This year’s edition of TES (The European Summit) brought the international affiliate marketing community of the adult industry to Marbella for the first time. Traditionally, the spring edition takes place somewhere in southern Europe, while the autumn event is held in Prague. Marbella was a one-off exception this year - the TES Spring 2027 edition will return to Seville as last year, even though people also thought that was just a one-time destination.
The event took place at the Hard Rock Hotel Marbella, which, with its open pool area and resort atmosphere, offered a somewhat different conference setting compared to traditional convention centers. The weather certainly helped as well: blue skies, sunshine and warm temperatures created a relaxed and enjoyable environment throughout the event.
Attendance was very strong. Both the exhibition aisles and the pool area were consistently busy, once again demonstrating that TES remains one of the key meeting points for the industry. As a result, there were plenty of excellent networking opportunities, whether at the booths or during informal conversations around the pool, bars and lounge areas.
As usual, the conference featured a comprehensive program of seminars and presentations. This year, however, there was a clear focus on artificial intelligence. Particularly noticeable was the large number of providers offering “AI Girlfriend” solutions, either as white-label platforms for operators or as products designed specifically for affiliate marketing.
Another visible trend was the strong presence of payment solution providers, highlighting how crucial payment processing continues to be for businesses operating in the adult industry.
There was also one unusual detail regarding the social program: although the event lasted three days, the traditional TES parties were surprisingly concentrated on a single evening rather than being spread across all three days. Nevertheless, the atmosphere remained excellent and the events were very well attended.
TES Marbella delivered a successful combination of business, networking and Mediterranean atmosphere. Despite the unusual location, the familiar TES spirit remained intact – and the industry once again showed a positive and forward-looking outlook, particularly with regard to AI-driven products.
With this positive outcome, attention is already turning to the next spring edition: TES Seville 2027.