We’re about a month out from this year’s Chicago Seminars — Heritage Edition at the Holiday Inn Chicago-Elk Grove Village! I’m already excited to see longtime friends from our amazing points-miles and travel community!
(Like 2023, there are two different “Chicago Seminars” events this year. One was held last weekend.)
The Chicago Seminars are volunteer-run, non-profit events. Despite what certain people and some blogs may erroneously claim, staff and speakers are not paid. Both are volunteer-based, Speakers, organizers, etc., may receive a place to stay and maybe a few bucks to help offset travel costs. Everything else is donated to charity after event expenses are taken care of.
What Are the Chicago Seminars Like and Who Should Attend?
The event is fun and if you’re reading this blog, you should be there! 🙂
The seminars include presentations about travel loyalty programs, credit card rewards, miles/points, some fun travel tips, etc.
These aren’t like travel-and-adventure shows in huge convention centers. You won’t run into Samantha Brown, Rick Steves, or Peter Greenberg. (As much as I enjoy all three of them!)
Regardless of whether or not you’re a novice in the points-and-miles world or have been in the hobby for years, the Chicago Seminars is a great event for likeminded enthusiasts to meet in person, listen to a few speakers talk about various topics, share tips and tricks, and meet new friends.
If you think you don’t know anything (you probably do!) — or think you know everything (spoiler alert: you don’t) — you should probably attend. There’s something for everyone.
One of my extended family members attended two years ago and is now traveling the world on points and miles!
If you’re an introvert and nervous about meeting new people (that’s usually me), find me and I’ll introduce you to some nice folks!
When Is It and How Much Does It Cost?
The Chicago Seminars Heritage Edition takes place October 25-27 at the Holiday Inn Chicago-Elk Grove, the Chicago Seminars’ longtime home. It also includes an exclusive, one-day-only online component.
The $165 registration fee includes:
- Admittance to all events, which begin Friday afternoon (the Variety Show) and run most of the day Saturday and Sunday.
- Lunch on Saturday and Sunday.
- Coffee/snack breaks.
- A complimentary drink at Happy Hour on Saturday night
- Replay access to the 2024 Variety Show.
- Help offset travel costs for presenters, whose airfare, hotel, registration, and incidental expenses will be covered. Speakers, Presenters, and Event Staff are all volunteers.
- Fees for online registration.
- Other costs, such as name badges, supplies, etc.
Upon purchasing your ticket, you’ll receive an email with a link to book your hotel room at the host hotel. I encourage you to stay there. A lot of people hang out in the restaurant, bar, lobby, and other common areas. That’s sometimes where some of the best tips are shared — and friendships forged. I’ve made lifelong friends at the Chicago Seminars!
Who is Speaking?
- Husain Boxwala (Boxy) of Jetpack
- Mindy Bumgarner, MS FIRE
- Michael Cao
- Brian Cohen of Award Magic
- Brian Cohen of The Gate with Brian Cohen
- Yes, there are two people named Brian Cohen speaking!
- Andrew D’Amours of Flytrippers
- Greg Davis-Kean of Frequent Miler
- Todd Evans of Disability Parenting
- Amy M. Gardner
- Tonei Glavinic of Taxes from Abroad
- Shabbir Hakim of cardZTravel
- Andy Hicks, everycountryby50
- Chris Hutchins of All the Hacks Podcast
- Ben Komenkul of Ben’s Big Deal
- Stefan Krasowski of Rapid Travel Chai
- Moli of Maple Miles
- Julia Menez of Geobreeze Travel
- Sarah Ramkissoon
- Logan Robinson of Aligned Incentives
- Anshul Singh of Points Miles and Bling
- Lela Shifton
- Bryan Sklar
- Amy Tung of Prince of Travel
- Justin Vacula of Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast and Stoic Solutions Podcast
Last and maybe least, I will present one session. Maybe two.
(True story: I’ve almost blacked out from laughing so hard during some of Greg Davis-Kean’s presentations. The man is hilarious.)
Friday Variety Show
There is a special event on Friday called the Chicago Seminars Variety Show. It takes place from one of the hotel meeting rooms and is streamed on the internet for a $14 admission fee. That runs from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Central Time.
Those speakers include:
- Zachary Burr Abel of Monkey Miles
- Tommy Danielsen of Loyalty Summit and MegaDo
- Stephanie Darmofalski of Be Free to Wander
- Tiffany Funk of One Mile at a Time
- Ric Gazarian of Extraordinary Travel Festival
- Lisa Kulpa and Dave Muz of Basic Travel Couple
- Stephen Pepper of Frequent Miler, GC Galore, and No Home Just Roam
- Nick Reyes of Frequent Miler
- Tim Steinke of Frequent Miler
- Grant Thomas of Travel with Grant
- Michael Trager of TravelZork and ZorkFest
- Robert ‘Tprophet’ Walker of Seat 31B and AwardCat
- Carrie Yoder of Frequent Miler
- Orest Zub of NomadMania, calling in from Ukraine
- Some of the other in-person speakers presenting during the weekend
- A few other surprises who might show up as they arrive
Final Approach
The Chicago Seminars will be here before we know it! Get your tickets now. Will I see you there?
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