The OS

You mean the session titled "Is the Mileage Game about over"? How is that an informative title? So, basically, your claim that one person out of all of the sessions provided some tricks is more than I had experienced in both seminars, but still a joke in terms of what the overall expectations are from my perspective.

HMPS

So you think volunteers should do as good as paid employees ? Hopefully FTG ? Howie can tell us what it would cost then ?
It is always easy to knock someone's efforts. The seminars have been running for years. SOLD OUT well before th edate. Wonder why ?

Let us see, if FTG ? Howie and others can give you a Concierge Experience next time. What will you pay ?

The man who started this calls himself Frugl Travel Guy. The attendees are frugal or searching ways to be frugal but do wind up in lie flat seats or five star suites. What is wrong with that picture ?

Come join our rank of volunteers next year. You will enjoy it more when you can learn and help others learn more .

PS: That Wal Mart bit was over the top. Perhaps you dress better but have a " Wal Mart" mentality ?

Sweet Willie

Stay on topic please.

Others are allowed to express their disappointment with the seminars.

Willie
co mod CommunityBuzz

SkiAdcock

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, pro & con. Not everyone needs to agree w/ others opinions & obviously that's the case here. I think the majority of the attendees got something positive/learned something at the conference & it was worth their while from comments I overheard at the conference & in this thread.

A couple of things. First, regarding the property/size of venue. Rick got quotes from other properties/brands, but the quotes were high enough that the fee for the conference would have had to increase & also the room rates would be higher if we switched venues. To try & keep rates to a minimum for attendees & because the EGV Holiday Inn staff really is great to work with, the venue has stayed the same to date. Second, Rick does take feedback (pro/con) from attendees, volunteers, speakers, hotel staff into consideration to make it better for the next year, which he's already doing.

Cheers.

The OS

Thanks Sharon. I realize this is a volunteer event, but so was TPA, and other than the audio issues, the venue portion there was fantastic (Grand Hyatt), at a cost to attendees of a mere $15 more for the ticket, and only slightly more for hotel accommodations. The HI was the wrong venue for the size of that event, plain and simple, not to mention the same weekend as the Chicago Marathon. Planning is more than staying with the devil you know for simplicity.

I'm sorry if people's feelings are hurt, but you're not going to get many dissenters on this thread, and I don't really feel that planners can learn much from people who are too afraid to post criticism or aren't savvy enough to know what a good event looks like, even when put together with volunteer help.

Take my feedback with a grain of salt if you like, because I likely won't be returning to another. However, I heard feedback very contradictory to what has been posted on the blogs and on this thread from other newbies and attendees who have been to many past sessions. But, if "selling out" is the only metric that matters, then by all means, keep on truckin as is.

ingy

That upthread someone complained about the $20 transfer fee that goes to charity, and when I fronted them on site they did not follow through with their suggestions with Howie as they said they would.

That someone would actually sneak into the event with a hand written name badge and lastly that people that complain seem more apt to do it online behind the anonymity of the internet than face to face, man to man.

If people don't like the event, the venue, the speakers, the signage or anything else, plainly and simply don't come, particularily if they can't make their suggestions face to face. We are always ready to listen and will make more positive changes next year as some who expressed their concerns are already aware.

BTW, We will sell out the event again next year. And the feedback was 95%+ positive.

Some would not be happy unless they were hung with a new rope.

SkiAdcock

There's constructive criticism & non-constructive criticism. I think it's fair to offer input both in person & online, especially since it can get hectic during the event itself.

Was CSE perfect in very respect? No. Did it offer information and/or contact with other like-minded individuals in multiple areas/seminars? Yes. Can it be improved? Yes. Will every suggestion be implemented? No.

If someone doesn't find value in attending seminars (whether it's FTU or CSE) on a variety of levels, then it probably doesn't make sense for them to attend any in the future & they might enjoy just gabbing w/ other miles & points folk at the more informal Dos listed in CommunityBuzz/find that productive.

Cheers.

pinguy

As a first time attendee, I learned a lot from the sessions. Outside of those, one of the big values of the seminar was talking to other attendees. At breakfast. At lunch. Before sessions started. At the Saturday evening reception (Thanks for the open bar!). During breaks. In the lobby. I made it a point to start conversations with other attendees and that does not come naturally to me. Two nights hotel and seminar fee was around $250 and that included meals. To me, well worth the money.

miffSC

And if I am attending a seminar which is hosted by a group who basically volunteer their time and energies, I certainly don't have an issue with what they wear.

As for the HIElk Grove, it may not be the fanciest hotel in town, but I think the hotel and its staff go out of their way to make us feel welcome. I like not having to pay $100+ for a hotel room!

Again, for the fourth year in a row, I had a wonderful time. Nice to see 'old' faces - great to make some new acquaintances - and missed seeing some people who could not attend this year. It was a group effort, as such, I consider it to have been a success. And the apples after the last session... nice touch!

Great job Ingy, Howie, et al!

SkiAdcock

Yeah, that part of the input I put into the 'huh?' category. It's a weekend conference for those interested in miles & points. Pretty much everyone was in casual attire. It's not a corporate conference where suits are expected. Thank goodness it wasn't at Halloween again because some of the costumes on Sat night party that year were definitely

Cheers.

ITAGiRL

First of all, thanks to Rick, Howie and the whole team for another great event in Chicago. It's impressive to see the growth and caliber of attendees and presenters increase each year. Even more impressive is that Chicago DO is a grassroots event organized by 100% volunteers, Thank you all for your hard work and passion for travel!

We had a fun time presenting at the Google/ITA Advanced Workshop on Saturday. Many of you asked for more information on Google Flight Search.

Go to www.google.com/flights. It works great for trips departing anywhere in the U.S. or Canada to anywhere in the world You can add multiple legs to the itinerary, shop by cabin type, search by region (try Europe, Japan, or Southern Africa), see Maps with low-fare options, get recommendations on best flights and tips to save money, lots of sorting options, and get a fast calendar graph with over two months of low fares.

One of the best features of Google Flight Search, you can often book in one click!

It does not have all the advanced routing language commands many of you love and enjoy on matrix, but try Google Flight Search first, and you just might find it works for you. We are working to add new stuff all the time.

Happy travels,
Cara Kretz

RapidTravelChai

Here are the links for mine:

International Travel Bootcamp

How to Book Rental Cars for Less with Daraius MMS

Hotwire and Priceline

If I am violating some FT rule that I don't know about by posting them, sorry, I am responding to the quoted request.

SkiAdcock

I was reading a thread in a different forum regarding seminars in general & thought the following points by different people were valid/of interest, whether it be CSE or other seminars.

"As expected, some of the sessions were more interesting and useful to me than some of the other sessions, but this is normal in a large and diverse group"

"Yes, there is overlap and similarities in the sessions but there are people who said they wanted to attend multiple concurrent sessions so those might attend again to do different topics. Also, the sessions do change each time. Maybe not a ton. And the ones which were the same were still new to the majority of the attendees who were first-time visitors."

"I think that there is a core group of regulars. Then there are the few hundred newbies who were somewhat overwhelmed by the fact that there are so many others who are similarly crazy and who were soaking it all up. I don't think that everyone will suddenly want to go to every event but I think there will be some repeat visitors from that group to future events."

"People learn differently. Being able to help others learn about these programs and how to better leverage their activities is what it is all about. If there are people who are more comfortable learning in a seminar format or conversations pool-side or over lunch at the event then let them learn that way. Help them learn more. That's a tremendous endorsement for these types of events."

"And if they don't work for you (or if you think they don't) then don't go. Don't pay the trivial fee and don't have the experience. But don't get down on those who are running them, presenting at them or attending them. That's just plain silly."

"Again, the implication that many people will not learn much is not accurate. With more than half the crowd being first-time attendees the implication that they can learn everything in one go isn't accurate."

"At one of the general sessions the question is asked how many are first-time attendees. Well over half usually raise their hands. I have interacted with some of them over meals, breakout sessions, evening chats, etc. and it is amazing how much they learn. Heck, I think I am half way decent with miles and points but I still learn quite a bit each time."

"I also think that beyond your learning style, your personality will have a lot to do with whether you get much out of a seminar event. If you like meeting a lot of new people you would probably enjoy it. If you are very introverted and don't talk to strangers much then you will get a lot less out of it."

"The benefit for newbies is knowledge. People who know more going on will learn less. There are diminishing returns. On the other hand the networking benefits exhibit increasing returns. The more you know the more you have to offer your fellow semi-experts. Then you can keep in touch and maybe get a head start on some great deals."

"Attendees at Dos break down into two categories: those who only want to talk points and miles and those who want to talk points and miles but also just be social."

Cheers.

HMPS

MOD SW I hear you re stay on topic.

Ingy you do make interesting point. Yes I do turn off the TV when I don't like the programs.

It looks like the charities were cheated out of $ 115 by the "handwritten" badge person. He/she should send in an annonymus money order to Sharon to add to the charities. BTW it was announced on last day that because of volunteers the Seminars were able to save $ 8000 which was added to the charities. Not bad for putting up with some minor incovinniences.^

Eastbay1K

^