The Chicago Seminars

By the time you read this, I’ll be winging my way to Chicago for the Chicago Seminars known in my family as the Miles and Point Conference.  Yes, there will be hundreds of us (between 400 and 500 hundred) going to the seminar over two full days.  We will be  learning more about traveling, manufacturing your spending, using Expert Flyer, using ITA for flights, Best Rate Guarantees in Hotels, breakout sessions for the airline of your choice as well as the same for hotels from the bloggers you have grown to respect and follow.

This is my 4th year attending these seminars.  The first year I was completely overwhelmed and they were all talking a language that I was just learning.  The second year I felt that I was beginning to “get it”.  Last year I felt more confident.  I was beginning to recognize people that I had seen in previous years, made friends that I have stayed in contact with and I knew what to expect and I was actually able to participate by offering travel tips.

The conference, in my mind, is extremely reasonable in price.  It runs from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon and costs $100.  The Holiday Inn in Elk Grove Village is the host hotel and they do have overflow hotels.  I have been fortunate to stay at the host hotel for my past three years and will be there again this year.  I book immediately so I will be at the host hotel.  The hotel gives us a great breakfast and the conference fee gives us lunch whether or not you are staying at the hotel.  Sunday, when everyone is leaving, the hotel hires school buses to make sure everyone gets to O’Hare for their flights home.

I have learned so much at these seminars and feel like I am one of their biggest fans and supporters.

In addition to what they do for us, they also run a raffle with donated travel items and all the money raised goes to Wounded Warriors.  How great is this!

I urge you to consider attending next October.  Information usually comes out in May and I’ll write about it here.  I’ll have reports on the seminar in the following weeks.