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Agenda
This one-day summit explores how partnerships influence discovery, drive customer acquisition and turn recommendations into revenue. Through candid conversations, real-world case studies and forward-looking insights, PX3 Canada tackles the questions shaping the industry — from creator compensation and attribution to loyalty, AI-powered commerce and the future of performance marketing.
Partners × Platforms × Performance
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May 12, 2027 Hilton Toronto
WELCOME From the Economic Club of Canada
8:55 AM
ACT I: THE MONEY
Why this economy exists, and who's actually getting paid.
9:00 AM Opening Keynote
THE CHANNEL HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
Affiliate grew up. Did marketers notice?
For years, affiliate marketing sat quietly behind search, social and display. That's changing: creators want performance compensation, publishers need new revenue, retailers want efficient acquisition, and consumers now research through recommendations and communities before they buy.
9:30 AM
WOULD YOU PAY FOR THE SALE INSTEAD OF THE CLICK?
Marketing has spent decades buying impressions, clicks, reach and attention. Affiliate asks a simpler question: what if you paid only when something actually happened?
Brand and performance leaders debate whether outcome based marketing is about to take a much bigger share of the budget: affiliate vs. paid social, CAC, incrementality, attribution, commission economics, lifetime value.
10:15 AM
SHOW ME THE MONEY
One real affiliate program, fully opened: spend, commission, average order value, new customer mix, which partners drive incremental revenue, and what the brand keeps after everyone gets paid.
10:40 AM
NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK
ACT II: THE PLAYERS
Who actually holds the relationship with the customer now.
11:00 AM THE CREATOR ECONOMY
DID THE CREATOR KILL THE AFFILIATE?
Creators used to want flat fees. Affiliates wanted commissions. Those worlds are colliding: should creators be paid a flat rate for a post, or a share of every sale they generate? A brand, a creator, a network leader and a talent agency executive talk through where compensation is heading.
11:40 AM THE Publisher
WHO GETS PAID FOR THE RECOMMENDATION?
Google changes its algorithm. Social platforms change their feeds. AI summarizes articles without sending the click. Publishers still influence billions of dollars in consumer decisions, so who pays them? The future of commerce content, reviews, comparison sites, newsletters and recommendation businesses.
12:20 PM
NETWORKING LUNCH
ACT III: PROOF
Five deals. No theory.
1:20 PM RAPID CASE STUDIES
5 PARTNERSHIPS THAT MADE MONEY
Five partnerships. Seven minutes each. Each company answers four questions: What was the partnership? Why did you do it? How did everyone get paid? Did it work?
1:55 PM THE LOYALTY ECONOMY
YOUR POINTS ARE AN AFFILIATE PROGRAM
Aeroplan. Scene+. PC Optimum. Rakuten. Credit card rewards. Every one of these programs is already steering where Canadians shop, every single day, yet nobody treats loyalty and affiliate as the same business. They are. Rewards and cashback have quietly become some of Canada's most powerful performance channels, and it's time the two industries started talking to each other. This panel brings loyalty and affiliate leaders together to unpack how points, cashback and partner offers actually drive purchase decisions, where the real money changes hands, and what brands and marketers can learn from treating their loyalty program as a performance channel in its own right.
2:35 PM
NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK
ACT IV: WHAT'S NEXT
The infrastructure, the deal, and the machine.
2:55 PM TECHNOLOGY
THE LINK IS DEAD
Cookies are disappearing. Consumers move between apps, devices and physical stores. AI increasingly sits between discovery and purchase. So how will businesses know who influenced the sale, and who deserves to get paid? A practical look at the next generation of tracking, identity and commerce infrastructure.
3:25 PM
WHAT'S THIS CUSTOMER WORTH?
A brand wants customers. A publisher has an audience. What does it actually take to strike a deal between them? A candid conversation on how these partnerships get negotiated in practice: commission rates, new vs. existing customers, cookie windows, placement, exclusivity, returns, bonuses, and incrementality.
3:55 PM THE FUTURE
WHEN YOUR BEST SALESPERSON ISN'T HUMAN
AI assistants increasingly help consumers research, compare and decide. If an AI recommends your hotel, credit card or television, who gets paid for the referral? Could AI agents become the largest affiliates in the world?
4:25 PM CLOSING
EVERYONE IS AN AFFILIATE NOW
A creator recommends a product. A publisher reviews it. A customer refers a friend. A credit card offers cashback. A loyalty program offers points. A brand recommends another brand. They're all doing essentially the same thing: influencing a transaction.
The next generation of marketing won't simply be about buying audiences. It will be about building ecosystems where everyone wins when the customer buys.
Closing From the Economic Club of Canada
4:30 PM
Networking Reception
4:35 PM - 5:35 PM
Agenda is subject to change.