I’m delighted to announce our next in-person event: the Prince of Travel Signature Event, Vancouver 2023.
This full-day event will take place on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at the Versante Hotel, and I can’t wait to see you there.
General Admission ticket sales are now live as of Monday, March 20, so be sure to secure your spot sooner rather than later!
Prince of Travel Signature Event, 3rd Edition
In-person events have been a major focus for us at Prince of Travel in recent years, and we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming you to a number of gatherings across Canada:
- Prince of Travel Signature Event, Vancouver 2021
- Prince of Travel Signature Event, Montreal 2022 (roundup)
- The Travel Summit Toronto 2022 (roundup)
This year, we’ll be bringing our Signature Event series back to Vancouver. As always, we’ve been focused on pulling out all the stops to make our events as great as they can be, and we’re keen to experiment with a few new and interesting elements at every event we host.
You’ll find all the details at our official Vancouver 2023 event page, and I’ll touch upon some of the highlights of the event below.
Welcome to Vancouver 2023
Our event will take place from 9:00am–3:45pm on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at the Versante Hotel in Richmond.
Versante Hotel is an independent boutique property situated just minutes from Vancouver International Airport, and it no doubt ranks as the most luxurious hotel in all of Richmond.
Note that unlike our past two Signature Events, this one will be a full-day affair from the morning to the afternoon – with lunch provided, of course!
Sponsor
We’re thrilled to welcome back HSBC Bank Canada as the sponsor of this Prince of Travel Signature Event, following their participation at our Montreal event last year.
As part of HSBC’s sponsorship, you can look forward to the following:
- Present an active HSBC credit card to receive additional perks at the event, such as priority check-in, complimentary HSBC swag, and entry into a prize draw for a $500 (CAD) prepaid Mastercard courtesy of HSBC.
- Meet HSBC representatives at the event to discuss your banking, credit card, and portfolio management needs and sign up for an HSBC product if you’re interested.
Special Guests
We’re honoured to welcome a YouTube power couple from south of the border as our special guests at this event: Sebastian Fung and Mandy Hong, who will be joining me for a presentation on US credit cards.
Sebastian is the face of the Ask Sebby YouTube channel and is one of the leading experts on US credit card strategies and aspirational points redemptions.
Mandy is Sebby’s partner in crime and covers topics in credit cards, personal finance, and travel on her own Mandy Roams YouTube channel.
The Agenda
We’ll start with guest registration at 8:15am, followed by opening remarks at 9am.
The first session of the day is “Travel Tricks of the Modern Era”, a panel discussion among myself, Amy, Josh, and Kirin from the Prince of Travel team.
As part of this round-table discussion, we’ll be sharing our experiences around all of the travel tricks we use to optimize our trips, including trip planning resources, FX solutions, luggage, SIM cards, navigation tools, and more.
After a brief networking break, I’ll be joined by Prince of Travel team member Rachel for a presentation on “Maximizing Oneworld Redemptions”.
We talk a lot about Aeroplan and Star Alliance, but there’s plenty of value to be extracted in the Oneworld ecosystem too. Rachel will walk you through how to maximize each of the major Oneworld loyalty programs, and then I’ll lead a live demonstration of booking a British Airways Avios multi-carrier award – based on destinations suggested by the audience, of course. 😉
After that, it’s time for lunch, which will be hosted in Bruno, Versante Hotel’s signature restaurant. I’ve dined at Bruno many times and have found the food to be consistently top-notch, so I can’t wait for our guests to experience their cooking as well.
For the first of our two afternoon sessions, I’ll be joined by our guests Sebastian Fung and Mandy Hong for a talk on “Advanced US Credit Cards”.
Sebby and Mandy have many years of experience in navigating the early, middle, and late stages of an optimized US credit card strategy, and they’re here to share their wisdom with us, while I’ll be focusing on bringing the Canadian perspective to the US credit card game.
What follows next is our primary afternoon networking period, which will take place in Alaïa, Versante Hotel’s 12th-floor bar and lounge space. There will be a bar service offered here, so you can exchange your drink ticket(s) for a free drink or order additional drinks as well.
Finally, we’ll wrap up the day with “How to Use Buying Groups” by Prince of Travel team member Rohin.
Buying groups enable you to earn rewards simply by making retail purchases on behalf of the group, and Rohin will dive deep into this unique opportunity and share with you the ins and outs of how all of it works.
The event formally comes to an end at 3:45pm for everyone except a select group of VIP guests – but more on that below.
Food & Drink
Attendees will receive a catered lunch in the Bruno restaurant, as well as one (1) complimentary drink voucher, which can be exchanged for beer, wine, basic spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages – either during lunch at Bruno, or at the bar at Alaïa during the networking period.
Prince of Travel Royal Platinum members will receive one (1) additional complimentary drink voucher.
Guests who purchase the VIP Experience will also receive one (1) additional complimentary drink voucher.
Additional beverages will be available for purchase during the afternoon networking session.
In addition, there will be a coffee, tea, and light snack spread on offer in the morning, from the registration period through to the end of the first networking session.
VIP Experience
Inspired by the work of Anshul from Points, Miles & Bling on a recent Vancouver gathering he hosted, we’ve added a very exciting component to the event: the opportunity to take a scenic seaplane flight across the city!
Purchase the VIP Experience to unlock a luxurious and exclusive post-event gathering and create lasting memories with your fellow select group of VIP guests.
Following the main event, you’ll join myself in being whisked away to Vancouver International Airport to embark on a Harbour Air seaplane flight to Bowen Island, where we’ll enjoy dinner and drinks on one of Vancouver’s most beautiful outlying islands.
Dinner will take place at Barcelona Tapas & Wine Bar, while drinks will be hosted at the Doc Morgan’s pub on the island.
We’ll wrap up the evening with a ferry ride back to Vancouver and a limousine drop-off in Downtown Vancouver or back at the Versante Hotel.
In addition to the Fly & Dine experience, the VIP Experience also includes:
- A $250 (CAD) hotel credit, redeemable towards hotels booked with Prince of Travel
- An enhanced lunch with Ricky Zhang and our special guests Sebastian Fung and Mandy Hong in the private dining room of Bruno, Versante Hotel’s signature restaurant
- An extra drink ticket at the event
- Priority check-in
- Front-row seating
VIP Experience tickets are extremely limited in quantity, so be sure to make your purchase sooner rather than later!
Prize Draw
We’re thrilled to offer two spectacular grand prizes at the event. Lucky attendees may walk away with each of the following:
- Signature Suite, Versante Hotel: Win a complimentary one-night stay in the Versante Hotel’s 785-square-feet Signature Suite, an impressive corner suite with world-class amenities and sweeping views of the Richmond skyline.
- $500 Travel Enhancement Gift Card: Win a $500 (CAD) prepaid Mastercard courtesy of HSBC Bank Canada. You must present an active HSBC credit card to enter this prize draw!
In addition, the following other prizes will also be available to one lucky winner:
- Fly & Dine Experience: Join our VIPs on a Harbour Air flight to dinner and drinks on Bowen Island immediately after the event!
- $250 Hotel Credit: Win a $250 (CAD) credit towards hotels booked with Prince of Travel.
- Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel: Win a one-night stay at the Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel with a $50 (CAD) food and beverage credit.
- Hilton Vancouver Airport: Win a one-night stay at the Hilton Vancouver Airport with a $50 (CAD) food and beverage credit.
Learn More
As mentioned above, you’ll find all the details that you need to know over at our official event page.
Why You Should Attend
I’ve always championed the notion that attending in-person Miles & Points events can accelerate your learning process by many orders of magnitude, as you get to learn firsthand from a large group of fellow practitioners who are all extremely eager to discuss our shared passion with other people who are just as passionate about the same thing.
By taking advantage of events like these to build your network and connect with everyone else, you’re able to absorb information and learn the tricks of the trade much faster than simply scouring for information online.
Over the past few years, I’ve witnessed many individuals going from an absolute beginner to a seasoned practitioner in very a short span of time.
All of these enthusiasts had recognized the value of in-person events at the beginning of their journey, taking the opportunity to meet others, make friends, set up group chats, and exchange knowledge over the long run in a mutually beneficial manner.
That’s the key to success in this game, if you ask me – and indeed, I myself had followed a similar path back in the day, having picked up a few bits and pieces of information here and there when I first started, but only significantly boosting my learning process upon attending an event in 2016.
And now, with the cost of flights and accommodations surging in recent times, it’s never been more important to meet and connect with like-minded individuals who can help you raise your game.
On our part here at Prince of Travel, we’re looking to put together as many of these events as possible across a wide range of styles and formats to facilitate these conversations and get more people interested in Miles & Points.
In doing so, I’m convinced that we can spread the joys of travel far and wide and help as many people as possible go on some amazing trips that they’d otherwise never get to experience.
Get Your Tickets Now
General admission tickets are priced at $259 (CAD) per person, and includes access to the main event on Saturday, May 6, along with lunch and a drink ticket.
The VIP Experience is priced at $995 (CAD) per person, and includes all of the following:
- Access to the main event
- Priority check-in
- Font-row seating
- Enhanced lunch with Ricky Zhang, Sebastian Fung, and Mandy Hong in Bruno’s private dining room
- One additional drink ticket
- Transportation from Versante Hotel to YVR Harbour Air terminal
- Scenic Harbour Air seaplane flight to Bowen Island
- Dinner at Barcelona Tapas & Wine Bar
- Unlimited drinks at Doc Morgan’s
- Ferry to Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver
- Limousine drop-off at Sheraton Wall Centre Vancouver or Versante Hotel
- $250 (CAD) hotel credit redeemable towards hotels booked with Prince of Travel
Both ticket types will be available for purchase as of 9am Pacific Time on Monday, March 20.
Prince of Travel members receive discounts and priority access to tickets based on their membership tier:
- Royal Platinum members receive a $60 discount on their first ticket.
- Platinum members receive a $40 discount on their first ticket.
- Gold members receive a $20 discount on their first ticket.
If you’re interested in attending, you may view all the event details and purchase your tickets at the Prince of Travel Signature Event Vancouver 2023 official page.
Space at the venue is limited, and many were left disappointed at previous events when they hesitated on purchasing tickets and the event reached capacity. I would therefore recommend securing your tickets sooner rather than later!
If you have any questions about the event besides those listed under Frequently Asked Questions on the event page, don’t hesitate to reach out, either via our contact form or by leaving a comment below.
See you at the Prince of Travel Signature Event on May 6!