I’ll be speaking at three upcoming events about maximizing miles and points, and I’m on the nomination committee of The Freddies, so I wanted to personally invite TPG readers to each. I really enjoy meeting readers in person, and I could use your support, so please consider attending any or all of these events. There are a few updates about times and registration, so please read carefully to make sure you can attend any/all that you are interested in.1. The Freddie Awards will be held Thursday, April 26, 2012, at the Renaissance Newark Airport and I’ve arranged to get a table for TPG readers, so get ready for some ticket giveaways. You can cast your vote HERE.2. Registration is open for Frequent Traveler University. Following the Freddies, from Friday-Sunday, April 27-29, 2012, there will be workshops on miles and points by the top experts and many chances to meet representatives from airline and hotel programs during FTU being held at the Sheraton Meadowlands (rooms at $129 a night) in East Rutherford, New Jersey. You can find the details here on Milepoint and purchase your tickets, which cost $99 and include lunch on both days, here.Here is a tentative list of events for the weekend including my debate with Gary Leff on the value of Delta SkyMiles on Saturday, and my talk on how you can leverage your credit card points to travel the world in business class:Tentative Saturday Schedule:9:00am - 915am: Welcome, Tommy Danielsen9:15am - 10:30am: Resolved: that Delta Skymiles Offer Superior Value. A Debate Between Brian Kelly (Affirmative) and Gary Leff (Negative) Alternate session: Introduction to miles & points - how to get started, Daraius Dubash10:30am - 10:45am: Break10:45am - 12:15pm: Award Booking: Getting the Most for Your Miles, Gary Leff (Brian Kelly and Steve Belkin comment)Alternate Session: Family Travel Made Easy,tips from Mommy Points12:15pm - 1:15pm: Lunch1:15pm - 2:45pm: Credit Card: How the Banks Want to Send You Around the World in Business Class for Free, Brian Kelly and Mommy PointsAlternate Session: The End of Elite Status? Why You Shouldn’t Care About Loyalty, Steve Belkin2:45pm - 3:00pm: Break3:00pm - 4:30pm: Mileage Confidential: Our Experts Each Share and Discuss Tips That You Won’t Find on the Forums (and that you agree not to post), Brian/Steve/Gary/Daraius4:30pm - 5:00pm: Concluding Remarks, Randy Petersen3. Chicago Frequent Flyer Seminars: Registration and ticket sales have opened up for the 2012 Chicago Seminars, which will take place October 12-14. I’m co-hosting the event with fellow blogger and friend Rick a.k.a The Frugal Travel Guy and it’s sure to be a great weekend filled with over 500 mileage enthusiasts. You can check out this FlyerTalk thread for more details, and I’ll be giving a talk on Transfers and Bonus Category Credit Cards on that Saturday afternoon. Tickets sell out fast, so be sure to get yours soon. In the meantime, here is the preliminary schedule:October 12Friday 6:30-7:20 PM Rookie Bootcamp: with Dave Homyak7:30-8:30 Delta SkyPesos to Delta Gold: with John Nielsen ORTravel Technology with Cliff StrattonOctober 13Saturday 7-8:15 Breakfast8:30-10Beginner: FF 101 Pudding Guy and Credit Cardsfor Newbies with Rick Ingersoll ORAdvanced: Itasoftware and Expert Flyer withCara Kreft and Chris Lopinto10-10:15 AM Coffee BreakSign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.10:30 to Noon Beginner: US Airways Grand Slam with MommyPoints and Elite Status- Challenges and Fasttrackswith BikeGuy/Pudding Guy OR Advanced: Captain Denny Flanagan AuthorNoon to 1 PM Lunch1-2:45 PM Beginners: Mileage Runs with Ben Schalippig ORAdvanced: Transfers and Bonus Category CreditCards with Brian Kelly2:45 -3PM Coffee Break3-5PM Beginners: Award Booking with Ben Schlappig Advanced: Moderated Airline Breakout Sessionswith Geoffco (top tier status all 3 alliances)5-6PM Meet the Speakers: Cash Bar/Hotel Lobby6PM Advanced: Q and A Mileage Runs and AwardBooking with Ben Schalippig and Brian Kelly ORThe Cruising Crowd with Marshall JacksonSunday October 14Sunday 7-8:30 Breakfast8:30-10 AM Sponsors Workshop10-10:15 AM Coffee Break10:15-NoonBeginner: Belkin (Beaubo) as a BeginnerAdvanced: Hotel Breakout SessionNoon to 1PM Lunch1-3PM Beginner: Gift Card Churning with Frequent Milerand Shopping Mall Bonanzas with Hans Golden Advanced: Blogger Questions and Answers3-4PM Randy Petersen State of the IndustryFinally, I’m grateful to those of you who came to hear me speak at the New York Times Travel Show earlier in March. If you weren’t able to make it, you can check out my presentation in this previous post, and let me know what you think.I’m looking forward to meeting many more of you over the coming months at these exciting events![card card-name=‘Ink Plus® Business Credit Card’ card-id=‘22129636’ type=‘javascript’ bullet-id=‘1’]
