performance‑marketing summit, with a strong focus on ROI‑driven campaigns, AI, and martech.offer18+1
2. What are the main benefits of attending?
Key benefits include:
- Networking with networks, brands, and tech platforms
- Learning advanced AI‑driven and omnichannel strategies
- Discovering new tools and partnerships to grow your affiliate business
3. Are there dedicated affiliate sessions?
There isn’t a standalone “affiliate track,” but many partner‑led sessions and workshops (like Click2Commission, Google, and Amazon Ads) are highly relevant for affiliate‑style campaigns.newdelhi.ad-tech+2
4. Can beginners benefit from this event?
Yes, but it’s especially valuable for intermediate and advanced marketers who already run campaigns and want to scale with AI, omnichannel, and data‑driven strategies.theprint+1
5. How can I apply these insights without attending?
To apply Ad:tech 2026 insights remotely:
- Follow sponsors and exhibitors (Google, Amazon Ads, Trackier, Click2Commission, etc.) for recaps and webinars.newdelhi.ad-tech+2
- Watch recorded sessions and on‑demand content from the event website.newdelhi.ad-tech+1
- Start implementing AI‑driven optimization, creative testing, and post‑cookie tracking into your existing funnels.passionateinmarketing+1
