the 13th annual
chicago seminars @the holiday inn
the original points and miles event
October 13 - 15, 2023
Register for 2024 soon!
History
Founded in 2010 by Rick Ingersoll (aka Frugal Travel Guy), Chicago Seminars @ The Holiday Inn - The Original Points & Miles Event has hosted some of the best and brightest in the travel community. Through the years, thousands of attendees of all skill levels and from across the globe have convened at the Holiday Inn Chicago - Elk Grove to learn how to earn millions of points, public and secret tricks of the trade, and to travel like a jetsetter.
Although not the fanciest of venues, the Holiday Inn Chicago – Elk Grove is a wonderful place to congregate and treats us well every year. Plus, the hotel has an airport shuttle. We are excited to continue to call the Holiday Inn Chicago - Elk Grove home for another year.
While there are similar points and miles events, Chicago Seminars @ The Holiday Inn is unique in that it is a registered non-profit organization. ALL organizers are unpaid and all profits generated are donated to charity.
To learn more, join the discussion in our Facebook group: Chicago Seminars @ The Holiday Inn - The Original Points & Miles Event.
Never attended an event like this? Make sure to read SkiAdcock's “Thoughts & Tips” to learn how to make the most of your weekend.
For more than a decade, Chicago Seminars @ The Holiday Inn - The Original Points & Miles Event has created in-person connections which turn into meaningful and lifelong friendships across the globe. This weekend-long event will offer a mix of content for attendees at all levels. We look forward to you joining us and sharing your experiences at this Chicago homecoming.
Special Presentations
Up in The Air: A Fireside Chat with Tom Stuker, The World’s Most Frequent Flyer
Interviewer: Chris Moss
Chicago Seminars Then & Now: A Conversation with Rick Ingersoll, Founder of Chicago Seminars, and Howie Rappaport, Long-Time Organizer of Chicago Seminars
Interviewer: Marty Paz
How to Earn 492 Hyatt Elite Nights in One Stay: Million Baht Mindy (Mindy Davids) & One Year in the Hyatt Regency Bangkok
Interviewer: Chris Moss
2023 Presenters
Special Guest Appearances by:
Tom Stuker - 23 Million Miler with United
Rick Ingersoll - Chicago Seminars Founder
Howie Rappaport - Long-time Chicago Seminars Organizer
Patrick Stouffer - Miles4Migrants
Panel Discussions
Hardbody, The Plastic Merchant, Dogs with Credit Cards, and other Dumpster Fires: Deals Gone Wrong and Deciding When to Say No
Moderated by Kevin Song
Social Media & Groups: How to Use Them Effectively
Brandon Neth, Jackie Wisniewski, Senitra Horbrook, Shawn Coomer, Spencer Howard
Moderated by Julia Menez
Traveling as a Woman: Advice from Female Globetrotters
Panelists: Angel Trinh, Katie Genter, Senitra Horbrook, Tippe Morlan
Moderated by Ashley McCurdy
Presentations
Airlines
Are They All the Same?: A Comparison of FLIGHT Award Search Tools
Champagne, Caviar & Showers: Premium Cabin Redemptions
Spencer Howard - Straight to the Points
Going Wild: How to Maximize Frontier’s Subscription Travel Program
Seth Levy - Frontier Fanatic
How to Fly Anywhere: The Value of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Ben & Jon Nickel-D'Andrea - No Mas Coach!
Mileage Running isn’t Dead: Learn the Programs Where Trips to Nowhere Will Get You Somewhere
Andrew Kunesh - CNN Underscored & Marty Paz - @MrpAlert
No Flying? No Problem: How to Succeed with AA Executive Platinum Status Without Really Flying
Ashley McCurdy - In Search of Traveler
Ohr Naur, IROPS!: What to Do When a Trip Goes Sideways
Jamie Larounis - @theforwardcabin
Routing Rules: Maximize a Fare's Potential to See More of the World
Ed Sanders - Routing Rule Expert
Casinos
You CAN Beat the House: How to Make Casinos Work for You
Adam Bauer - @TravelFanboy
Cruises
Cruise Hacking: Free Cruises, Maximizing Offers, Status Matching & Generating Spend on the Ocean
Shawn Coomer - Miles to Memories
Earning Points & Miles
Big Picture Thinking: Creating Credit Card and Redemption Strategies
Spencer Howard - Straight to the Points
Not Just SUBs: How to Earn a Plethora of Points Without Opening 20 Cards
Julia Menez - @geobreezetravel
General Travel
Binge Traveling to 86 Countries: How You Can Use the Same Approach for Quick Trips
Tippe Morlan - @tippemorlan
Exotic Destinations: Using Points & Miles to Veer Off the Beaten Path
Ryan Smith - AwardWallet
Family Travel For (Closer To) Free: How To Show Your Kids The World While Keeping Your Savings and Sanity
Dia Adams - Forbes Advisor assisted by John Ryan
Insider Information: 10+ Travel Hacker Tips That I Use That I Haven’t Blogged About
Grant Thomas - Travel With Grant
Points or Cash - Why Choose?: Get the Most Bang for Your Buck (Or Points) in Your Travels
Bryan Sklar - TravelWise Advisors
Sensational Solo Travel: Building the Confidence to Travel Alone and Have Fun
Senitra Horbrook - @PointsTravelher
The Wonderful World Of Disney: Proven Tips To Save On Your Disney Vacation
Dia Adams - Forbes Advisor
Hotels
Are They All the Same?: A Comparison of HOTEL Award Search Tools
Presidential Suites & Pool Villas: How You Can Procure the Best Rooms Even Without Status
Chris Moss - Suite Connoisseur
Sleep Around: Tips for Maximizing Your Hotel Points
Katie Genter - The Points Guy
Small Footprint but Big Benefits: The Ins and Outs of the World of Hyatt Program
Kathy Kass - Will Run for Miles
Manufactured Spend
Amazon FBA, Reselling, and MS: What You Need to Know
Jon Nickel-D'Andrea - No Mas Coach!
Excel Between the Sheets: Organizing Your Gift Card Resale Business
Logan Robinson, Ravi Davuluri, Erik Peterson - Aligned Incentives
Reselling and Buyers Clubs: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Shawn Coomer - Miles to Memories
Your Roadmap to One Million Points in a Year: A Step-By-Step Guide to Scaling Gift Card Reselling
Taylor Thomas - QCGC
Technology & Travel
Beyond the Guidebook: How AI and Digital Innovations are Changing Travel Planning
Jackie Wisniewski - Award Travel 101
How Not to Catch a Virus While Abroad: Useful Tech Tips During Your Travels
Kevin Song - @kev.song
Mindful Travel Photography: Taking More Wow! Photos Through Classic Composition and Lighting
Paul Borish - Travelers Psychological Services
Plan Like an Expert: Tips and Tools I Use to Travel Around the World
JT Genter - AwardWallet
Tentative Schedule
Friday, October 13, 2023
4:00 PM: Registration Opens
5:30 PM: Opening Remarks
6:00 PM: Friday Night Sessions
8:30 PM: Reception (Two drinks included)
Saturday, October 14, 2023
7:30 AM: Registration Opens
8:00 AM: Saturday Morning Sessions
12:00 PM: Saturday Lunch (Included)
1:00 PM: Saturday Afternoon Sessions
6:30 PM: Happy Hour
8:00 PM: Dinner (Not included)
Sunday, October 15, 2023
8:00 AM: Sunday Morning Sessions
12:00 PM: Sunday Lunch (Included)
1:00 PM: Sunday Afternoon Sessions
4:00 PM: Closing Remarks
5:00 PM Late Night Flight Hang – at Airline Lounges or Hotel Bar (Not included)
Sponsors
AwardWallet is a one-of-a-kind service that helps you track all of your loyalty points including frequent flier miles, hotel points, dining rewards, and shopping rewards.
With helpful guides, lots of community input, and deal alerts in real time to help users know what cards to buy, where, and how: we think we’ve created a system that is easy enough for anyone to get started in the business and robust enough to be useful even for industry veterans.
TravelWise Advisors helps you travel smarter with better value - whether for business or for pleasure, using points or cash, or flying business class for the price of premium economy. Stop over in Istanbul on the way to Israel for no extra cost. Go on an African safari - for free. Cruise in a suite for the same price as a balcony room. It's all about value, and what's important to you.
Seats.aero is the fastest search engine for award travel. Explore availability across entire regions, search with instant results, create free alerts and more to find the best flights for your points.
Typically, your cash back is limited to your everyday purchases. With QCGC, you can break through that ceiling. We specialize in buying gift cards, fuel points, concert tickets, and more. Our crowdsourcing model allows you to contribute as much or as little as you want, giving you an easy, guaranteed, and repeatable way to spend money on your credit cards, get reimbursed, and keep all
the points.
Cost
Please remember prices of goods and services have increased tremendously in the past years.
Tickets for the first 50 people who register are $160. After that, the price will increase to $175 until September 18, 2023, at which time all remaining tickets will cost $190. Additional discounts may be offered by speakers and sponsors of the event. Attendance is limited to 350.
Please remember all organizers and volunteers are unpaid and all profits generated will be donated to charity.
There is a similar event occurring the same weekend which is not affiliated with Chicago Seminars @ The Holiday Inn, a registered non-profit organization.
Tickets
Event tickets can be purchased via this link and include the following:
There is no virtual option and sessions will not be recorded.
Although registration is nonrefundable, registration is transferable for a $25 charitable donation and must be completed by Monday, October 9, 2023. Email admin@chicagoseminars.org if you would like to transfer a ticket.
Important Policies
Since the first event, we have had the following policies, and by attending, you agree to such:
Sponsorship Information
Sponsorship packages start at $500 and can be personalized to suit any needs. Potential benefits include:
Please email admin@chicagoseminars.org if you would like to be a sponsor or if you know a person or business which might want to be a sponsor.
Hotel Information
Chicago O’Hare (ORD) is the closest airport to the event venue. The hotel runs a shuttle from ORD every half hour. Chicago’s Midway Airport (MDW) is extremely far but is accessible via public transportation with an expected travel time of 2 hours.
There are a limited number of rooms available at the venue for $129, which includes a continental breakfast. Once your ticket is purchased, the hotel booking link will be shared with you in the ticket confirmation email. Only ticketed attendees are allowed to reserve through this link or in the hotel room block. Each ticket holder can only reserve one room. If for some reason a person who has not registered for the event books within the hotel room block, the reservation will be canceled. Hotel rooms are on a first come, first served availability. The Hotel Booking Link will not work on the IHG app. Please use a desktop or mobile browsing app such as chrome.
Charity Raffle
Chicago Seminars @ The Holiday Inn raises thousands of dollars for charitable organizations through its Charity Raffle each year. 100% of these proceeds go to charity. In 2023, the selected charities are:
Airline Ambassadors International
Both travel- and non-travel-related items are being sought for the Charity Raffle. If you have items to donate, please email admin@chicagoseminars.org and bring the item(s) with you to the event. No value is too small. Raffle tickets can be purchased via credit card and you do not have to be present to win.
Volunteer Opportunities
It takes a village to run an event such as this, and your help is still needed, especially during the event. If you would like to assist, please email admin@chicagoseminars.org. Volunteering does not provide a complimentary registration.
Etiquette and Rules
This is a volunteer event for the points and miles community. Each attendee is expected to be respectful during all official and non-official events. The following are a few rules that need to be expressed at each event as they are particularly important:
Closing Thoughts
Please remember this event is organized by unpaid volunteers. If you have a serious and immediate concern, ask to speak to one of the main organizers immediately.