A SMILE THROUGH TEARS. WHAT SWEAT AND BLOOD ARE THE MOST HIGH-PROFILE CONFERENCES IN UKRAINE? - CONFESSION OF AFFHUB HEAD, SASHA KOZLOVA

Editor HWYD: Sasha, as everyone knows, creates the most top events in the Ukrainian affiliate industry. It's hard to argue with this, and, frankly, it's pointless. So, of course, Sasha is busy with event after event - as soon as the ashes of Arson are burning down, Tribe is already actively preparing - and he has little time to spare. But that's why we love her - even in such moments, she will never say no and will always find time.

Together with Sasha, we tried to make a story about how for the organizers of a convention, it is not about coming to everything ready-made. Each event professionally hides sleepless nights and nerve cells spent on finding and implementing optimal solutions to satisfy everyone, even the most demanding.

I would personally like to urge the representatives of the affiliate community to read this interview and at least once think about the difficulties we sometimes have to go through to create a high-quality, decent, and trustworthy platform for our networking.

HWYD: Tell us about yourself. What kind of family are you from? Who are your parents? What city were you born in? Describe some of your most vivid childhood memories.

Sasha: I was born in Kyiv, into a simple family with hardworking parents. My mother worked in the retail sector as a deputy director of a large shopping center, unfortunately, she passed away very early. My father worked in the furniture industry. For me, Kyiv is not just a place of birth, but the best city on earth, to which I feel a special attachment and love.

My childhood was full of energy and activity. I was a real tomboy - I loved climbing trees and often came home with scratched knees. I especially remember how I would always find stray animals and bring them home to feed and treat them. My parents, of course, were "delighted" with such surprises!

It is significant that my entrepreneurial spirit manifested itself very early on - I earned my first money at the age of 6! I had my own small outlet at the market, where I sold vegetables and fruits from my grandmother. It was my first experience of independence and responsibility.

When I was 17, I got my first serious job at an international company. It was quite an intense period - I worked all day and in the evening I ran to the university for classes. Despite such a busy schedule, in five years I received two degrees from KNEU - a bachelor's and a master's degree in international economics and management.

This combination of early work experience, hard work and natural activity laid a solid foundation for my future professional path and shaped my character - energetic, determined and able to overcome difficulties.

HWYD: How did you get into the field? What was your first impression of the industry and your immediate tasks?

Sasha: I got into the industry by accident. At the time, I was looking for a job that would combine two important components for me - event organization and the ability to actively use the English language. As fate would have it, a cryptocurrency company offered me to head their public relations and event management department, despite the fact that I had no previous experience in this particular field.

My initial responsibilities were quite diverse and exciting. I was responsible for:

• Organization and construction of exhibition stands
• Coordination of team visits to international exhibitions
• Management of the company's PR strategy

From the very first days of work, I was captivated by the dynamism of this industry. Every day was full of new tasks and challenges that required quick decisions and a creative approach. I was particularly impressed by:

• A variety of tasks that never let you stagnate and get bored
• Powerful networking opportunities with interesting people from all over the world
• The prospects for professional and personal growth that were opening up for me

This field seemed to have been created for my energetic personality and desire for continuous development. Although the beginning was accidental, I quickly felt that I had found my place where I could realize my potential and enjoy my work.

HWYD: How did you get into AFFHUB?

Sasha: My acquaintance with AFFHUB was due to professional connections - I knew the previous project manager. At a time when I was actively looking for new career opportunities, I accidentally noticed an open position in the company.

When I saw the job posting, I immediately decided to act and wrote to find out more details. After receiving advice to try my hand at it, I didn't hesitate for a minute - I sent my resume for consideration.

The selection process was quite quick and successful for me. I passed all the stages of the interview without any difficulties, which probably indicated a good match between my skills and experience and the company's requirements. Sometimes the best career turns start with a simple decision to try something new.

HWYD: How did you select the staff? What was the first event from AFFHUB fell on your shoulders?

Sasha: When selecting a team, I focus on soft skills - I look for friendly, honest, and open-minded people. Toxic personalities in AFFHUB there is no room. Although we had to conduct many interviews, the project now has real stars, of whom I am very proud!

My first event at the AFFHUB was an online format - a New Year's stream from our YouTube channel "Your Traffic Kitchen". It was an important experience that helped me get into the role of a manager and better understand the specifics of the project.

HWYD: Extreme Arson - how many people did you gather? Stands?

Sasha: We managed to achieve impressive results: 2034 guests attended the event, 30 stands and various zones with interactive activities for participants were organized.

HWYD: What were the most difficult cases in the preparation of this conference?

Sasha: The most challenging task was to organize a fundamentally new format - the AFFHUB Mastermind. It was a real challenge for our entire team, because it was necessary:

• Organize 10 tables in different verticals
• Gather 43 industry experts in one place
• Ensure that each table is effectively filled with relevant participants

Despite the complexity, we successfully coped with this task, and this new format really resonated with our audience.

HWYD: In general, in all your practice, what was the toughest case you had to prepare and how did you fix it?

Sasha: In fact, we have not had any tough cases with large-scale problems in our practice, and this is no coincidence - we pay extraordinary attention to the detailed planning of each event. Our success is based on careful preparation and anticipation of possible challenges.

I will give you some examples of situations that we have solved, but they are hardly complex cases, because, again, we are careful in our planning and preparation:

1. It was urgent to find and install a thermal curtain in 12 hours, as it was necessary to keep the room warm with the doors open, and the weather conditions hinted that it would be cool.
2. To provide heat in the 15,000 m² building, we developed a special system, taking into account that no single generator could have pulled the centralized heating. We thought out the mechanics of keeping the heat even in the event of an emergency power outage.
3. To decide and agree on how to suspend 1.5 tons from the ceiling, taking into account the load on the beams and all safety standards for the load on the ceiling. We went through all the circles of hell and all the chief and super mega chief design engineers to solve this issue.
4. To fit 20+ stands on 450 square meters!!!, to leave 1.5-2 m of space for aisles - we played this puzzle for a long time and measured every centimeter without exaggeration. Also, within the same hall, the task with an asterisk was to plan the installations/doors/and the order of arrival so that everything was built on time and the developers did not critically interfere with each other.

And there are a lot of other little things that are not critical, but it was impossible for 100% to ignore them.

HWYD: Which services are usually the most difficult to communicate with during the preparation process and why?

Sasha: In the process of preparing events, we cooperate with many services and contractors, and each has its own specifics. It is difficult to single out any particular category as the most difficult - the key to success is to find an individual approach and the right format of communication with each partner.

We always stick to constructive dialog instead of quarrels or ultimatum demands. This allows us to quickly find mutually beneficial terms of cooperation with anyone.

If I were to single out the most specific category, it would be government services and institutions - communication with them usually takes more time due to bureaucratic procedures. But we see it as part of the work process and find common ground even in such situations.

HWYD: Did you ever have to call on ambulance workers, firefighters, etc. during the conference? If so, please tell us more.

Sasha: Medical representatives are always present at all our events and can be contacted by participants if necessary. We understand that unforeseen situations can arise at any time - someone may suddenly experience a deterioration in their health or need emergency care. In terms of fire safety, we strictly adhere to all established standards. Firefighters are on duty at each of our conferences, although fortunately, we have never needed their services in an emergency. This is a standard part of our safety protocol, which ensures peace of mind for both us, the organizers, and all guests of the event.

HWYD: Did anything ever go wrong during the conference itself? Could you please give us some examples and how they were fixed?

Sasha: Of course, our event team has had some difficulties at events before, but that was a long time ago and before I started working at AFFHUB, which we are very happy about. Now we have a team of experienced event professionals, so there are practically no serious problems. All that happens are little things that can be easily solved:

• The speaker is late - we bring out the next one
• Fonts in the presentation are broken - we fix them during the check
• If the batteries in the microphone run out, we give you a new one right away
• If the headset doesn't work, we change it to a spare one

We don't even consider such moments to be special problems. There are a lot of organizational nuances, but they don't deserve to be called serious problems - they are just working moments that a professional team is always ready for.

HWYD: How do you manage communication with participants/guests so that no one is left unheard?

Sasha: To be honest, I don't see communication with our guests and participants as something that needs to be "handled". We are always open to feedback and take any suggestions for improving our work very seriously. Of course, sometimes we cannot fulfill certain wishes for objective reasons, and it is a shame that some people do not always try to understand our limitations.

HWYD: How impudent are people/companies when communicating? What do they ask for, what do they demand?

Sasha: We're all different, and I have to admit that some individuals and companies really cross the line in their demands. The most common requests:

• Free tickets "for good eyes"
• Discounts for stands without objective reasons
• We would love to provide more free opportunities, but few people consider the real economics of our events. At conferences, we provide a full range of services - from basic admission, water, and interactive zones to food, cocktails, and hookahs. On average, the cost of one guest's stay at our conference exceeds $100, and this is just the direct costs.

Therefore, we are forced to balance the desire to satisfy all requests with the need to maintain the economic feasibility of our activities.

HWYD: Are there any guests/companies that are not allowed to attend your events and why? Or at least unwanted guests.

Sasha: Yes, we have a category of people who are banned from attending our events - guests or companies that support the aggressor country. We consider it unacceptable to provide a platform for those who support aggression against Ukraine. For us, this is not only a matter of business, but also of moral choice and social responsibility.

HWYD: How important is feedback from guests/participants for you? How do you respond to criticism?

Sasha: We really take every piece of feedback we receive extremely seriously. In addition, we constantly conduct internal reflection, trying to objectively evaluate the results of our work. It is very important for us to hear how we can improve our events and the project as a whole. We are always looking for innovative solutions and are happy to implement them in our projects. It is thanks to the feedback from participants and partners that we can find new approaches and make our events even better. As for criticism, we are open to it and even welcome it, but we appreciate constructive comments that are based on real-world experience. Our team is always ready to listen to different opinions and take them into account in our future work, as we strive to create events that best meet the needs and expectations of our community.

HWYD: How many people (not including contractors) from AFFHUB working on preparing for the conference?

Sasha: The AFFHUB internal team of 10 people works on the preparation of each conference.
This compact team efficiently coordinates all aspects of events: from concept development to logistics management and participant relations. Thanks to our professionalism and clear division of responsibilities, we are able to organize large-scale events even with a small team of in-house employees, engaging contractors only for specialized tasks.

HWYD: How many in total, including contractors?

Sasha: The total team size, including all contractors working on our conferences, is up to 25 people. The exact number depends on the scale and complexity of a particular event. For simpler events, the team may be smaller, while more complex projects require additional specialists in various fields.

HWYD: What are your future plans personally and AFFHUB In particular? I heard you have international projects in the works? Please share what the community can expect.

Sasha: I have to admit, I have such a busy work schedule that I don't always manage to pay enough attention to my personal plans. However, now I really intend to travel more, find time to relax and attend more international industry events. This is important not only for personal development, but also for generating new ideas for AFFHUB.

As you correctly noted, we are actively working on international expansion! We will soon announce our conference in Warsaw. It will be a large-scale event, for which our team is already carefully preparing.