Introduction
Recently, I attended a pretty large meetup with me and about 3 dozen of my reader friends. You know when people tell you, “Yeah I went to the [miles and points] conference. The presentations were okay, but the chance to mingle with other people was the best part.” Well, I sorta believe them, but you also wonder if they are just exaggerating.
Get out of your shell
While it wasn’t hard for me to meet and mingle with the people there (since people already knew me,) if you’re an introvert, you really have to get out of your shell and introduce yourself to people. If you already know some people there, that’s great. If you don’t know anyone, just go and say hi to someone, ask them their a/s/l where they are from, what credit cards did they recently apply for, or their favorite MS story or trip. Everyone loves to talk about themselves. Take advantage of that.
Of course if there is alcohol nearby, even better! Loose lips sink ships, right? Really though, the “afterparty” is where you want to be, so don’t skip out on it or find a way to get invited to it (even as a guest!)
You WILL learn something new
During the meetup, I wound up talking to a lot of people. I wish I had spoken to others some more. Even this old dog learned some new tricks (which I’ll never reveal) and even learned about some credit cards that I should apply for next (which I won’t reveal either.)
Some people have emailed me recently asking how to get connected to level 3 and level 4 information, and really, I can’t think of a better way. You’ll meet fellow hobbyists who are more willing to share in a small group rather than posting it online somewhere. You’ll learn stories of “accidents” that helps you think out of the box, to see if you can replicate the “accidents.”
If you’re into reselling, go to the next ResellingDo from Trevor at Tagging Miles (sorry on mobile and too hard to link so just Google him.). If you’re into MS, attend the next Saverocity Travelcon. At the very least find a meetup in your city and attend one of those.
Need to find one of these for the Denver area.
http://www.meetup.com/frontrangetravelhackers/
BOOM!
Awesome, thanks!
If you’re looking for a local group, check flyer talk. Some areas are more active than others, but there are usually regular meet ups planned. If there aren’t any, just plan one yourself. I went to one that was pretty close to where I live and didn’t know a single soul there. These groups tend to be pretty open and friendly in person. And when I’ve gone, it’s literally that someone has booked a big table at a pub or restaurant, but really if you know a location where an ad hoc group can just meet without a reservation that works too.
If you had to guess, what’s the biggest age demographic in these meetings? Is it mostly teens, early 20’s, late 20’s, 30’s etc.?
I’d say the average age would be mid 30’s.