ingy

Update 10/8/2010 Final Update

One Week to the Chicago Seminar DO

This is our last communication before seeing you in Chicago next weekend. Please help the event run smoothly by following these suggestions:

1. Know your registration number. It can be found in the main thread for the Chicago Seminar DO on Flyertalk Community Buzz Forum posts #447 to 451. It will speed up your time in the registration line.

2. We will have use of a 56 passenger bus and two shuttles. Here is the info on the buses and shuttles: On Friday guests will have shuttles available to go back and forth between all hotels from 1500 to 2300 hours. We recommend registering Friday evening after taking your bags to your respective hotels. Don’t bring them to the HI Elk Grove if you are not staying there.

On Saturday the first bus/shuttles will be leaving from Springhill at 0700 and then 0730, 0800, 0830 and so on. The bus and shuttles will be available throughout the day to go back and forth between the properties. The bus will only be available from 0700-1200. But shuttles will always be available. The bus will be available again at 1630 until 2330. Shuttles will always be available until 2300.

On Sunday we will have same morning schedule as Saturday. Bus will be
available until 1200 but shuttles throughout the day. The bus will again
start running at 1500 until 2000. The bus will only run between the hotels it will not go to the airport. For people checking out on Sunday; the checkout time is 1200 hours. Do not bring your bags to the meeting rooms as we do not have space to store them. People need to check their bag at front desk with their respective hotel. Once the meeting on Sunday is completed, overflow hotel people need to have take the bus/shuttle back to overflow to get their bags and then take the hotel shuttle to the airport. Again, Holiday Inn Elk Grove will
have no room to store their bags on our property.

3. A cab is $25 +-. Watch in the cab line for others with Flyertalk Tags and split a cab. You will save considerable time by doing so and lighten the shuttle load. Make sure you are going to the same hotel though

4. If you have a travel related door prize for either the charity raffle or general raffle, send me an email at [email protected]

5. To be eligible for door prizes you must be in the seminar you are registered for when we draw the prizes. Grand prizes will be awarded at the Sponsors Workshop.

6 The final hotel room assignment list will be emailed today to your email address you gave us. The hotels are no longer accepting any changes

Update 10/2/2010
Here is the new T-shirt store address. More product, front and back side designs.

http://www.cafepress.com/FTORD

When arriving at the registration desk, Please, Please Please know your registration number. Be ready to pick up your lanyard, waiver forms must be signed and you will get your lunch coupons then. Your registration badge will have "meals" indicated on the badge if you are a first occupant in the host hotel.

Update 9/29/2010

Registration is now permanently CLOSED. Meal vouchers sales are CLOSED.

Update 9/23/2010

The T-Shirts are Ready go to Order at Below link:

http://www.cafepress.com/Flyertalk


"Dear all attendees:
The hotel booking has been closed. Due to extension of hotel booking deadline and lack of rooms in SpringHill Suite, few people are going to stay at Holiday Inn Chicago - O'Hare Rosemont located at 10233 West Higgins Road, Rosemont, IL 60018. The rate is identical and a shuttle will be provided as well. Again, all booking should have gone through Holiday Inn Elk Grove. The hotel is working on contacting people that are staying at SpringHill Suite and Holiday Inn Rosemont. Please make sure you take correct airport shuttle when you arrive. If you still require to book a hotel room, please PM me directly since our booking link no longer works. [U]To prevent last minute cancellation, the hotel will institute 1 night charge cancellation policy on October 1st. Which means if you have to cancel on this DO, please do it now. If you cancel after October 1st, 1 night charge will be applied to your credit card. Each room comes with a set of meal vouchers. Additional guests or local attendees, please purchase your meal vouchers before September 30th."

Here is the list of who is staying where. The FINAL LIST

Holiday Inn Elk Grove
Aaron M
Albert C
Andrew C
Anthony L
B K
Baiyang Z
Benjamin G
Benjamin S
Bianca B
Bonnie R
Brad C
Bradley S
Bret V
Brian P
Brigit W
Bryan M
Cara K
Cara K
Cara K
Cara K
Cara K
Carolyn T
Chris C
Chris C
Christian H
Christopher E
Christopher G
Christopher L
Clare N
Clifford S
Colin C
Colman B
Cristian M
Cynthia S
Daniel C
Daraius D
Dave F
David B
David B
David E
David H
David H
David P
David W
Dawn S
Diana W
Diane A
Diane F
Donald E
Donald M
Donna G
Drew L
Edwin S
Elizabeth H
Elizabeth H
Erich D
Francis L
Gabe B
Gary L
Gary P
Gary P
George B
George P
George S
Gerald M
Gregory H
Henry M
Hosun K
Howard R
Jacqueline B
James K
James R
James W
Jane E
Jason C
Jason R
Jean S
Jeanette G
Jeannine B
Jeffrey B
Jeffrey P
Jeremy W
Jim N
John D
John D
John D
John K
Jonathan T
Joshua H
Julian A
Julie B
Kailam C
Kailam C
Karyn O
Kathleen S
Kathleen S
Keith H
Kevin H
Kevin S
Kim L
Leon S
Lynetta M
Marc P
Mark A
Mark H
Martin H
Martin W
Martin W
Martin W
Marty P
Mary W
Matthew S
Melissa W
Michael B
Michael C
Michael L
Michael R
Michi M
Mika P
Miles A
Miriam B
Nancy C
Nancy M
Nathan B
Nicholas G
Nikos P
Ning Z
Noam F
Norman S
Patricia G
Patricia H
Patricia M
Patricia T
Patrick F
Paul A
Peter G
Phillip M
Ray C
Raymond M
Richard G
Richard I
Robert B
Robert C
Robert D
Robert H
Robert S
Robert S
Roderick S
Ruslan K
Ruslan K
Russ R
Sara K
Sean C
Shawn G
Shawn V
Stephen L
Sue A
Susan D
Susan J
Susan S
Susan W
Tiffanysvetlana N
Timothy C
Timothy M
Todd S
Tony T
Tricia C
Wendy R
Wes W
William C
Xiaoxing Y
Yvette C

Springhill Suites
Aaron H
Addison L
Albert J
Allan W
Andrew J
Andrew J
Andrew W
Basil K
Billie T
Bonnie C
Brad L
Bryan K
Catherine P
Charles S
Chris J
Chris R
Chris W
Cristino L
Dan M
Diane K
Edward R
Fedor T
Frank H
Gary H
Gopalakrishnan S
Heith H
Helen Y
Henry M
Ieva S
J H
James H
Jason H
Jim N
Jonathan N
Joshua M
Julia T
Kai X
Kat D
Kathy J
Keith A
Keith S
Leon R
Lori S
Maritza P
Marshall J
Mary R
Maureen W
Megan G
Michael D
Michael M
Michelle S
Mitchell W
Monica T
Nancy M
Nancy S
Nick H
Nramsey Q
Oleg K
Pamela S
Patricia J
Patricia J
Patricia T
Patrick M
Paul S
Per K
Peter J
Reid F
Renni C
Richard D
Robert B
Scott W
Sena H
Shane A
Sharon A
Steven P
Tamminh K
Tim K
Travis L
Tyler M
Viet-Chau T
Vivek P
William P

Holiday Inn Rosemont
Abdul A
Bonnie B
Corey C
Craig K
Juan R
Kathie A
Keisha C
Oliver N
Pat B
Philip K
Sonia C
Stephen M
Susan S
Wade D
William H


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update June 25, 2010

We will now begin using this post box for announcements regarding General Seminar issues.

Update 9/15/2010

Updates on the Chicago Seminar DO

One month from today we will be gathering in Chicago for the largest FT event in history. We still have some housekeeping items to ask your help with.

1. The hotel special rate is now over. The folks at the Holiday Inn (the same person owns the Springhill Suites) will be contacting you before the DO by email with your final hotel location. It was, and is being done by date of registration. As people cancel that had Holiday Inn reservations, the first ones registered at the overflow hotel will be moved to the Holiday Inn.
2. Meal voucher sales are now CLOSED
3. PLEASE keep posting your flight times in the 100 Days to Chicago Seminar DO thread on Flyertalk. We are still head counting.
4. Volunteers. We are good at the registration desk but still need a “gopher” for Saturday and one for Sunday. Sharon (Skiadcock) is still looking for volunteers to help sell charity raffle tickets. Contact her by PM. We will also need several individuals to check registration badges at the door to the individual seminars. If you are not in your registered seminar, you will not be eligible for door prizes and we have thousands of dollars worth, thanks to all that have donated their time and efforts.
6. Remember your registration number as it will speed up registration.
7. Please notify us by email if you must cancel. Thanks
8. See you all in Chicago


Volunteers Registration Desk
try2cook, toolguy 11AM to 2PM
ziipyonthego, dalm and dalmguest Friday 2-5PM FULL
dlouise37, sagy, fti Friday 8-10PM FULL
Tarheeljim. to and fro, davef139 Saturday 7AM to 10 AM FULL

Gopher Volunteers

NWA747SNN Friday 2-11PM
RustyR Saturday


Please Note: although my name is listed as the poster on the first 16 posts, be assured this is not my seminar. This is a collective effort of all the speakers, locals and others that will be lending a hand. The posts belong to those involved with each topic. If we can change the poster name, Great. If not, I will copy and post the information I am asked to.

ingy

name
address
phone
email
FT handle or handle you create
Seminar #'s that you want.


Update 5/19/2010
With the overwhelming response we are extending the registration to a maximum of 500 people. This is a hard limit and there will be no waiting list. Registration is non refundable and non transferable.

If this non refundable change causes you to want to withdraw, do so before we reach 500 registrants so someone can take your spot. At that point we are 100% full. Thanks for your interest in the Chicago Seminar DO

We will be providing a list of successful registrants starting on post #447 page # 30 of this thread, and continuing until we get through the entire list. We will continue posting the successful ones as we go. The number in front of your handle is your unique registration number. Include it in any future correspondence please.

You'll need it to be eligible for door prizes

Ingy


Registration is Now CLOSED for the Chicago Seminar DO

1. No one under 18 will be allowed in the presentation rooms for any reason for any amount of time. No exceptions. If you must bring someone who can't be left alone, you will need to arrange for a babysitter. PM the Chicago local contact “toomanybooks,” who will look into that possibility.

2. We are requesting no media and no recording or video of any of the presentations.

3. You may register for 5 seminars plus the Rookie Bootcamp and the Sponsors Roundtable.

(Remember that Mileage Run #1 is a 4-hour event and will count as 2 of your 5 seminars.)

4. Note that 2 seminars will be running at all times, except during Rookie Bootcamp and the Sponsors Workshop. Please make sure you aren’t selecting two simultaneous seminars. Seminar Hopping is disrespectful to the presenters and disruptive to the audience. Please refrain from “hopping”

5The Paypal address is [email protected]
1. Your name, address, and phone number.
2. Email address
3. Flyertalk handle (preferred) or a six to eight character “handle of your choosing.” This will be used to notify you that your registration has been completed. We don’t want to post your real name online.

Remember that Mileage Run #1 (seminar #2) is 4 hours long and counts as 2 of your 5 (or 7 with Bootcamp and Sponsors) seminars.

None of the meeting organizers is being compensated from these fees although leftover funds may help with their lodging expenses. The presenters are generously paying their own way to the event.


8. Host hotel reservation procedures are described below in the Meeting Planners Post. This hotel will probably sell out quickly as the per night charge is quite reasonable. Those staying onsite will be provided free breakfast and lunch both days (1st occupant per room) and a two-hour cocktail party Saturday evening. People staying offsite or at home or the second person in a room will pay for those things separately. Please follow the information in the post below:


We will be using two separate seminar rooms and anticipate the following schedule: Subject to change (based on who knows what at this point?)

Saturday

8AM to 9 Breakfast

9AM to 9:45 AM Rookie Bootcamp

9:45 AM to 10 Coffee Break

10AM to 11:45 Mileage Run Seminar 1(part 1) or Award Booking

11:45 to 1:00 PM Lunch

1:00PM to 2:45 PM Mileage Run Seminar 1(part2) or The Rental Car Kings

2:45PM to 3:00 PM Coffee Break

3PM to 5PM Mileage Run Seminar 2 or Good Credit and Bumps

5:00 PM to 6:00 PM Meet The Bloggers in Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza Lounge (cash bar)

6:00PM to 8:30PM Meet for Dinner (onsite or offsite) or on your own

8:30PM to 10:30PM Open Bar Reception for Hotel Guests

Sunday

8AM-9AM Breakfast

9AM to 10:45 AM Sponsors Workshop

10:45 AM to 11 AM Coffee Break

11AM to 12:45PM Alliance Roundtable or Hotel Loyalty Programs

12:45 AM to 2:00 PM Lunch

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Travel Trading Place or Legends of Flyertalk

4PM Close and Have a Safe Trip Home

ingy

Seminar Registration is Now Closed

but registered attendees may still reserve a hotel at the overflow hotel by clicking on the hotel registration link provided below.


UpgradedFirst Quote

=============================We have made a special arrangement with Holiday Inn Elk Grove and SpringHill Suites Chicago O'Hare close to ORD airport. Both hotels are clean and highly rated. The primary hotel is Holiday Inn and all seminars, functions and meals will take place there. We are using SpringHill Suites Chicago O'Hare as the attendee overflow hotel. We are in a total buyout position with the Holiday Inn. Everyone in Holiday Inn will be a fellow Flyertalker during the event. Holiday Inn has agreed to provide high quality meeting rooms, two 10' projector screens, microphone systems, meal space, Internet for everyone and shuttle service. The hotel can only hope to recover some of their expense via attendee room bookings. I do not want Flyertalk get a bad reputation for abusing hotel's good will. I ask everyone please do everything you can to stay at the selected hotels. I CAN NOT STRESS this enough. It's also important you book right away to assist us in attending count and ensure you will have a room at our hotels.

Primary Hotel: Holiday Inn Chicago Elk Grove Village Hotel
1000 Busse Road • Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007
Phone: (847) 437-6010 • Fax: (847) 806-9369
Check-in 3:00 PM
Check-out 12:00 PM
http://www.hielkgrove.com/
http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/...s=1&children=0

Overflow Hotel: SpringHill Suites Chicago O'Hare
8101 West Higgins Road
Chicago, Illinois 60631 USA
Phone: 1-773-867-0000
Check-in 3:00 PM
Check-out 12:00 PM
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...chicago-ohare/

The rate is $89 plus taxes, it comes out approximately $99.68 including
taxes. Everyone MUST book using FT Chicago DO booking link, regardless which hotel you will end up staying.

http://ichotelsgroup.com/redirect?pa..._PMID=99801505

Our rate is good from October 12th to October 20th with the hotel. You may book from 1 night only or all the way to a week long vacation for you. The room rate is same all the way through.

We knew IHG had some issues with their website first few days of registration, however, they have assured me everything is working well now. If for some reason the link does not work, please go directly to hotel's website:
http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/...eg/hoteldetail
Once there, all you have to do is enter the Code: FTE in the group code area and enter their requested stay dates and the rate will show for the group. You may also phone in quoting reference "FT Chicago DO and the group code: FTE".

You may choose a specific room type with Holiday Inn. With SpringHill Suite, we are simply taking a standard room reservation. Please mark down your room preference such as king bed or 2 double bed in the special request area. We will do our best to match you with the desired room. Please do not book your room using points at either Holiday Inn or SpringHill Suite; all award reservations with our group will be canceled. You also must book the room using the link above, do not book the hotel room directly with the hotel. This is due to this is a packaged program, your room rate includes meeting spaces, meals, coffee breaks, reception...etc. Please do not book more rooms than you need and cancel at last minute.

Please do book your room right away if you wish to attend. Rooms will go fast and number will help us to estimate number of attendees and amount of food required. All the booking must be done prior to August 15, 2010. We are limiting the entire seminar to 550 people due to meeting space constrain(300/250 theater style sitting in meeting room) and to ensure meal service quality. We will not run waiting list. WE HAVE ALL THE GUEST ROOMS WE NEED. THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON why you wouldn't stay at Holiday Inn or SpringHill Suite. We even have a 3rd hotel lined up to provide additional rooms if needed. In any case, book via our booking link above. Early bookers will enjoy priority selection toward staying at Holiday Inn. However, room type, smoking preference and stay duration also will impact on room allotment. If you are staying longer than seminar dates, it's a good bet you are going to stay at Holiday Inn. Some of you will end up sleeping in SpringHill rooms rather than Holiday Inn rooms, however, your room charge will always come from Holiday Inn. All guests must present a credit card upon check-in to respective hotel for incidentals. There will be no difference between people staying at Holiday Inn and people staying at SpringHill Suites for the room rate, seminars, meal services and reception. Think as SpringHill Suites is "code sharing" with Holiday Inn. Shuttles will run between 2 hotels as needed. As we get closer to the DO date, you will get a phone call from the hotel to inform you which hotel you will be staying and which shuttle to take.

Included in the room:
- Airport shuttle from/to ORD, from/to overflow hotel, transit point or anywhere within 5 miles of hotel radius
- Parking if you are driving
- Wireless in room and meeting space Internet
- Breakfast, lunch and two coffee breaks on Saturday and Sunday
- 2 hours Saturday night soft drinks / beer / wine / liquors open bar reception
- For attendees staying pre or post the event, Holiday Inn will not have meal buffet setup since the group is not in. However, the hotel will give you $10 breakfast voucher and $15 lunch voucher to use toward in the restaurant onsite each day

Points / Stay credit toward status qualification:
Normally when you book a group rate, IHG does not reward points, especially in our case of heavily discounted room rates. However, I know we are all points freaks. So I have negotiated with Holiday Inn to provide us typical points plus some bonus points by rounding up to nearest thousands of points. For example, by staying 2 nights with our rate, your typical Priority Club points earning would be 1780, Holiday Inn will reward 2000 points to our attendees. Due to this is a special arrangement, please request point vouchers from the front desk upon check out. For people staying at SpringHill Suite, most likely you will receive typical Marriott Rewards points and stay credit instead of Priority Club points.

Again, our DO package rate is $89 plus taxes, it comes out approximately $99.68 including taxes. If you are attending to this FT Chicago Seminar DO, PLEASE DO TRY TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT to stay at this hotel and book under our negotiated rate. This hotel has been great helping us out each step of the way with all our requests and providing a lot of things for free. I do not want Flyertalk group to get a bad reputation or try to take hotel's advantage. This rate is HONORED from October 12th to October 20th. This is a cheap hotel rate for anyone who wants to stay longer to see the town. While this is not your 5 star property, this is a highly rated nice & clean property.

Transfer, Shuttle/Parking Instructions:
Hotels are providing shuttle services to ORD airport. No shuttle for MDW airport. You do not need to book the shuttle ahead of the time. However, we do ask all attendees provides their flight information so we can schedule larger bus during the peak time. The shuttle runs from 0600 hours to 2200 hours. From Domestic baggage area, follow signs to "bus/shuttle center", door #2. From International Terminal, shuttle picks up at door 5E. Service is every hour on the hour or you may call the hotel upon landing.

For Holiday Inn guests: Normally the hotel has two 14 passenger shuttle buses and two 11 passenger vans. The transportation hotline # is 1-888-SEE-ELKGROVE. There is a courtesy phone in the airport as well. Make sure the shuttle you board is marked "HOLIDAY INN ELK GROVE".

For SpringHill Suite guests: SpringHill has three 11 passenger vans ready to pick you up as well. There is a courtesy phone in the airport. Please make sure you board "SpringHill Suites Chicago O'Hare" vans.

In total, we have approximately 88 people moving capability at one time. Outside of shuttle hours, you may rent a car or take a taxi. Taxi to hotel from ORD is around $16 US and from MDW is around $50. Parking is free at both hotel.

If you are in need of a rental car, please contact me directly for the booking instruction. PJA Groups (our meeting and incentive management firm) is sponsoring 20 cars for the event. Please note, the driver will take all liability from operating a motor vehicle and will be responsible for fuel, taxes and fees amount to approximately $30 for two days.

Meal:
Each hotel room comes with one breakfast and one lunch voucher for each day. For additional guest in a room or local attendees, meal vouchers can be purchased from planner with price of $15 for breakfast & morning coffee break and $20 for lunch & afternoon coffee break. Meal voucher can only be paid with cash only. Voucher will be collected at door of buffet. Hotel will setup a nice buffet specially for us. Sample menu as follow:

Breakfast: Coffee/tea/soft drinks/juice, Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Hash Browns, Breakfast Breads / Assorted Pastries different each day
Lunch Saturday: Tossed Salad, Assorted Pizzas, Beverage Service(coffee/tea/soft drinks/juice) and Dessert
Lunch Sunday: Cole Slaw, Deli Meats and Cheese, Bread Basket, Beverage Service(coffee/tea/soft drinks/juice) and Dessert
Coffee Break: Beverage service(coffee/tea/soft drinks/juice) and Cookies / Chips

Given the group size, we might go to box lunch to speed up service to everyone. For example, turkey / roast beef / ham sandwich with chips, dessert, fruit and a drink.

There is one restaurant onsite in Holiday Inn- Old Chicago Pasta & Pizza. Elk Grove Village locals and visitors alike gather to enjoy the daily specials, great food and the 110 International beers available in Old Chicago's famous World Beer Tour. It offers Chicago style pizza with made-from-scratch-dough. Thin crust or deep dish, your choice. Or if it’s pasta, a calzone, salad, burger or sandwich you crave, go for it.

There is a Outback steak house in SpringHill Suite. For more information, visit www.outback.com.

I will be in Holiday Inn, please join me personally in breakfast area everyday in the morning and bar in the evening. We shall swap stories.

There is a special 2 hour open bar (soft drink / beer / wine / liquor) networking reception on Saturday night. This is not a mandatory event, it is for if you do not have anything planned that evening. Come down and join me for a drink. This is primarily focused on people staying at host hotel and overflow hotel. I will not allow anyone to drink and drive. Please don't even try. Local attendees, if you want to socialize with the group and enjoy the open bar reception, why not stay at the hotel and make a fun weekend out of it? Don't worry about get home late and get back to the hotel at morning for breakfast.

Travel:
I have taken the liberty to setup a discount code with Continental Airline, a Star Alliance member. Simply book online from www.continental.com, enter discount code ZJ5B260692 into the offer code. You will get 5-15% discount depending where you are departing from in any fare class. The travel date must be between 10/8/2010 and 10/23/2010 and destination must be ORD. For your interest, this discount code also works for 8/1/2010 - 8/13/2010.

If American Airline or OneWorld is more of your style, discount code is 49H0BC. Simply book online from www.aa.com, enter discount code 49H0BC into the promotion code. You will get 5-15% discount depending where you are departing from in any fare class. The travel date must be between 10/8/2010 and 10/23/2010 and destination must be ORD.

I spend 90+ hours on this matter already and I hope you find this arrangement satisfactory. If you have any questions or comments, please email or PM me directly.

Locals/attendees:
- seeking volunteers with a cell phone as greeter at hotel, security, human pointer during the event
- 4 projectors that can project to 10'X10' screen with sufficient brightness. Presentation laser pointers. Wireless microphones.
- long extension cords, power bars

Speakers:
- Please email me your presentations and handouts
- A flip chart will be provided on the stage, however, due to size of the group I don't think people will able to see it well.

Sponsors:
- Please email me your logo for signage display in the lobby

Printers:
- I need to have 10 3'X4' 4 color poster with cardboard backing to be held on easels throughout the hotel

====================

ingy

A Special Request Please by Ingy

We need to find 2, maybe 3 projectors that are capable of projecting from a laptop powerpoint presentation onto a 10' screen. Renting these projectors is hugely expensive and any local help will be greatly appreciated. Drop me a PM if you have a source that can loan us 2 or 3.

Thanks

Sweet Willie Quote

Hello Flyertalkers,

My name’s Sweet Willie (Willie) and I’m the Social Director for this upcoming Do. I’m excited that many of you have decided to attend this Do, the stellar line up of presenters is on par with the great city of Chicago.

I actually live less than 5 miles away from the host hotel, have been living in the immediate area for nearly 20 years and Chicagoland my whole life.

I’ve been active with Flyertalk for quite awhile now, in terms of posting actively but also with the Community aspect of Flyertalk. Both attending some Do’s and hosting some Do’s as well, here are a couple of recent ones hosted: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...pril-17-a.html & http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...-2010-7pm.html

It would appear the prime ‘open’ time for the Chicago Seminar Do would be Friday night October 15th. Obviously size of the group wishing to attend something dictates if the activity is possible (or not possible).

So with that in mind, please send me a PM with your name, and answers to the following questions, please answer all (cut & paste the questions perhaps) and answer honestly as I will keep folks individual choices confidential.

1) Would you like to go to dinner on Friday night?
2) Would you like to have an activity planned for Friday night after dinner (say Comedy Club or live Music)?
3) If you are interested in Friday night or activity, would you like to stay local to the Holiday Inn (7-8 minutes away) or would you rather go downtown? (realize that with traffic it might take 1+ hours to get downtown)
4) Are you interested in a late night activity on Saturday night after the reception at the host hotel for hotel guests?
5) Would you like to go out to dinner near O’hare on Sunday evening after the seminar is over?

Copy & paste the 5 questions into a PM, answer the questions and send it to me so I can get a handle on who is up for what activities besides those already planned.

Once we have some feedback on what folks are interested in doing, I’ll then post some suggestions and we can narrow down from there.

In the meantime if there is a question about anything local, please feel free to PM me.

Willie

ingy

Need a Flyertalk Luggage Tag? A great item to have when standing in the cab line to help cut costs.

Randy says:

"Have them (registrants) simply send an email to me: [email protected] with their mailing address and mention of "Seminar Do" and I'll have one of my staff pick those requests up from my email and we'll send and mail a luggage tag at no cost to the member. It is likely that many of those attending already own these tags (I took 25 of them to the recent AustinDo to give away and only 9 members actually needed tags. So I came home with the rest). We'll do our best to fulfill all the requests though might limit it to the first 50-75 so we have some for other member events that are also going on. We recently sent 25 tags to the Oz Fest Do that is soon going on as well."


Our seven sponsors are:

"AwardWallet.com tracks frequent flyer miles, hotel and credit card points"

Expertflyer.com "ExpertFlyer is a flight information research tool for frequent flyers. Flight Availability, Seat Maps, Fare Tariffs & Rules and Award & Upgrade inventory that only travel agents previously had access to are now at your fingertips."

PJA Groups - www.pjagroups.com. Professional meeting & incentive management. Group hotel search & negotiation. Will share few hotel negotiation tips in the presentation.

ItaSoftware.com Combining advances in computer science, innovative problem-solving, and deep industry knowledge, ITA Software's airfare pricing and shopping engine is the fastest, easiest, and most powerful way to optimize airfares and miles. ITA is the tool of choice by leading travel companies and road warriors. Let's talk more about how to best educate your members on using our tool.

Cranky Concierge Service "is an air travel assistance service that helps everyone from occasional travelers to road warriors. Our airline dorks provide everything from fare and award searches to rerouting assistance."

Disney Vacation Clubs will give a talk on the benefits of owning a vacation timeshare with their organization

Elite Helper VJ's consulting service has taken our 7th sponsorship spot. His service helps those of you looking to book Mileage Runs to achieve Elite status on your favorite airline.

These seven fine organizations are providing financial assistance to this event. We appreciate their support. Each of the above firms will have representatives at the seminars to discuss with you the benefits of their programs.


Sponsorships now full. Thank you.

And if you have a door prize to donate contact toomanybooks

ingy

Actual Scheduled time is Saturday 9AM to 9:45 AM

Bikeguy Quote:

Beginners Seminar Agenda

• Acronyms and Important Terminology
o EQMs, stays versus nights
• Which programs are most valuable to you? Which should you get involved with?
o Airline, Hotel, Car Rental
• What is the value of a mile/point? The value of the experience?
• What is the best way to find the best promotions?
• Is a mileage run worth it?
o Time + Money Outlay versus Value of Points, fun factor of mileage run
• One time branded promotions, are they worth it? What is your risk tolerance?
o My Coke Rewards, Emmi Cheese, US Air Mall promo

ingy

Actual Scheduled Time is Saturday 10AM to 11:45 AM and 1PM to 2:45 PM. This is a 4 hour event and counts as 2 of your 5 seminars for registration.

Viajero Joven Quote

I will take people through

- Identify MR worthy fares
- Cost/benefit analysis to determine worthiness of a potential fare
- Understand rules of fares
- Understand availability and low fare inventory
- Construct itineraries to optimize mileage potential of fares

- Required tools: none
- Required reading: Mileage Run Primer thread link

I can clarify the distinction between the AM and PM portions of my Chicago session. The Chicago seminar I deliver will be a 101, designed for people who are not proficient in identifying and booking optimal MR itineraries. Prior to lunch, I will focus on cost/benefit analysis and identifying potential MR-worthy fares based on market trends. After lunch, I will walk through nuances of fare rules, availability, and booking.

ingy

Actual Scheduled time is Saturday 3PM to 5PM

Wanaflyforless is still working on his presentation and will definitely add some new twists to your thoughts about Mileage Runs. This seminar is not for rookies or those that have not taken a MR 101 course from somebody.

ingy

Actual Scheduled Time is Saturday 10 AM to 11:45 AM

Gleff Quote: Rick asked for a blurb for my talk, but honestly I haven't written it yet, so none of this is set in stone. But I'll share what I have in mind.

I have booked over 200 award tickets in the past six months. I even found award seats to get folks home during the volcanic eruptions and when the BKK airport was shut down at the end of 2008.

Some of the initial topics I plan to share my experience with:

* Aspirational Awards: What's Possible with Points

* The Best Value Awards

* Which Points are the most Valuable?

* Preparing for the Call: Doing Your Homework to Score the Impossible

* How to Find Award Seats that CSRs Say Don't Exist

* What Routes Always Have Seats, Or How to Get There When All Else Fails?

* Talking Your Way Out of Change Fees

... with plenty of time for questions and discussion

ingy

Actual Scheduled Time is Saturday 3PM to 5PM

Ingy Quote "I'll show you how to use your good credit to earn free travel for years to come and still keep that good credit score."

Lucky9876coins Quote "I’ll explain how to put yourself in the best bargaining position and maximize the vouchers you can earn through bumps, delays, and onboard issues."

ingy

Actual Scheduled Time is Sunday 11AM to 12:45 PM

Ric Garrido Quote "Are you getting at least 100% return on investment for your annual hotel spend? If you are not getting $6,000+ in hotel stay value for $3,000 in hotel spend, then you are probably not aware of the best promotions or program benefits for your travel style.

* Cheap Elite (How little can I spend and maintain top-elite status?)
* Surveying top-elite status across hotel programs (Who gets what at hotels when you are elite?)
* Comparative value of points across programs. (What does 1,000 points buy in award value?)
* Advice for finding the lowest hotel rates that still earn points (tips for finding low rates on hotel's corporate websites, including Special Offers, Twitter and Facebook.)
* Advice for finding lower hotel rates when a cheap room is more important than points (Forget the points! Employee rates; cheap night deals).
* How online travel agencies fit into the hotel loyalty program world and when to use an online travel agency
* Hotel mattress runs (Tips on planning and how to not ruin a vacation trip with someone you love)
* Survey of Points-to-Miles exchange rates across hotel programs (If SPG is your only miles exchange program, then you are missing out on some better deals.)
* Buying points (Tips and advice)
* Best value awards (Cash & Points, Hotel + Miles packages, PointBreaks/Savers/Stretchers)
* Aspirational hotel loyalty awards (Paradise with an ocean view!)
* Hotel Loyalty Planning for 2011 (What will happen after two years of unprecedented loyalty promotions?)

I welcome additional topic suggestions from potential seminar participants."

ingy

Actual Scheduled Time is Saturday 1PM to 2:45PM

Mrp Alert Quote "Are you maximizing your rental car mileage? Join myself and Evan! as we update you on the current car rental promotions. Spend $50 to rent a car and earn a $75 gift card? Is it really worth even owning a car when rentals can be so cheap and lucrative? Join us as we explore the rental world for both personal and corporate rentals. Combined, we have earned over 500,000 miles from our car rentals - you can do it too."

ingy

Actual Scheduled Time is Sunday 2PM to 4PM

Pudding Guy Quote "Collecting and spending frequent flyer miles should be an adventure. I'll reveal some little-known facts about the pudding scheme, fond memories of the Latin Pass deal, why KLM thinks I live in Italy, why my Postman calls me the "Magazine Nut," and why the local UPS guy knows me as the "Popcorn Dude,". I'll also talk about the big ones that got away: LL Bean flies & Budget PDX. Learn from my successes and failures."

Beaubo Quote: "4.6 million miles for $1100; earning millions of miles with 'surrogate' flyers; can you EVER buy enough sausage, magazine subscriptions or trackable luggage tags?"

MrPickles Quote "The AADventures of mrpickles" Earning miles is an investment in your future similar to a retirement program. Maximizing the return on investment is a way of life. When an opportunity presents you need to be prepared to go one step further. I will discuss how I earned over 2.5 million miles on American Airlines without ever purchasing an airline ticket."

Gleff Quote "From someone who has benefited from several mistake fares, from an oceanfront villa (with private pool) in Thailand to an Extreme Wow Suite at the W San Diego, business class fares to Italy and Cyprus to a modest suite in Seattle… Mistake fares and mistake rates: What I’ve Done and What You Can Do, Too!

· How to find them: Do they still exist on Flyertalk?

· How to take advantage of them – which ones to book, when to book, how many to book?

· When they’ll be honored, when they won’t"


Wanaflyforless will tell you how he achieved Executive Platinum status on American Airlines in a record 19 days.

Maybe one more Legend to follow.

ingy

Actual Scheduled Time is Sunday 2PM to 4PM

Beaubo Quote:

Good news- you have tons of miles in program A....
Bad news- the award avails you want are only in program B. Same challenge with hotel points. Trading marries up folks from diverse programs, but with the same pressing needs to swap.

Or you are scratching your head how to trade miles or hotel currencies that have different values and exchange rates.

Finally, what protocol should you use to ensure your trade is not only fair, but well-executed and protected from fraud.

PS: Ingy will fill in for me while I'm doing my Legends talk

ingy

Actual Schedule Time is Sunday 11 AM to 12:45 PM

You’ll hear comparisons of the three Alliances, what these guys like and dislike about their alliance. A few words about LCC’s as well. Moderated by Wanaflyforless for OneWorld, Gleff on Star Alliance and Beaubo supporting the Skyteam Alliance

Beaubo Quote for Skyteam:

The best frequent flyer promotion in the biz- 50% off award discounts...and it lasts all year, and is right under your nose!

Transform your Delta pesos into gold ingots by staying the heck away from its online booking engine and staying away from the Philippines phone agents (not an ethnic issue, just a training one!).

Korean Airlines, a niche opportunity for Business Class travel.

US-Israel for 20K SPG....not a typo.

Gleff Quote for Star Alliance Star Alliance: benefits of Star Alliance Gold, the programs with the easiest paths towards status, the most advantageous award charts, the best airline products, and which lounges can I use?