General Consultant Discussion

At the February MOTM conference, John Shaver expressed a willingness to conduct a Firm of the Future symposium with Ron Baker. After investigating their availability and conference fees, we would like to find out what the level of interest is for the group. Fee does not cover the meeting room, meals or lodiging. 90Minds would subsidize some of the room and meals fee. By having it in conjunction with Summit, your travel expenses are minimized and you have one more reason to attend. We are opening the conference to both the 90Minds Fellows (full members) and OASIS (regular). The greater the number of attendees, the lower the fee per individual will be. This will also be a great time (Summit) for everyone to meet and network . A quick glance at the Summit Sunday class schedule reveals very few (if any) classes that offer more potential for future revenue growth than this symposium! Per John Shaver - There are also several advantages of conducting the symposium as a 90Minds event: 1. The agenda will be custom tailored for 90Minds. You guys let Ron and me know what topics you would like to concentrate on. 2. Having a 90Minds-specific symposium provides a more comfortable (safer?) environment from a competitive stand point. We all get along and don't mind sharing, right? 3. It's less expensive than the Sage-sponsored one. Please indicate your level of enthusiasm below. If the response is positive, we will activate the planning committee.. DATES ARE 7/20 AND 7/21. I fat fingered the survey.......

New revised poll, for the few that previously voted, please vote again.

Thanks @JeffSchwenk

7/21-7/22: Aren't these Summit partner days?

@MarkKotyla I am thinking @JeffSchwenk meant 7/20 -7/21 Since Sunday really doesn't have any major session ...

7/20-21 would work. @JeffSchwenk, are those the dates?

Yes, Saturday 7/20 and Sunday 7/21.

I want to move this back up to the top. We need to make a go/no go decisions within a couple of weeks (or sooner). A lot of effort needs to go into the planning of this (most significantly, conference room with speaker right behind) so I would like get the vote count a bit higher. The meeting is open to nearly 100 90Minds (fellows) and OASIS (regular) members. Please vote either way so a decision can be made.

The next FOTF conference for Sage appears to be in late MAS. Sage is asking fro $2,000 for the two day session. In addiion, you have travel expense to Toronto, ON Canada. If we can get 20 seats filled, the 90Minds fee for the SAME (or even better content) will be in the $750 - $1,000 range. if more attend, you cost will be less..........

I saw the same yesterday. I've also seen at least one thread here about different support options that was posted almost simultaneously with this poll. https://90minds-com.socialcast.com/messages/15736756 FOTF is a wonderful session that will help open your eyes to the possibility of doing things differently as @BrianRice has in the above thread. (Congrats, Brian!) Come on people, either vote yes or no (I'm hoping yes) so we can know one way or the other. Registration for Summit DOES open today, by the way.

I am wondering if everyone doesn't belong to this group and that is why they are not voting? Maybe @JeffSchwenk put a link in Sage 100 Routine ?

Then the poll has to start all over again, doesn't it?

If you click on the group over on the left, it indicates that there are 108 members of this group. The Sage 100 Routine group has 107 so I don't think moving it will be beneficial. I will put a post with a link in that group to see if traffic increases.

I didn't want the poll to start over, just a link like Jeff did.

Come on, Jeff. You know the 90Minds content will be way better! If you guys would like, we can make it much more hands on than the Sage-sponsored one. More practice and less theory.

I would have liked to attend, but am not going to Summit...so...it's a no for me.

No, you can still attend the weekend session. Just don't go to Summit. Or bring an old badge and attend that way. Did you vote no on the survey? If not, please do so.

I haven't been, so I don't know if we could webcast for people like Deb (for a reduced fee of course).

It's a no go for me. I'd love to see this sometime, but this year it won't work out.

You're going to need to make a decision on this pretty quickly. I do not know what the space availability is at the Gaylord or the cost. Unfortunately I am not arriving until Mid-day Saturday. Anyone planning on this will likely need to be at the hotel on Friday. It's unrealistic , imo, to count maybes (or perhaps I've just been in the ERP business too long and am jaded as to that term). So at best we have 10 people verbally committed that probably transfers to 7 attending which doing some quick back of napkin math is going to mean a minimum per person fee of $1,500. Securing the speakers is going to require a firm 90 Minds financial commitment meaning they are going to get paid whether anyone shows or not. At this point if this is going to happen I recommend that the bills go out and arrangements begin to be made though I think we should really see what the final paid commitment from members is before securing anything. .02

Have the meeting across the street from the Gaylord @ one of the village hotels and cut the costs.

Heck see if you can get a bigger discount by calling it the official hotel of 90 Minds!

We're checking into the availability of a conference room at the Hampton Inn across the street from the Gaylord.

I votd yes, think it would be a great session!

I think the next step is for people to send me an e-mail advising me of their desire to attend. It is not possible to gather this information from the poll above. From your reponse, I will start sending out invoices for a deposit. The deposit will be fully refundable if the meeting does not happen. We are on the hook for Baker's speaking fee whether five people or 25 people show. Receipt of the deposit will denote you are truly planning to attend. This is where the rubber hits the road.

Ah, the reservations are starting to come in. Time for another beer!

Last night I invoiced everyone who has committed to attending. Please let me know if you did NOT receive an invoice!!!!! Please continue to send me an e-mail requesting an invoice. We are want as many as possible to attend, thus lowering the fee for each attendee.

What is the status and did I move this back up to the top?

Still looking for more to commit with a request for an invoice. Sent out 8 the other night. Phone lines have been silent since. Show me the money and send a request via e-mail.

Bringing to top! Let's get those email to @JeffSchwenk so we can have a great 90 minds FOTF!!!

An e-mail was sent out last night to ALL Socialcast participants. We NEED committment from the membership. I promise to love you in the morning. We are at 10, we NEED another 10 to bring this idea to fruition!!!!

Thanks @JeffSchwenk and team for all the work you are doing to try and get this to happen. I hope that everyone is responding to your email either way!

Here is an update as of this morning. We have 15 people signed up for the session, of whom I have received deposits for seven. We are awaiting conference room paperwork to secure the facilities. The conference hotel is in the National Harbor complex (see image). We are SOOOO close to making this meeting a reality! But we need some more people to make it even more affordable. If you HAVEN'T signed up, please send me an e-mail ASAP to reserve your spot! If you did e-mail me but haven't received an invoice to confirm your seat, send me another e-mail reminder (sorry, my birthday was last week and I have been getting a bit forgetful lately). If you did get an invoice but haven't mailed the deposit, please do so ASAP. I will hold it until we commit to the meeting, but you do have ""to show me the money"".

Just a reminder, the correct dates are July 20th & 21st, the Saturday & Sunday before Summit. Hope to see you there!

Moving this up again - looks like it's a 4 minute walk from Aloft to Gaylord so you could stay at either location, correct @JeffSchwenk?

I believe the A-Loft is on the Summit rooming list. I am staying at the Hampton just across the street from the Gaylord.... The A-Loft Summit rate is $179 I believe. I have no experience with this brand but it looks hip, edgy and comfy cozy!

I noticed that rate too of $179. According to the Sage Summit 2013 site: ""Please take advantage of the Sage Summit hotel blocks. Aloft, $199/night* Hampton Inn & Suites, $189/night* Residence Inn by Marriott, $178/night* Westin, $219/night*"" Interesting that Sage pricing is higher than the A Loft site.

And we have just signed up # 17. Remember ""to show me the money"" once you get the invoice. I am not sure how many seats are available in the conference room, but once we hit 20 or so and it gets into early May, there will be an additional fee ($100) for those late enrollees (just like Sage). So don't delay!!!!!!!!!!

Bringing to the top. How are we doing @JeffSchwenk ? Are they showing you the money!

Holding at 17 committed. The ALoft conference room holds 35. I have heard that a room there is only $179. As a package deal (meeting and room) you can save SIGNIFICANT coin! Just a reminder - You DON'T have to atttend Summit if just want to come in for the weekend, then take the rest of the week as a vacation. I suppose you could even tell everyone back home that you are attending Summit. Remember the group's commandmant - What goes on in 90Minds, STAYS in 90Minds!!!!! Lots of room left in the 90Minds FOTF conference pool. C-mon in!!!!!!

Jeff - what is the latest estimate on cost per person - I am trying to round up another attendee....

Hey @JeffSchwenk are we still at 17 ? If so, anyone sitting on the fence lets get counted! Sage just put there FOTF in Canada and it cost $2,000!!!! So this is a really great deal. The goal is for 20 but the more the merrier .... Even if your not going to Summit this year ,this will be a great 2day Confrence with bonus of meeting other 90 minds/oasis. Hope to see you There!!!!

@DianeRuth I just signed up and @JeffSchwenk said is was number 18 - so we're just two away if that's still the count. Come on two days prior to Summit we get our own private FOTF for half the new price or possibly even less!

OK, here is an update. As of today, we have 18 PAID attendees. The Minds of the Future symposium is an OFFICIAL GO!!!!! The TOTAL estimated cost is still $1,000 (covering speaker fee, lunch and refreshments). It is my hope that there are more sign ups which will bring the costs down. On May 20th, the cost per attendee will increase by $100. So please if you are interested, let me know so I can send out an invoice. A big thank you to the 18 committed attendees for making this conference a possibility.

Thanks @JeffSchwenk great news. Looking forward to a great Confrence.

@JeffSchwenk Thanks for the update - I have shrugged this event off for several years so I will be interested to see what it is all about. Lets get 2 more people to make it 20!

2? I will settle for 2 but let's go for 7 more. The conference will be livelier with 25 experienced voices offering up their best practices of what works. This is what the Minds are about!!!!!

Update - We are now at 19 PAID attendees!!!! Eric Anderson's firm is going to sponsor the CPE credit for anyone who wants that for their CPA requirements. In order to guarantee the low, low price of $750 per attendee, we need at least one more enrolled and paid participant. If we get a couple more, we'll be able to serve lunch!!!!!! Please contact me if you are interested in attending the MOST exciting seminar you will particiapate in all week!

What about the 3 who said they will stick with hourly billing? We should work on them, since based on their answer this class may be enlightening.

We have no way of telling who they are. Not sure if they will admit to it or not..............

I believe I did and since I work for myself hourly billing works for me. I also have my flight scheduled and won't be in until afternoon on Saturday.

Thanks Kelly. If your situation changes, give me a shout.

For those of you who may be sitting on the fence (and those of you who have already attended a FotF symposium), please seriously consider attending this conference. I have attended a Firm of the Future symposium with Ron Baker and it is well worth it! (And we all know @JohnShaver 's passion for the subject!) It's a challenge to change your mindset and those of your employees, which is why I am attending again (and bringing along another!). I know John wants to customize the agenda specifically for this group and I hope we can give him the feedback required to make this a one-of-a-kind conference. I am also hoping that those who have attended and have had success with the process will attend in order to provide inspiration to the rest of us!! I'd really like lunch so please say yes and contact @JeffSchwenk !!!

If you have no idea what this is about, please post a question, either here or in private.

@ScottHickman are you bringing another attendee??

@ThereseLogeais - Yes Rob is coming with me. He is going to be at Summit so marginal travel expenses made this really attractive to us.

Great point @ScottHickman ! If you are already planning on attending Summit this SHOULD be a given!

Still room for more attendees!!!

To comply with CPE requirements, I'll be sending out an invite to all members next week.

So are we getting Lunch @JeffSchwenk besides the CPE credits? Please sign up if you haven't already for a great MOTF symposium...

We are up to 21 attendees. Plenty of room for more!

Great news, we just had our 24th attendee sign up. As a result, we will be having more for lunch than peanut butter and crackers. Even better news is that as a result of the number of attendees, the conference cost will be $750. I just sent out balance due invoices for those paying a $500 deposit in April. The room holds a total of 35 so we have room for 11 more. Hurry space is limited and time is running out! Let me now ASAP if you are planning to attend.