Star MegaDO 4 - Pre event discussion

makes sense to me..

Which is why I have to occasionally prod you along. Having fielded "why haven't we heard anything..." from at least a half-dozen local MegaDOers, it was time to play the ogre again. We shall wait for the full details, but you've left us hanging in limbo about where the announcement party will be this year.

Just as a metric...the launch party for OWMD was early Oct 2011, about 3.5 months before the actual trip. So by that metric, since SMD4 is early Sept, I would expect the launch party to be late May. That in turn means that the next couple weeks are about the right time to announce that.

(please, please don't do it Memorial Day weekend)

So you're betting this will be a summer-bookends affair (i.e. launch party Memorial Day; MegaDo Labor Day)?

I certainly hope not. Have already some plans made for those weekends.

It a very clever way to build anticipation and ensure the event sells out in record time.

we're going to need a bigger plane!

Thought this a very fine line to walk - at one point, prolonged anticipation becomes frustration. Not that there is any worry about this for us - the demand is much bigger than the supply.

Well they have told us the event is early September (and last year was Labor Day week). The Launch Party date is pure speculation on my part, but given that we all do need *some* advance notice, anything earlier than late May seems unlikely. Problem is, the later the date, the more conflict with people's summer travel plans...

It's also a tricky thing on the organizer side, since they have to front a lot of money for the charter. OWMD sold out instantly, but it was also the first non-*A MegaDo, so there was a lot of pent-up demand from the AA/oneworld crowd. There have already been 3 previous SMDs and all of them took months to sell out, despite similar price points and itineraries just as exciting OWMD. So there is the looming question of whether OWMD created enough buzz to boost the demand for SMD4 enough to cause a similar instant sell-out, or if SMD4 will sell more like the previous three. The required intl. positioning flights will put this out of some people's price range too.

The fact that this DO will apparently be non-US based may limit demand somewhat. Personally, I would prefer to see the organizers drop the launch party and simply place the DO online for reservations and purchase. The time, money and effort participants spend getting to the launch party might be better spent on the actual DO.

But it's not about the party... its about getting upgrades and EQM's on the way to the party... isn't it?

You have read my mind

Certainly a mitigating factor but air fares are significantly higher than they were prior to SMD3. And if you're thinking about flying UA and getting an upgrade, well...

I've only missed one so far this year. :-P
But this is not the place for the endless UA post-merger debates. Plenty of whining about that over on TOBB...

As much as I love upgrades and EQM, I'd rather have the party be nearby and use the savings on the DO and charity events.

I wonder if the leaders could split up and host launch parties in multiple cities at the same time. If so, how about Tommy in Chicago, Ed in New York, and Randy in LA!

Or a new charity auction, bid to have ??? at your city’s launch party!

Or bid to not have ??? at your city's launch party!

While OWMD sold out instantly - the European portion did not. In fact, the MegaDo had to give back seats to AA to sell for outside revenue. AA blocked the F and J cabins. F sold out because of the charity bid buy up, but J did not sell out.

Lots of people signed up for OWMD - likely because of the benefits - like 7.5 to 15K EQM for the charter and the other AA sponsered benefits. While we have received benefits for SMD's - they have not been as beneficial as the ones for OWMD.

Attending a MegaDO and attending all the events (including international) can cost in the $6K range for the week if you want J travel.. But still $4K plus for coach. So the cost will limit.

I don't know about you guys, but I don't have 4K-6K just sitting around waiting. Most likely if I'll attend the international portion will be done on miles. But then again, the closer we get to the actual date the less likely that award seats will be available (especially within this group - they will be snatched up in seconds).

CO gave 15K EQM's for SMD1 for all attendees. I cannot remember which other * carriers came through with 15K EQM's, but I know that at least one or two others did. So, if you sat in Y on SMD1 as I did, you got a better deal than if you booked F for OWMD. (Of course, this does not count the cost of traveling to FRA if you are US-based.)

It can be well under $4K for travel in Y, incl. hotel and positioning flights. Likely closer to $2K a/i, incl. TATL positioning. YMMV

Well given the itinerary options, if you're not attending the intl. part, there may be nothing to attend. .

I also disagree that you need $4k. I would say someone budget-conscious could pull off closer to $2k for intl. with all-Y, carefully planned positioning flights and room-sharing. (And you may have to limit how many special-event auctions you bid on.)

Edit: I see jetsetr and I are on the same page here.

Definitely!

I guess I am hoping maybe that we could have an announcement something like an awards presentation, where we hear, at least, which of the 3 venues gets the third prize, and thus is no longer a contender. Then, narrow it down as it gets more firmed up.