Rocco Joins ShopBack at Rakuten Advertising DealMaker 2026
Published
Category: Brand Activations, Networking Events | Location: Pyrmont, Sydney
On 13 August 2026, Rakuten Advertising brought publishers, brands and partners together for DealMaker Australia 2026 at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf. ShopBack, the rewards and cashback platform, used the day to introduce a new team member: Rocco.
The Event
DealMaker is a networking and partnership event. The whole point is meeting people, starting conversations and making deals happen. Every partner in the room is competing for the same attention.
What Happened
Mitch Petropoulos, who works on digital rewards and partnerships at ShopBack, shared the day on LinkedIn. He introduced "our newest ShopBacker Rocco the robot" and thanked the Rakuten team. The post included seven photos from the event and drew more than 80 reactions.
Framing Rocco as a ShopBack team member, rather than a hired gadget, was a clever touch:
- It gave ShopBack a story. Introducing a robot as the newest ShopBacker is a much better opening line than a standard pitch.
- The story kept going after the day. Seven photos from the event put Rocco in front of ShopBack's LinkedIn audience.
- It made networking easier. At an event built on conversations, a humanoid robot gives everyone something to talk about.
Robots at Partner and Networking Events
At industry networking days, the brands people remember are the ones that created a moment. A humanoid robot works especially well for:
- Partner and affiliate summits
- Sponsor activations at industry events
- Client networking evenings and award nights
Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf is a venue Rocco knows well. He also worked the room at HPE Networking Day Sydney there in October.
Book Rocco for Your Next Industry Event
See trade show robot hire and corporate event robot hire, or send your event details for a quote.