Manchester Evening News publisher Reach plc has snapped up a Northern affiliate marketing event in Manchester.
Affiliate North, the Manchester-based event run by Prolific North founding editor David Prior, has been acquired by Reach plc less than two years after he bought the brand in 2024.
The deal sees the annual affiliate marketing conference brought into Reach’s Events and Live Experiences division, the team behind events like Pride of Britain and Pride of Scotland.
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The next Affiliate North event is scheduled to take place at Manchester Hall on 24 September 2026, following a last year’s event that attracted around 150 delegates from across the affiliate, ecommerce and digital marketing sectors.
David, who this week has also been hosting Prolific North’s Northern Marketing Festival events in Leeds and Manchester, said the launch event had exceeded expectations and demonstrated clear demand for a dedicated Northern affiliate marketing community.
“The incredible feedback we received from delegates and sponsors alike confirmed that the North’s affiliate marketing community was looking for a dedicated home,” he said.
“Reaching this point so quickly is a testament to the strength of that community. Reach’s scale, expertise and national reach make them the ideal home for Affiliate North’s next chapter, and I’m confident the event will go from strength to strength under their stewardship.”
Maria Purcell said the acquisition aligned with Reach’s wider diversification strategy as publishers continue to grow revenues beyond traditional advertising.
“David has done a brilliant job over the last year making this event a must for any brand looking to connect with communities around the country,” she said.
“We are delighted to bring this into the Reach stable as we continue to diversify our Events and Live Experiences offerings, and as ecommerce and affiliates continue to be an important source of revenue in keeping with our wider diversification strategy.”
Karen Brodie added that affiliate marketing had become “a central pillar” of Reach’s partnerships strategy.
“By layering Reach’s scale, our sophisticated first-party data, and our editorial expertise over the existing Affiliate North platform, we can evolve it into a powerhouse for the industry, providing a space where our partners and the wider affiliate community can drive relationships and real commercial results,” she said.
