Welcome to the Chicago Seminars thread. Registration for the seminars themselves will begin on March 1st. See the link below. The registration this year is $85 which includes seminars, lunch and coffee breaks for both days Registration is CLOSED. The Event is SOLD OUT We Need Volunteers Please see post #5 of this thread for volunteer opportunities Confirmed Speakers to date: Mommy Points on US Airways Grand Slam Ben Schlappig on Mileage Runs Cara Kretz Itasoftware Chris Lopitino Expert Flyer Marshall Jackson MJonTravel Rick Ingersoll Frugal Travel Guy Brian Kelly The Points Guy John Nielsen fti Cliff Stratton dlouise37 Dave Homyak. Rookie Bootcamp Dave (Pudding Guy) Phillips- Frequent Flyer Miles 101 Randy Petersen Captain Denny Flanagan "Author" Greg Kane the Frequent Miler Hans Mast HansGolden The schedule of events is in Post #4 Post #2 of this thread is live with a link to hotel reservations at our host hotel the Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village. Only reservations made through this link will be honored. The hotel will be a sell out again. Your reservation will be with a non refundable first night's deposit and non transferable.
Host Hotel Reservations Registration Link *Award Nights are not available nor are any other discounted rate. The only applicable rates are: $79 per night plus tax includes one breakfast coupon $89 per night plus tax includes two breakfast coupons *Transportation is included in the room rate to/from O’Hare Airport as well as to/from our sister hotel, the Holiday Inn & Suites O’Hare *Included in the seminar registration price is lunch and coffee breaks. *Please note that the reservation must be guaranteed to a credit card and the first night is non refundable *Through this link is the only method of confirming sleeping rooms. Once the Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village is full, we will supply a link to our overflow hotel, the Holiday Inn & Suites O’Hare.
Overflow Hotel Reservations - Holiday Inn and Suites/Rosemont Room Rate without Breakfast Room Rate with two breakfasts
Tenative Schedule subject to change: Friday 6:30-7:20 PM Rookie Bootcamp: with Dave Homyak 7:30-8:30 Delta SkyPesos to Delta Gold: with John Nielsen OR Travel Technology with Cliff Stratton Saturday 7-8:15 Breakfast 8:30-10 Beginner: FF 101 Pudding Guy and Credit Cards for Newbies with Rick Ingersoll OR Advanced: Itasoftware and Expert Flyer with Cara Kreft and Chris Lopitino 10-10:15 AM Coffee Break 10:30 to Noon Beginner: Elite Status- Challenges and Fasttracks with MommyPoints and Amtrak Redemptions with Bikeguy OR Advanced: Captain Denny Flanagan Author Noon to 1 PM Lunch 1-2:45 PM Beginners: Mileage Runs with Ben Schlappig OR Advanced: Transfers and Bonus Category Credit Cards with Brian Kelly 2:45 -3PM Coffee Break 3-5PM Beginners: Award Booking with Ben Schlappig OR Advanced: Moderated Airline Breakout Sessions with Geoffco (top tier status all 3 alliances) 5-6PM Meet the Speakers: Cash Bar/Hotel Lobby 6-730ish Advanced: Q and A Mileage Runs and Award Booking with Ben Schalippig and Steve Belkin OR The Cruising Crowd with Marshall Jackson Sunday 7-8:30 Breakfast 8:30-10 AM Sponsors Workshop 10-10:15 AM Coffee Break 10:15-Noon Beginner: Belkin (Beaubo) as a Beginner or Advanced: Hotel Breakout Session Noon to 1PM Lunch 1-3PM Beginner: Gift Card Churning with Frequent Miler and Shopping Mall Bonanzas with Hans Golden or Advanced: Blogger Questions and Answers 3-4PM Randy Petersen State of the Industry
Volunteers Needed First off, thanks to all of you that volunteer to help with this years seminar. It is an all volunteer event and any excess proceeds are donated to charity at the end of the accounting. Here is where we need help: Set Up. We’ll start setting up sponsor tables and building the easels for the display boards around 3PM on Friday afternoon. Contact Rick on FT by PM to Frugal Travel Guy if you can assist there. Registration: We need four individuals on Friday from say 6 to 10PM to help Howie with registration and four more on Saturday morning from 7 to 8:30 AM. Contact Howie by email. We need Michigan Apples — “to and fro” brought a terrific selection of Wisconsin apples last year and its time for some Michigan ones this year. If you are driving from Michigan for the seminars and can pick up about 8 bushels of different varieties that would be greatly appreciated. Send a private message on FlyerTalk to Frugal Travel Guy and of course we will be paying for the apples. Thanks Balima and legalalien have volunteered to be our local Chicago contacts and help with the purchase of local materials and getting the logos on to the display boards. Howie will be in contact as he has the logos. Would each of you touch base with the ThePointsGuy to see if he needs any help with the Saturday night cocktail event? PM on FT should work. Skiadcock is running the charity raffle again and she needs volunteers. You may contact her by PM on FlyerTalk at skiadcock to offer assistance with this very important job. Thanks. DLouise37 is again handling the projectors and set up of the PowerPoint presentations. I believe we have an assistant for him this year but if you can lend a hand there, I know he would appreciate the backup. Dlouise37 by FT PM for that one. Speakers Please get your PowerPoint presentations to Howie before the event begins. Sponsors: Make sure Howie has your logo if he doesn’t already! Attention All Bloggers: One of the seminars is Ask the Bloggers and you are all welcome. I’ll need your name, blog name, and email address asap if you will be in attendance and want face time with your readers. I’m sure some of the questions will be quite interesting. As I don’t know how many will be there the format is still up in the air at this time. Get to me as soon as possible so I can get a head count. rick@frugaltravelguy.com will work for that one. To all those attending and volunteering, thank you for making your event another success. Lots to learn, people to meet and fun to be had. If I missed anything send me a PM on FT at Frugal Travel Guy
Just tried to register and got messag "no rooms available for these criteria" and I clicked to the site through your link.
Can someone give the approximate start and end times of the event? Need to know which nights to book based on this information. Thanks.....
I got same error also - I must have had some "cookie mess" with Priority Club profiling going on. I was succesful by using Google Chrome and opening up an "Incognito Session" - and then the link worked clean for reservations
I'm booked. Excited to be going to my first get-together! (Too bad I can't visit when people are in Seattle for the OWMD, but it seems to be registered attendees only.)
I am also booked. Had a great time last year and learned a lot. Looking forward to seeing everyone again.
Hotel is booked! I wanted to go in 2011 but just couldn't fit it into my schedule. I will be happy to finally meet everyone!
Had a great time last year, and looking forward to this year. Now to try and figure out whether I'll want to be close to the action at the host hotel or if I'll be scrambling for the nights to keep status in my programs by October.
I booked my room. Never done anything like this before. Excited to attend and gain some valuable knowledge.
I booked a queen, but it said for some reason that I wanted two doubles in my special requests section. I don't remember writing anything like that. Anyone else get a similar message?
Same situation. Hopefully non-smoking rooms will open up -- otherwise my allergies will probably dampen the fun factor!
