After many months of planning and preparation, I’m delighted to introduce you to our first in-person event of the new era: the Prince of Travel Signature Event, Vancouver 2021.
General admission tickets are now available for purchase as of Monday, August 23, so you can go ahead and grab your tickets now.
A New Generation of In-Person Events
It’s been a difficult time for the community over the past 18 months, as we’ve been physically separated without the possibility of getting together in person.
However, we’ve taken this time here at Prince of Travel to envision and map out a new generation of in-person events for the Miles & Points community once we get together again, and I’m beyond excited to kick things off with our 2021 event here in Vancouver.
Compared to past events that we’ve hosted, which have largely been quick two-hour affairs in the evenings, we’ve decided to take things to the next level with our relaunched event series.
We’ve pulled out all the stops to make this event and our future events as great as they can be.
You’ll find all the details at our official event page, and I’ll touch upon some of the highlights of the event below.
Welcome to Vancouver 2021
Our event will take place at 1pm on Saturday, September 25, 2021, at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver – one of my personal favourite hotels in the city, with whom I’m thrilled to be able to host our event.
Special Guests
We’re honoured to have the following special guest speakers at our event:
- Scott O’Leary, Vice President of Loyalty at Aeroplan
- Derek Whitworth, Managing Director of Marketing & Loyalty Optimization at Aeroplan
- Anshul Singh, Founder of Points Miles & Bling
The Agenda
We’ll kick things off with guest registration at 1pm, followed by opening remarks.
I’ll then be hosting a fireside chat discussion with Scott O’Leary and Derek Whitworth from Aeroplan, in which they’ll share some exciting details about what Aeroplan members can expect later in 2021 and going into 2022.
In addition to the questions that I’ll be posing to Scott and Derek, you’ll also have the opportunity to interact with our guests in a live audience Q&A session after the discussion.
After that, our first round of networking will begin, along with the open bar hosted by the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver.
Compared to previous events, we’ll be adding more interactivity to the networking sessions this time, with an icebreaker game to help you connect with as many of your fellow Miles & Points enthusiasts as possible and some small prizes lined up for the winners here.
Next, Anshul and I will host a session on “The Journey to Miles & Points Mastery”, discussing the journey to levelling up one’s Miles & Points endeavours based on our experiences – once Scott and Derek depart to catch their flights in the afternoon, of course. 😉
Then, after a second round of networking, our grand prize draw will round out the evening.
The event formally comes to an end at 5:30pm, although I always encourage everyone to stay longer if at all possible, since we almost always take the action to a nearby venue and continue our discussions well into the night.
After all, while the afternoon networking sessions allow you to meet a wide range of people, the late-night gatherings over good food and drink is where attendees typically begin to make lasting friendships.
Open Bar
In kicking off a new generation of in-person events, we wanted to do things right.
And so, we’ll have a three-hour open bar for guests to enjoy as we celebrate our shared passion for travelling the world.
The open bar will include local beer, wine, basic cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages for guests’ enjoyment throughout the afternoon.
In addition, hotel staff will be passing around a series of light canapés for attendees to snack on as we mingle.
Prize Draw
We’re thrilled to offer two spectacular grand prizes at the event. Lucky attendees may walk away with each of the following:
- Sky Suite, JW Marriott Parq Vancouver: Win a complimentary one-night stay in the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver‘s Sky Suite, a two-bedroom presidential suite with world-class amenities and sweeping views of False Creek.
- Aeroplan Worldwide Business Priority Reward Voucher: Win a Worldwide Business Priority Reward voucher with Aeroplan, saving you 50% of the cost of a business class redemption – including round-the-world itineraries with up to 16 segments!
We’ll also have additional prizes to be announced later on and at the event itself.
Merchandise
Prince of Travel branded merchandise is something that our readers have been clamouring over for a long time, and we’ve been hard at work making this a reality over the past few months.
We’re very excited to be soft-launching our merchandise items at the Prince of Travel Event Vancouver 2021, allowing guests to be among the first to get their hands on Prince of Travel T-shirts, hoodies, and coffee mugs, among other items.
In addition, every guest will receive a dedicated amenity kit that serves as the “swag bag” for our event, complete with collectible items specific to our Vancouver 2021 event. We think you’ll love it!
Meet the Prince of Travel Team
Along with myself, our fellow Prince of Travel team members Josh, Jayce, T.J., Kirin, and Alex will also be attending the event.
Alas, Amy will be embarking on an Emirates First Class Extravaganza that evening, so she won’t be able to make it, but she’s promised to FaceTime in from onboard the A380.
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 phenomenon of “revenge travel” just around the corner, it’s never been more important to meet and connect with like-minded individuals who can help you raise your game and avoid paying skyrocketing travel prices over the coming years.
On our part here at Prince of Travel, as in-person events become more feasible, we’re looking to put together as many of these events as possible across a wide range of event styles 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.
COVID‑19 Precautions
Prince of Travel and the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver are fully committed to following all health and safety guidelines set forth by the federal and provincial governments. Our event will operate under the Province of British Columbia’s current guidelines for indoor events.
- To learn more about British Columbia’s provincial guidelines, please visit the Province of British Columbia website.
- To learn more about JW Marriott Parq Vancouver’s Commitment to Clean, please visit the hotel’s What to Expect page on the Marriott website.
We encourage attendees to stay home if they are experiencing any COVID‑19 symptoms or has come into contact with a confirmed case of COVID‑19.
In the unlikely situation that the event is unable to go ahead due to formal COVID‑19 regulations introduced by the Province of British Columbia, the event will be rescheduled for a future date. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled date, you may opt for a full refund of the ticket price and taxes.
Get Your Tickets Now
General admission tickets are priced at $239 (CAD) per person, and will be available for purchase starting Monday, August 23, at 9am Pacific Time.
Prince of Travel members receive discounts 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.
Between the discussions of the more advanced topics in our space, the wealth of knowledge and experience among our special guests and fellow attendees, the opportunity to win one of two spectacular grand prizes, and of course the open bar to celebrate our shared pursuit after so long apart, I have no doubt that you’ll be getting excellent value for money.
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 2021 official page. You’ll need to create a free Prince of Travel account to purchase general admission tickets.
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!
As always, if you’re a newbie to this stuff and you’re interested in attending, feel free to get in touch with us via the contact form and introduce yourself. I’d love to answer any initial questions you may have, get to know your story, and figure out how we can best help you make your travel dreams a reality.
And if anyone has any questions about the event, don’t hesitate to reach out as well, either via the contact form or by leaving a comment below.
See you at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver on September 25!
