There’s currently some drama in the points world, which is giving reality TV and/or your local homeowners association meeting a run for its money…
Continue reading: Miles & Points Drama: Chicago Seminars Edition
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
@ Montey Salmon -- I'm flattered you think I have ghost writers. Yes, I'm sending all of them to both events.
Who cares. Either one of these seminars are for mid-career salespeople at Russell 2000 component companies -- people who are discontent with their jobs, discontent with their spouses, discontent with their poor real estate investments, discontent with their station in life, and hoping to squeeze as much as they can out of their Bonvoy points before the Bonvoy program is cut completely, because it's a cost center in a time when millennials have wisened up and stopped caring about hotel loyalty.
What's really interesting about that reply is that it does not deny the existence of ghostwriters.
Ben Schlappig 2024? I will register as a Republican if need be to make it happen during the primaries.
I’m attending Chris and JT’s at the holiday inn. It is unfortunate that there are two conferences on the same weekend, because I think there’s plenty of demand for multiple conferences, and people would stay in Chicago if they were in back to back weekends. But with the current distance they are, I have to choose one and I think that the Chris and Jt version has more confirmed speakers.
@ Husch Blackwell -- If it wasn't clear, allow me to clarify. There are no ghostwriters.
Ben, I love your site and content - my comment was tongue-in-cheek, especially considering what people write on FT.
One thing I'm amazed about is how you're able to write so much day-in-day-out without burning out or losing interest after all the years. Have you thought about writing an article on a typical day in Ben's shoes: how you maintain productivity, find information, look after your family, what you like writing about and don't like?
@ Montey Salmon -- Hah, you're too kind! Most people commenting that unfortunately aren't being tongue-in-cheek. I appreciate the question, so let me work on a post about that!
What drama?
In the peddling community that is specialized in churning, you'd expect they start churning their own conferences sooner or later.
As a loyal reader that doesn't comment a lot I would live to see such a post. I go crazy for your consistency. I mean you don't even get to see your real loyal readers
That is all certainly very bizarre. By choosing to essentially stay silent Stefan doesn't help his cause.
I attended this event several years ago. Parts of it were interesting but it seemed very cliquish to me. If you weren't already an insider you were a bit left out.
Huh, didn't know Stefan Krasowski was my group partner in every college group project for my undergrad
Seems pretty obvious that, no matter who is "at fault", when you create a second event with the same name on the same weekend, you have zero interest in the audience. If you have a problem with the original, you create a second, better event with a new name at a different time. I've seen this exact behavior with online sessions too, and it's usually obvious by the content that petty feuds are driving these things, not bettering their deliveries, messages, or information.
I attended years ago (2011? 2012?) and it was worth the trip, although the FOMO was painful when the most popular session, boasting a very young speaker (what WAS his name....?), sold out before I could sign up, and when concurrent sessions had compelling topics. I had to choose just one. I was beginner-intermediate I guess, so the content was largely new and valuable. I'm told it's different now 😉
"One thing is for sure — everyone loses with this setup." Actually, Chicago wins!
Go Cubs! Go Bears! Go “13th Annual Chicago Seminars @ The Holiday Inn – Original.” Have fun! Go get a Novi’s Beef Sandwich and an Al’s Pizza – They’re the best!
There’s nothing like Chicago! Just be careful where you don’t go.
Bring home some tips and tricks for us. Can’t wait to read your event!.
Having them both on the same weekend is a loss for everyone. At least have them at different times.
I agree that staying silent doesn't help one's cause, but staying silent doesn't necessarily hurt it either.
I also attended a similar type of event, and I must agree that it seemed somewhat cliquish to me as well. I'm certainly not interested in either of these Chicago Seminars.
That's because he was also in another group during your undergrad the whole time?
No one has brought up the fact that both seminars (and the ZorkFest) ignored that the prior weekend is a three day weekend for many folks. Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day is Monday, October 9. That weekend might have made a better choice to hold one of these events.
The travel, miles and points space is big enough for more than one venue. The two of these conferences combined would barely amount to a single DEF CON village, much less any of the official speaker tracks. Growing the pie is often a good thing, and I'm happy to see that so many people are passionate about the space. See you in Chicago!
Columbus Day weekend is when the Chicago Marathon is held - hotels are more expensive that weekend.
Wow reading those flyertalk threads it looks pretty acrimonious. If I were going to one of those seminars it would be the one organised by Jt genter. His articles have always struck me as being well written and thought out. For me poor communication or people going missing in action is one of the first things where I’d strike someone off my list of people that I deal with. Which appears to have been the problem with the person organising the second seminar on the same dates.
It’s amazing that they are trying to drum up raffle donations for their event on flyertalk. Anyone who has done any fundraising knows that you have to hit up your contacts to do that with any success.
I had already booked flights on points and a pre-conference hotel night on points and was waiting a bit for the dust to settle on which conf to attend. I decided to cancel and vote with my wallet and not bother to attend either. I'm not exactly sure of the root cause of the political infighting but I'm staying away.
Yep. I usually attend a miles and points conference once per yr or every other yr. I went to the Chicago Seminars years ago pre covid since I had been shut out of earlier ones last min. Great conference and I met some great people. I dont play hard like some but always like to brush up on things. I am not a mid career salesperson and have owned my own company for 35 yrs. Let Husch tell me that stuff to my face. I am one of the people that can run the Chicago Marathon the prior week as well. And I have no bad real estate investments or any of that other weird stuff.
It’s shocking that Michael Traeger, of Zorkfest, still puts on these seminars. He consistently loses money at it, because there is no real interest in casino gaming, AND points/miles. He gets the same 50 people every year, and from what I hear, it’s a big credit card sales event, I like gardening and long-distance running, you don’t see me, putting together a seminar, trying to encapsulate those two things.
Stefan comes off looking horribly in this situation, as he should. Creating a 2nd event the same weekend after the fact shows you couldn't care less about your attendees. Michael T trying to mediate is laughable as well.
Hopefully they both fail and these things come to an end.
The irony of all this is that both events are in conflict with the Ring of Fire annular eclipse which occurs on October 14th with the center line running from Oregon to Texas. Looks like I may miss Chicago Seminars for the first time since it started.