Hi everyone, Terry Starbucker here – looking forward to seeing everyone at SOBCon08. I just wanted to pass along a tidbit we got courtesy of Denise at Build a Better Blog.

The Club Quarters hotel nearest the Summit has sold out of its rooms – however, the SOBCon discount at Hotel 71 is still available at $225 (but not for long – hurry!), and Denise reports she found a great deal at the Marriott Courtyard River North (just a few blocks away from the Summitt) on Priceline.com

So fear not, there are still plenty of places to stay – so register NOW!

Thanks Denise!!

Are you interested in defraying conference costs? Me too! If you’re a nonsmoking female blogger who might want to split a room at Club Quarters for SOBCon08, please e-mail or Skype Kristen King (kristen(at)kristenkingfreelancing.com, www.inkthinkerblog.com) to talk about being roomies for a few days.

Thanks!

It is with great pleasure that we announce the winner of our 2008 Marketing contest.

The grand prize is a free registration to SOBCon08, plus two hotel nights.

We’d also like to give one more big shoutout to our contest co-sponsor, Plante Moran Financial Advisors.

In a close contest, Todd Jordan prevailed over a field of 22 entrants. He took an early lead and never relinquished it, despite strong challenges along the way.

Congratulations Todd!!

And thanks to all who participated in the contest – your promotion of this event has been most appreciated. And hey, don’t despair, there’s still time to register if you haven’t already done so (if you are a returnee, remember that the special $350 price expires on April 1).

Have a great week!

Hi everyone – now that we’ve picked the most excellent place to hold SOBCon08 (and its fabulous program) this year, the Summit Executive Center, it’s time to talk about hotels.

Yes, the Summit Executive Center is JUST a meeting center – it doesn’t have a companion hotel to put overnight guests.

BUT…(and here’s the really good news), there are nearly 4,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the Summit (yep, it’s THAT good of a location!).

You have a lot of choices. On the other hand, sometimes too many choices is not such a good thing. It’s like the menu at the Cheesecake Factory – so many things to pick from, that it takes forever to decide (so THAT’s why there’s always such a long wait there).

So, we’re pleased to declare a couple of “preferred” hotels that are offering special prices for SOBCon08 attendees – Club Quarters and Hotel 71.

The Hotel 71 price is $225 per night – you can reach them at 312-346-7100. It’s best to call them during normal business hours, 9AM to 6PM CST M-F, and 9AM to 5PM on Saturday. Ask for the group rate for “SOBCon08”.

The Club Quarters rate is $139. You can call them at 312-357-6400, and it’s also best to call them during the day. Say that you are booking the room in association with an event at the Summit .

If neither of these hotels suit your fancy, there are many more – check out the Summit site for just a sample of the other options.

If you have any questions, just let me know at terrystarbucker(at)gmail(dot com).

Go ahead and register – NOW!!

Here are the latest results of our 2008 Marketing contest.

The grand prize is a free registration to SOBCon08, plus two hotel nights. And thanks again to our contest co-sponsor, Plante Moran Financial Advisors!

Here are the Top 10 linkers as of 9:52 EST on 3/9/08:

1) Todd Jordan – 216
2) Karen Putz – 153
3) Alex Shalman – 130
4) Jesse Petersen – 98
5) Troy Worman – 86
6) Char Polanosky – 82
7) Stephen Smith – 74
8) Joanna Young – 44
9) Phil Gerbyshak – 25
10) Derrick Sorles – 17

Tune in next week for the FINAL results.

And don’t forget to register!

It is with great excitement that we announce the venue for SOBCon08 -Biz School for Bloggers:

The Summit Executive Center in Downtown Chicago!

That’s right, we’re going to be getting together right in the heart of the Windy City, at 205 N. Michigan Ave.

As you know, we’ve spend much time looking for just the right place to host this gathering, and The Summit fits the bill perfectly.

It didn’t take us long after meeting Summit “Ring Leader” Louise Silberman and touring the facility that we knew we’d found our new home – in fact they practically “had us at hello” with their core purpose statement: “To support education…inspiring professional and personal growth.”

Bingo! (check it out for yourselves on their excellent web site)

So we’ve found our place, and what’s more, the downdown location allows our attendees much flexibility and possibility – flexibility in lodging (there are 4,000 rooms within walking distance of the Summit!) and possibility (all that the bustling city of Chicago has to offer).

Register Now and join us at the Summit!

Stay tuned to this space for further information regarding preferred hotels and special giveaways to all attendees.

Heck, let us put one out there right now – all registrants will receive a hot-off-the-presses book “Problogger Book” by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett compliments of Wiley Publishing, a $25 value. Nice!