At IGB Barcelona 2025, one of the key highlights at the Affnook stand was a thoughtful conversation between Jeremy Castillo, Head of Sales – EU at Affnook, and Joe Hatch, Head of Product at StatsDrone. The discussion explored Joe’s experiences at the event, his observations on the evolution of affiliate marketing technology, and what lies ahead in 2025 for the affiliate tracking space.
A Vibrant Atmosphere at IGB Barcelona 2025
The IGB Barcelona 2025 show was nothing short of impressive. With thousands of attendees from across the globe, the event provided an excellent platform for networking, learning, and exploring new technologies shaping the affiliate and iGaming industries.
When asked about his experience, Joe was quick to express how exciting the event had been this year.
“Barcelona has been amazing. Huge venue, very big, lots of walk-ins, lots of fantastic conversations — old customers, new customers. Overall, very good,” he said with enthusiasm.
The move from London to Barcelona brought a refreshing change of pace. The spacious venue, vibrant setup, and Mediterranean energy made it easier for businesses and affiliates to connect more meaningfully. For Joe and his team at StatsDrone, it was an opportunity to meet both existing partners and potential clients face-to-face, deepening relationships and exploring collaborations.
About StatsDrone – Powering Smarter Affiliate Insights
For those who may not know, StatsDrone is a data-driven SaaS platform that helps affiliates manage, monitor, and analyze their performance data from multiple programs in one place. By aggregating affiliate data into a single dashboard, StatsDrone helps users save time, reduce manual errors, and gain clearer insights into what’s working.
As Head of Product, Joe Hatch plays a central role in refining how StatsDrone helps affiliates and agencies tackle one of the biggest ongoing challenges in the industry — accurate tracking and attribution.
Tracking & Attribution: The Big Challenge of 2025
When Jeremy asked Joe about the key trends and focus areas for 2025, Joe’s response was clear and grounded in experience:
“Affiliates tend to be aware of problems, not solutions. So for me, 2025 is about how do we solve problems? Where is our tracking? Where are players coming from? What’s generating revenue? And how do we optimize the traffic that we have? So, attribution, attribution, attribution.”
This statement perfectly sums up one of the most pressing topics in affiliate marketing today — understanding where value truly comes from.
As the digital ecosystem becomes more complex, with multiple touchpoints and evolving privacy regulations, affiliates face growing difficulties in tracking user journeys accurately. Traditional cookie-based tracking is fading away, and cross-platform behavior adds another layer of complexity.
Joe emphasized that 2025 will be the year when data transparency and smarter attribution take center stage.
Affiliates and advertisers alike are realizing that optimizing traffic and understanding which sources truly drive conversions is far more valuable than simply chasing volume.
The Shift Towards Smarter Attribution
One of the core challenges in the affiliate space is that while data is abundant, insights are often fragmented. Affiliates work with dozens or even hundreds of programs, each with its own reporting systems, metrics, and definitions of success. StatsDrone’s platform simplifies this by offering a unified view — helping affiliates see the bigger picture and make better data-driven decisions.
Joe believes that attribution technology will continue to evolve — not just to track where players come from, but also to understand why they convert and how different channels influence each other. This deeper level of insight will help affiliates focus their efforts more efficiently and ensure fair credit distribution across campaigns.
AI and Automation: The Next Step Forward
Although not a primary topic of the conversation, it’s impossible to discuss the future of affiliate tracking without touching on the role of AI and automation. Tools like StatsDrone are increasingly leveraging machine learning to identify trends, predict performance outcomes, and flag anomalies automatically.
This means less time spent manually checking reports and more time spent on strategy. AI-driven analytics can surface correlations that humans might miss, helping affiliates make proactive decisions about where to invest their time and resources.
Why In-Person Connections Still Matter
While technology is at the heart of affiliate marketing, events like IGB Barcelona serve as a reminder that human connections remain invaluable. Joe mentioned how rewarding it was to meet long-time partners in person and share ideas directly.
These face-to-face interactions often lead to stronger collaborations, clearer communication, and a better understanding of client needs.
Jeremy echoed that sentiment, noting that events like IGB are not just about deals — they’re about community. The iGaming and affiliate industries thrive on relationships built on trust, and shows like this one are where many of those partnerships begin or deepen.
Looking Ahead: What to Expect from StatsDrone in 2025
As 2025 unfolds, StatsDrone is well-positioned to continue refining how affiliates access, understand, and act on their data. Joe’s vision revolves around making tracking and attribution simpler, smarter, and more transparent — ultimately giving affiliates the tools they need to make confident, data-backed decisions.
Whether through product innovation, enhanced integrations, or new analytical capabilities, StatsDrone aims to empower affiliates to spend less time on manual reporting and more time optimizing performance.
Final Thoughts
The conversation between Jeremy and Joe at IGB Barcelona 2025 perfectly captured the evolving mindset of the affiliate marketing industry. In a world where data privacy, multi-channel attribution, and efficiency are becoming top priorities, platforms like StatsDrone are stepping up to fill critical gaps.
As Joe summed it up — “Attribution, attribution, attribution.”
That simple phrase might just define the next chapter of affiliate growth.
