Chicago Seminars Oct 12-14, 2012
 

UPDATE: July 19th. SOLD OUT. Registrations are non transferable and non refundable and we are not maintaining a wait list.

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

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS 9/5/12 Please read Post #5 for Details

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
Captain Denny Flanagan "Author"
Greg Kane the Frequent Miler
Hans Mast HansGolden
Steve Belkin Beaubo


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 Reservation Link
 

The host hotel is sold out The overflow hotel has rooms available in post #3.

Reservation 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 fee 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, a link will be provided 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

Schedule of Events
 

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: Mommy Points on Elite Status- Challenges, Fasttracks and Amtrak with BikeGuy/ OR
Advanced: Captain Denny Flanagan Author

Noon to 1 PM Lunch

1-2:45 PM
Beginners: Mileage Runs with Ben Schalippig OR
Advanced: Transfers and Bonus Category Credit
Cards with Brian Kelly

2:45 -3PM Coffee Break

3-5PM
Beginners: Award Booking with Ben Schlappig
Advanced: Moderated Airline Breakout Sessions
with Geoffco (top tier status all 3 alliances)

5-6PM Meet the Speakers: Cash Bar/Hotel Lobby

6-7:30 ish Advanced: Q and A Mileage Runs and Award
Booking with Ben Schalippig and Steve Belkin OR
The Cruising Crowd with Marshall Jackson

8-9ish Cocktails of Site

Sunday 7-8:30 Breakfast

8:30-9:45AM Sponsors Workshop
9:45-10AM Charity Raffle Draw
10-10:15 AM Coffee Break

10:15-Noon
Beginner: Belkin (Beaubo) as a Beginner
Advanced: Hotel Breakout Session Moderators:
Brian Cohen Hilton, Brian Kelly Hyatt, Sharon Adcock
Marriott
Noon to 1PM Lunch

1-3PM
Beginner: Gift Card Churning with Frequent Miler
and Shopping Mall Bonanzas with Hans Golden
Advanced: Blogger Questions and Answers

3-4PM Randy Petersen State of the Industry

Volunteers Needed
 

Registration:

Friday PM Deltapoints and Lisa, Sagy and Atkchi
Friday PM. Prat
Saturday AM: sfsilverbear (2)

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 — WE'VE Got our Apples.


•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. [email protected] 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

Charity Raffle Information
 

Sharon, Brian and I each pick a charity for distribution of raffle donations.

I've chosen the Captain Jason Dahl Scholarship Fund this year.
Brian has chosen the Wounded Warrior Project.
Sharon has picked Airline Ambassadors. Org

All the Other Stuff
 

to be added

Room Block for Chicago Seminar
 

It appears the room block for the Chicago Seminar is: Arrival on Thurs Oct 11and check out Sun Oct14. When I tried to book a longer stay the website kept bouncing me out, so I had to call Reservations and they told me those are the dates. I've booked the extra days separately.

Room reserved! Ready for program sign up!

I got my room booked. Thanks ingy and all organizers!

What time do the festivities start? Should I come in Thursday night or Friday?

Booked. This time will not have to stay at the overflow hotel.
Looking forward to my 2nd seminar.

Michael

Room booked and looking forward to attending again this year. Last year was fabulous!

I'm reserved also.

What does this mean?
 

[QUOTE. 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.[/QUOTE]

Does this mean that if I don't book through this link, my reservation will be cancelled? Or that I can't attend the seminar?

I cannot book a nonrefundable room at this point because my husband's work schedule is uncertain until March, but I want to stay at the hotel since I'm 95% certain he can get that weekend off. I want to understand exactly what is at risk if I book directly with the hotel.

Thanks, Anita