List of Large Prizes for the Meet & Greet Party

Well it is Friday night. Sunday morning our team leaves for Las Vegas for the annual convention and Monday night is the 4th Annual Meet & Greet Party.

Here is a list of some of the large prizes that will be given away to attendees at the party:

$175.00 Mandalay Bay Dining & Entertainment Gift Certificate.
A Sony Digital Camera
A Slingbox
Helicopter Rides over Las Vegas
$200.00 Gift Certificate to Aureole Restaurant in Mandalay Bay with Wed. Night Reservations.
A rare artisan Burlwood Bowl valued at over $300.00
$200.00 Gift Certificate to an eBay Store
$175.00 Gift Certificate to an eBay Store
$200.00 Electonic Gadget Assortment
$200.00 value Scrapbooking Basket

As always there will be our separate drawings for gift bag prizes. There are going to be a ton of these from eBay Sellers and from some Solutions Providers.

Games for Cool eBay Prizes, drinks, appetizers, music, networking and more.

This may be our last post before we arrive in Las Vegas. We will try to update this blog with soem info during the convention.

Charity Poker Tournament at eBay Live

One of my favorite memories from a past eBay Live Convention was the wonderful Charity event PESA and buySAFE put on at the New Orleans Aquarium. It was a fantastic night. The New Orleans Aquarium was impacted by the recent devastation in New Orleans. Just announced is the 2006 PESA Charity Event at eBay Live. It is going to be a Poker Tournament and one of the charities to benefit from the proceeds will the New Orleans Aquarium.

Here is the info hot off the presses:

Professional eBay Sellers Alliance Hosts Charity Poker Challenge at eBay Live

The Professional eBay’s Seller Alliance (PeSA) is hosting a Charity Poker Challenge in Las Vegas on June 15, 2006 during the eBay Live convention. 100 top eBay sellers, eBay enthusiasts and third-party vendors will try their luck at the popular card game Texas Hold ‘Em during a special event sponsored by buySAFE (www.buysafe.com) with celebrity poker guests in the Four Seasons Ballroom atop the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the New Orleans Aquarium and the NetSmartz Workshop (www.netsmartz.org).

“The PeSA event at eBay Live has become a great annual tradition for us,” according to Jonathan Garriss, PESA’s Executive Director. “At eBay Live 2004, PeSA hosted a first-class party and charity auction at the New Orleans Aquarium and last year eBay co-hosted a BBQ dinner and charity auction with PeSA at the Great American amusement park in California. Last year’s event brought in over $10,000, including a high bid of $4,000 for a roller coaster ride with Bill Cobb, President of eBay North America.”

PeSA’s charity events are designed to let eBay’s top sellers, third-party vendors and eBay staff interact in a relaxed and social setting, while supporting a good cause. This year’s event, the Charity Poker Challenge is also adding a celebrity component to liven things up. Special guests will include: Robert Thompson from Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown, Jeff Hobson the renowned Las Vegas entertainer and Alex “The Insider” Outhred the syndicated poker columnist.

“PeSA excels at bringing eBay’s top sellers together in creative and worthwhile ways, and this year’s Charity Poker Challenge is shaping up to be another milestone event,” said Steve Woda, Founder of buySAFE and corporate sponsor of the event. “We are delighted to sponsor the PeSA members, who benefit from using the buySAFE bonding service and the two charitable organizations that this event is supporting.”

The charities were selected for their connections to PeSA and the online community, according to David Yaskulka, PeSA’s head of marketing. “We’re thrilled to support two great causes that mean so much to PESA members. We have fond memories of our event at the Aquarium two years ago, and are eager for the chance to give something back after so much adversity. And while PESA strives to make the web a safe, friendly place to shop, Netsmartz is teaching kids how to be safe online. We're proud to support the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America in running this important program."

PeSA’s Charity Poker Challenge will take place from 1:00pm to 5:00pm on June 15, 2006 at the Four Seasons Ballroom atop the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information or for ticket sales, please visit:
www.gopesa.org

An additional large prize for the party

We just had a new large prize added for the Meet & Greet party.

uShip is graciously donating a $200 gift certificate to world-renowned restaurant Aureole in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino along with reservations for two on Wednesday, June 14 at 8 PM.

Built on the power of community and empowerment, uShip is the largest online marketplace for shipping services. Members list auction items they need shipped, and receive bids from the largest community of feedback-rated service providers on the planet. The uShip marketplace saves members over 50 percent compared to traditional freight quotes.

Please see the post from a couple of days ago with out other large prize sponsors listed - and be sure to use the logo links on the right hand side of this web page to check out all of our fabulous sponsors and their services.

We will post a new updated large prize post on Friday with all of the large prizes listed and more details.

See you all at the 4th Annual Meet & Greet!

Just a few more days - a few more tips

Well it is June 7th. Many convention attendees including this writer will be leaving for the convention this Sunday, June 11th.

Our Moderation team has spent the last few days putting together party prizes, games and taking care of details. We look forward to seeing you all at The Beach Monday Night.

Here are a few more tips to help insure a good time:

1. Be sure to leave extra room in your suitcase or bring along an empty one for the freebies you will be taking home.

2. Don't be shy - the eBay Convention is your once a year opportunity to speak to others in the same field of business. Obviously questions asking people where to buy inventory are not going to get answered (no one wants to help create their own competition) but this is the time to get insights from others on what Solutions Providers they like and why and how to handle various situations.

3. Speak to any Solutions Providers that you have even an inkling of interest in. Even if you feel your level of sales are not such to need them yet now is the time to learn which ones you may want to go with in the near future when you are ready to take it to the next level.

4. Drink lots of water. The desert heat is dehydrating as is the air conditioning indoors in Las Vegas. If you are like 99.9% of other attendees you will quite likely be doing more than your normal fair share of cocktail drinking too - drink lots of water to help your body hydrate. If you do imbibe you might want to take a couple aspirin or Advil before going to sleep at night.

5. Remember to attend the best party in town on Monday night - the 4th Annual Meet & Greet at the Beach. Bring along a pencil or pen as we will have some games that require writing things down and having your own writing utensil is going to give you an edge.

Caravan to Live from Southern California

For those planning on driving from Southern California on Monday June 12th to attend the eBay Convention eBay has a fun caravan planned. I will post the details below. If you are driving in that day why not be among the first 100 to meet up for the Caravan and get a free tank of gas and breakfast on eBay!!

The details below come to us from an eBay Staff member involved in setting up this fun event.

============================================
Drive to eBay Live!
June 12, 2006
Time: 8:30 - 11 AM PT
Ontario Mills 76, 4350 Mills Circle, Ontario, Calif.

This year’s eBay Live! is sold out, and promised to be the biggest and best ever. One day prior to the kickoff of eBay Live – on June 12th – Southern California eBay users driving to Las Vegas can take part in a special event – the first ever “Drive to eBay Live!” At this event, the first 100 cars of registered eBay Live! members will receive a free tank of gas for their trek to Vegas!

Here are the two easy steps registered eBay Live! members must do to participate:

1. Go to http://ebaysell.meetup.com/136/
to sign-up and let us know you are coming.
2. At 8:30 am, June 12th, show up with their eBay Live! registration information at the Ontario Mills 76 gas station, adjacent to the Ontario Mills Mall in Ontario. (The station is centrally located at a junction of several interstates (I-10, I-15, I-210 and others) for those coming from various parts of Los Angeles, Orange County, Burbank and San Diego.)

At the event, those participating (both drivers and riders) will also receive a continental breakfast and official “Drive to eBay Live!” car signs. Discount car wash coupons will also be given out.

Participants are asked to begin arriving around 8:30-8:45 a.m. The pumps open to eBay Live! registered attendees at 9:00 a.m. and close at 10:45 a.m. The caravan, led by Christopher Spencer, author of The eBay Entrepreneur and native Southern Californian, departs from the Ontario Mills Mall at approximately 11:00 a.m. PT.

Please keep in mind, this event is only for those eBay users who show proof of registration for eBay Live! 2006, which will be verified by on-site staff before fuel is provided.

Gas for the return trip is the driver’s responsibility. There is no official caravan organized for drive back to Southern California after eBay Live! Note that cars of non-drivers can NOT be left at the gas station or Mills Mall, so arrangements for those carpooling must be made in advance of arriving at the station.

We hope you can join us on June 12th!
eBay

Meet & Greet Party

If you have read the other posts on this blog you know that this year's 4th Annual Meet & Greet party is going to be fabulous! If you have not read about it yet please take the time to read the other posts on this blog about the party and the history of the event.

Just a reminder to all - this years event starts at 7:00 Monday evening June 12th at The Beach - one of the hottest clubs in Las Vegas. The Beach is located accross the street from the original Convention Center and the Hilton. They have their own parking lot for those that are driving. All the cab drivers know where The Beach is and there is also a monorail station right accross the street at the old Convention Center.

The Beach is a hot night club but if you are not a real partier do not let that deter you. We have the club from 7:00 - 10:00 before they open to the general public so you will be in the company of other eBayers...of course some of them will be party animals...LOL.

The first 250 to arrive will receive two free drink tickets when they pick up their name tag and other info.

There will be free appetizers early in the evening.

When you check in you will also receive two different raffle tickets. One is for the grab bag door prize raffle and the other is for the large prize raffle. Be sure to put half of each ticket in the corresponding box so you will be entered in both drawings. See the previous posts about the party to read about the grab bag door prizes.

You do need to be present when your name / number is called. We have a DJ and sound system so you will be able to hear when names /numbers are called. We will likely have a drawing every twenty minutes or so starting around 7:20 or so. We will call a block of names for people to choose a grab bag door prize and then call one name/number from the separate tickets for a large prize. We have some great large prizes this year.

The large prizes include:
$175.00 Gift Certificate to Mandalay Bay Restaurants courtesy of AsWas.
A pair of Helicopter Rides over Las Vegas from DSI.
$200.00 Gift Certificate to the eBay Store Eclectic Connection.
A great Digital Camera from Mpire.
$175.00 Gift Certificate to eBay Store Perpetual Vogue.
$200.00 Prize package from eBay Seller Realestatericher.
A Slingbox from Terapeak.
$300.00 value handcrafted artisan rare burlwood bowl from TheRiversEdge
$200.00 Scrapbooking prize package from eBay Store TheStickerStation

Games:

Our good friend Venisa from TheStickerStation in going to be handling an ice breaker game for the group as soon as the first rush of folks get checked in. It will be a bingo sign off type of game that will get folks talking and networking.

Ongoing during the evening our Moderation team (Carolyn, Rene, Cathy, Frank and Clarissa) will be on the lookout for the 24 party attendees that they feel are "best dressed" to the events Hawaiian Beach style theme. Those 24 attendees will win a Beach Bag style tote bag that will have a Las Vegas Shirt inside and a button commemorating their win. The first few winners that Moderator Carolyn spots over the next couple of days carrying those bags at the Convention will win another prize that she will give them then.

We will have a couple of hula contests with participants chosen from the attendees. The winners of the hula competitions will be awarded a really cool eBay Backpack with another eBay surprise inside.

There will be a guessing game ongoing during the party where participants will be able to list their name and their answer guess on a clipboard. Towards the end of the party we will award prizes to the two closest guesses. The prizes will be the cool eBay Backpacks with another eBay Surprise inside.

We will also have a trivia game and the first two people with the correct answers will win the eBay Backpacks with another eBay Surprise inside.

After the Meet & Greet:
If you want to stay and party down with the general public the club will allow you to do so without paying the cover charge. There are also lots of group members talking about heading over to Fremont Street to party there.

A big thank you to buySAFE for sponsoring the Meet & Greet again this year. Special thanks to all of our large prize sponsors and to all of the eBay Sellers that are contributing Gift Bags for the Door Prize drawing.

See everyone on the 12th at the Meet & Greet!!

Well it is finally June - we are getting close!

Well it is officially June now. The eBay Live Convention is just around the corner.

For the first time in the history of the Convention it is a total Sell Out - eBay officially closed the registration on Tuesday of this week. No more registrations are being accepted and no walk in registrations will be accepted. Rumor has it that this means that more than 15,000 people are registered to attend this annual fun filled Convention.

A few questions we have been receiving lately with their answers:

1. I received my eBay Badge in the mail - do I still have to stand in a line when I get to the Convention the first day?

Yes you do - to receive your badge holder and bag of goodies and info. Typically this is a notebook for taking notes in, an eBay Pen and other info about the convention including a small fold up map and class list for your pocket or to keep in your badge holder for easy access. The lines mover pretty quickly and this is a great first opportunity to speak to other eBayers while you are waiting.

2. Since the convention is sold out can I offer my registration for sale and sell it to someone else?

We have heard from eBay staff that registrations are not transferable.

3. My badge did not arrive - what do I do?

As long as you are really registered you can just bring you registration receipt that you would have printed out after registering with you and they will be able to look you up by your registration number and get you a badge.

4. What is happening Wednesday Night?

There was much speculation on the eBay Discussion Boards - some members were expecting a big surprise event to happen on Wednesday night because there was a big event last year on that corresponding night and because they saw that child care was open that night. There is no big event Wednesday night for all of the convention attendees. It is important to remember that last year in San Jose was special because it was eBay's 10th anniversary - so they pulled out all the stops and took over Great America for the attendees one night. This is not the norm at the convention - normally there is one night when attendees are on their own to do what they please and what better town to do what you please than in Las Vegas! There will be sign ups for Networking Dinners (pay for your own) for those that want to get together with other eBayers to discuss specific topics or categories. You can also easily set up your own group dinner and activities that night with others that you have met and want to spend more time with.

And a few more pictures

Here are a few more fun photos.




Part of the buySAFE team at the Meet & Greet in San Jose. What a great looking group!



Carolyn and Henry at the San Jose Meet & Greet.


Frank at the San Jose Meet & Greet - I think he needs some more pins!


eBay Pink Gianni arrives at the Meet & Greet to preview the new eBay Buttons and is mobbed by adoring fans!



Cathy and Carolyn with Michelle in the background.

Fun Photos from past eBay Live Conventions

With less than a month until eBay Live Las Vegas we thought it would be fun to share some pictures from past conventions.


eBayer Brandi with Uncle Griff
San Jose Convention Center painted eBay Colors
Hey wheres your shoes trippon_on_clutter?
In New Orleans we had the eBay Wedding of Brad & Maggie
The famous wedding dress guy was in New Orleans too.

eBay Charity Auction features eBay Exec.

For you eBayers that can afford to bid this online auction is for lunch with eBay Executive Bill Cobb with proceeds benefiting the Leukemia Foundation.
Here is a link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lunch-with-BILL-COBB-President-eBay-N-America-L-LS_W0QQitemZ6628343817QQcategoryZ16071QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?ViewItem&category=16071&item=6628343817&rd=1&sspagename=WDVW

Thank you eBay for the nice article about the Meet & Greet

The latest issue of the eBay Chatter Newsletter has a very nice article about the Annual Meet & Greet Party.
Here is a link to the story in the Chatter:
http://pages.ebay.com/community/chatter/2006May/memberstory.html

Now that it is officially May we can say that eBay Live is "Next Month"!! It is going to be great to see old friends and meet new ones at the 4th Annual Meet & Greet and during the Convention.

Less than two months to go before the eBay Convention

Wow....hard to believe more than a month has gone by since we last posted. The team has been busy with business and behind the scenes planning for our Group get together - the 4th Annual Meet & Greet Party. From this point onward with less than two months to go until eBay Live we will be posting more often to the blog.

If you have not already registered with eBay to attend the convention here is a link to the page on eBay where you can do so:
http://pages.ebay.com/ebaylive/

Once you register you can sign up for the classes / seminars you would like to take part in. eBay asks you to register ahead of time to help them determine which classes will be the most popular. You will not have to attend the ones you sign up for should you change your mind and want to spend that time elsewhere at the Convention.

Our Group Board on eBay has been a whirlwind of activity with Group Members planning things and sharing ideas. At last check there looked to be a group of members planning a trip to the Las Vegas Neon Bone Yard (the resting place for retired casino neon signs and memoralbilia) Monday afternoon prior to coming to the Meet & Greet Party. Another bunch of folks are planning on meeting up in a bar in the Luxor about 1 1/2 hours before the Meet & Greet and then sharing ride over to the party - they are even considering getting Limos to take them - what fun! Plans for a Ladies Spa Day on Friday after the Convention are also in the works.

Remember the Meet & Greet Moderation Team will be on the look out for party attendees in what we deem to be sporting the most fun Beach/Hawaiian themed garb at the party. 24 winners will be chosen. Those 24 members will each receive a Beach Bag style Bag with a cool Las Vegas Shirt inside. Over the next couple days of the convention if the winners are seen carrying their beach tote bag at the convention by Moderator Carolyn she will give them another fun prize.

Special thanks to group member Yvonna for contributing the fun Beach Tote Bags to the event. To check out Yvonna's eBay Store click on the link below:

http://stores.ebay.com/Yvonnas-Treasures

More past Convention Memories from Group Members

Memories from past eBay Live Conventions from two more eBayers: Poeticsoul2 and divas_attic


From eBay Member Poeticsoul2

Our fondest memory of Ebay Live 2005, our only convention, is the politeness an eagerness of all the paypal and ebay staff to be of assistance anytime, anywhere. We truly have tripled our sales since last years Live and we our in our third month of going for the gold!! Yes, we were inspired a little by the Olympics!

Poeticsoul2 William & Sabrina

To visit William & Sabrina's eBay Store click the logo below:

*******************************



From eBay Member divas-attic

I have met some wonderful People at eBay Lives! In San Jose I met "it-girls" and "jazmer" at the Annual Meet & Greet. They have been great Mentors for me! They encouraged me to start some eBay groups and my groups have really grown in the 6 months since I started them. We cross promote our items. We have made our plans for ebay live - we are planning a party in Las Vegas one evening during the convention. We talk on the phone all the time and send emails on a regular basis to stay in touch.

divas_attic

To visit diva's eBay Store click the logo below:

If you would like to share your memories or experiences from a past eBay Live Convention please email your submission to our Moderation Team of Editors at GoingtoeBayLive@aol.com
By submitting a story you are giving us permission to eidt and post it on this blog.

Past eBay Live Memory from Kaye at gs_ent

Here is another entry in our series of memories from past eBay Live Conventions submitted by a member of the Going to eBay Live 2006 Group on eBay. This story from Kaye in Texas illustrates how lasting friendships between people from very different walks of life and locations are made through the eBay Community Convention. To find out more about Kaye click on the logo link below the story to be taken to her eBay Store. You can also check out her About Me Page on eBay by clicking on the Link to her About Me Page which you can find in her eBay Store.

As my husband, Gary, and I were walking through Great America theme park at eBay Live 2005 in San Jose, an attractive young woman with two small children approached us.
"Are you really eBay Powersellers?" she asked.
I was a little surprised at the question until I realized that both Gary and I were wearing Powerseller t-shirts.
"Yes," we answered.
"I want to be one," she replied.
She then went on to ask what we sold and so on. Her children were getting a little restless so I gave her our card and told her to email me.
When we arrived back home an email was waiting for us. I sent a long email back giving her some ideas and pointers. And so, we have continued to communicate. I am proud of her auctions and her store is better than ours. I know her goal of Powerseller will soon happen.
There is no way our paths would have ever crossed without eBay. I am a middle-aged Texas school teacher - She is young enough to be my daughter and lives in California. Thanks eBay for my new friend.

Kaye Steeno
gs_ent

Click on the Logo below to go to Kaye's eBay Store:

If you have a story you would like to share about a past eBay Live Convention experience please feel free to email it to our team at GoingtoeBayLive@aol.com
Please note that by submitting your story you are giving us permission to edit and post it to the blog. We will be adding a few more stories in the future from those that have been submitted.

Fond Memories from past eBay Live Conventions

We know that many people go to the Convention every year and some people attend for the first time - We thought it would be fun to ask some eBay friends to write a little snippet of something that they found interesting or really enjoyed about a past eBay Live Convention. We will be posting these stories over the next few weeks.

Our first posting comes from our good friend Jim Miller who is known as the friendliest man on eBay. Jim takes a very active part on several groups on eBay and is always there to assist others. Most of our moderation team met Jim in person and became good friends with him at the eBay Live Convention in New Orleans and we have all kept in touch ever since.

For those who would like to find out more about Jim here is a link to his About Me Page on eBay:

Link to Jims About Me Page on eBay


Here is the memory of a past eBay Live contributed by Jim. It is a fond memory he has from the first eBay Live:

eBay Live Stories:

Where do I start?

That first eBay Live (2002) was planned in four months time, so attendees didn't get a years notice like they do now to plan for it. Of course, no one knew what an eBay Live was going to be that first year. They made it sound like it was going to be fun. I love eBay, I love to have fun, my family had never traveled out west, my wife was on her summer break from teaching, my daughter (9) wanted to see Disneyland. So when I asked if we should try to go to eBay Live, I was not surprised to hear yes! It was such a fun family trip seeing a half dozen national parks, Las Vegas, and Disneyland. I got to spend time with my family at Disneyland for two days before the convention, then it was all about eBay Live.

That first eBay Live was so special. It was so small in comparison to the ones held since, so you really got to interact with the eBay employees. PayPal held their own party and that was a lot of fun as well. There was a little tension in the air between PayPal and eBay, and I remember thinking, "What will I do if eBay gets rid of PayPal?" Thankfully four months later they purchased PayPal.

Meg Whitman was so accessible at the first eBay Live. The first night I wandered up to a small group that was around her, and waited a few minutes to get her to sign her card. While waiting I read on the back of her card that she was a trout fisherman. Well being a wildlife officer and fisherman, I thought I would bring that up in our conversation. Thinking all the time, she really isn't a trout fisherman. So I get my chance, introduce myself, tell her I am a wildlife officer from Tennessee, and that I notice she is a trout fisherman. "What is your favorite trout fly?" Thinking if she really isn't a trout fisherman, there is no way she could come up with one of those crazy names they have for trout flies. Well without hesitating a second she says, "The Chernobyl Ant." Well being only a novice trout fisherman myself, I had never even heard of it! I guess she showed me! She went on to tell me that her husband was from Sweetwater, TN, which is a very small rural town just up the road a ways from me. I was so impressed with her. She really is a terrific person. I ended up finding one of those "Chernobyl Ants" at the West Laramie Fly Shop in Laramie, WY on the way home and gave it to her the next year at eBay Live. It was a nice red and black one that I pinned next to the red and black logo on my jimwarden polo shirt. I got a lot of questions and comments about it the next year. "What is that on your shirt?" "Hey, you have a big bug on your shirt!" It brought a lot of attention to my logo which was a good thing.

I could go on and on, about how I learned lessons from the first eBay Live that enabled me to be more effective in maximizing the short time you have to interact with eBay and other sellers during eBay Live. I came home after that first eBay Live fired up, and quickly ramped up my sales to make power seller status for the first time since 1998 when I sold dozens of $200 to $1000 beanie babies. I have built a network of eBay friends from each succeeding eBay Live which includes eBay/PayPal employees, eBay sellers, eBay solution providers, and eBay writers. These friends make eBay a more personal place for me than it was before that first eBay Live. These friends help me with eBay nearly everyday, with knowledge and moral support. They even understand when I take a break from eBay. I am sure glad I made the effort to make it to that first eBay Live.

Jim

Thank you for sharing Jim....we are pleased and proud that you consider us part of your eBay friends.

If you would like to contribute a memory or story about a past eBay Live Convention for possible publishing on the blog please email your story to GoingtoeBayLive@AOL.com. Keep in mind that by sending a post you are giving us permission to post / publish it to the blog.

Special Group Rate at The Luxor for eBay Live

Okay Gang....you all asked for it so here it is:

Great News! We now have a Group Hotel Rate available for the Going to eBay Live 2006 Group at the Luxor Hotel thanks to the assistance of our in town Travel Specialist Babs.

The Luxor is directly next door to Mandalay Bay with fast and easy tram service between the two properties.

Our Rates are $89.00 a night for Sunday - Thursday and $149.00 a night for Friday & Saturday (for those wanting to stay over after the convention). There will be a 9% Nevada Hotel Tax added to the rates. You can book whatever number of nights you choose for the dates between June 11th - June 17th (Sunday - Saturday night).

To get this rate call the Luxor directly at 1-800-288-1000. You will need to give them our Group Rate code which is TGTEL.

We have a limited number of rooms available in this block so grab them while they are still available.

Information on our Las Vegas Specialist and other things to do in Las Vegas

As we have mentioned on our eBay Group Discussion Board we have been working with a wonderful “in town” Las Vegas Travel Specialist for the last several months. Her name is Babs and Moderator Frank introduced us to her. She has been absolutely fabulous. She helped us negotiate the pricing for the contract for the Meet & Greet Venue – her assistance enabled us to get a contract price that our Sponsor was willing to cover the cost of at one of the hottest places in town – The Beach! The 4th Annual Meet & Greet is going to be our best yet – thanks to Babs for her assistance with setting this up.

Being an “in town” Las Vegas Specialist Babs has the resources to put together lots of excursion packages. We know that many of you will be bringing family along who may not be interested in spending their days at the convention – or perhaps you are coming a couple days early or staying over a few days to play after eBay Live. The Las Vegas area has lots of great things to do besides gambling so you may want to get some info now to plan other fun excursions for while you are there in June. Below is some info from Babs about excursions and tours that she can set up for you along with her email address and telephone number. Please contact her directly to get more info and pricing. When you call or email her just mention that you are part of the Going to eBay Live Group and that you want some info on optional tours and excursions. By the way Babs has set up a fabulous Group Hotel Rate for our members at a great hotel near the convention. Check the Blog postings later today for that info.

Here is Babs Info:


Discover Adventure Everywhere in Thanks Babs The Day Tripper “Stay and Play Packages” before, during and after the eBay convention in Las Vegas.

Thanks Babs invites you, your family and friends to “Meet the Desert” and experience it all, indoor excitement, outdoor enlightenment in a world class destination with outstanding recreational opportunities, scenic wonders, historical and cultural sites and nonstop entertainment, shopping and dining.

A city of imagination that is constantly reinventing itself, stay and play in Las Vegas and beyond the glitter and gambling of the strip, an activity for everyone, every age and every budget.

A wide selection of adventure and sightseeing tours awaits you. Share the breathtaking beauty from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Colorado River, Death Valley, Red Rock National Conservation Area, Valley of Fire, Gold Mines, Ghost Town and more; all just a few short hours from the strip.

• Full day adventure tours to the Grand Canyon West Rim.
• Unique fun-filled eco-adventure tours
• Hiking Backcountry, Red Rock Canyon Calico Tanks and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
• Mountain Biking Bootleg Canyon and Cottonwood Valley Trail
• Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing, Floating or a Lake Mead Cruise, surrounded by rugged canyon walls and white sandy beaches
• Horseback Riding and Trail Rides in Red Rock Canyon
• Drive-Yourself Audio Tours
• ATV Adventure and Gold Mine Tour
• Rock Climbing Aztec Sandstone in Red Rock Canyon
• Wedding and Commitment Ceremonies
• Helicopter and Plane Flights
• Off Road Jeep Tours
• Golf Packages
• Shopping and Spa Packages
• Extended Tours to Zion, Bryce and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Rural Nevada
• Transfers to and from the airport

See the rest of Las Vegas during your next visit, let Thanks Babs “The Day Tripper” arrange those priceless memories.
Babs Daitch
Email: thanksbabstours@aol.com
Phone: 702- 370-6961

Pin Company Offers Special Pricing to Group Members

Yesterday I sent a link to our Blog over to Tom at Customized Memories. I received a nice email from him this morning offering our Group Members some special pricing for anyone that wants to have personal / company pins made to hand out at the convention. These are very nice quality metal pins. They also make a nice add on gift to customers when shipping larger orders.

When contacting them be sure to tell them you are with the eBay Group to get the special prices.

Here is a link to their web site and beneath that you will see the the special prices:

http://www.customizedmemories.com

Custom pins:


specs-
up to 3 colors, gold plated, clear Epoxy Dome, stock shape pin up to 1-1/4"(600+ shapes to choose from)

100 lot 2.25 each
250 lot 1.35 each
500 lot .99 each

Specials good for all orders received on or before 5/5/06.

Here is the rest of their contact information:

Thomas Hunt
Customized Memories
Toll Free: 1-866-385-7467
ph:978-667-4446
fax:978-667-4406

Trading Pins at eBay Live

We have received emails and posts on the eBay Group Board asking us about the Trading Pins at the convention.

I decided to post some info here about that.

For the last several years eBay has made colorful trading pins to give out at each eBay Live Convention. They are typically category related and/or year related. There is always quite a frenzy with folks wanting to collect the entire set. Some are rarer than others and are in a more limited quantity so you will see people on the convention floor trading with each other to complete their sets. Here is a photo of some eBay pins from previous years:


The vendors / solutions providers have even gotten into the act over the last couple of years and many of them have pins too. Here are a couple from some of my favorite Solutions Providers:


I have also always liked the fun one that Wiley Publishing http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/ gives out with the nerdy looking guy on them from the "Dummies" series of books.


For the last few years Wiley has had Marsha Collier at their booth to autograph her books and chat with eBayers. Marsha is the well known author of the eBay for Dummies series of books. She is a very entertaining writer and speaker. By the way Marsha has a great web site with lots of info about eBay tools and tips. You can visit it at http://www.coolebaytools.com/.

For eBay Live 2005 buySAFE took Pin Collecting to the next level in two different ways. First they had custom made Name Tag Pins to commemorate the Meet & Greet Party that attendees could write their name on. Here is what one looked like:

Secondly they made Pin Trading a way to win big cash prizes at the convention. Over the course of the convention attendees tried to collect a whole series of buySAFE pins and those that completed the sets won cash prizes. buySAFE gave out the first pin of the set at the Meet and Greet Party so party attendees got a head start on the game and bettered their chances of winning the big cash prizes. Here are what some of those buttons / pins looked like:


On my way to eBay Live 2004 in New Orleans I was sitting next to Jay from the dynamic eBay duo JayandMarie on the flight from Los Angeles. He showed me the pins they decided to have made to give out at the convention. They were wicked cool. Jay came by the Meet & Greet in New Orleans towards the end of the evening and handed out some of the pins to attendees there. I decided then and there that I wanted to have pins made up for my web site / eBay Store to give out at the 2005 Convention in San Jose.

In early May of 2005 I started my search online for a company to make my pins. I wanted a company that could meet my time frame and made great quality pins at a decent price. I am in California but ended up going with a company in Massachusetts because their customer service impressed me. They did a fabulous job with my order. I need to go check my inventory of pins to see what I have left but if I need more I will certainly be using this company again. I had emails from a couple of readers asking who I had used so I will post their info here:

Customized Memories
http://www.customizedmemories.com/

Here is what the pin they made for me looks like:


I cannot quote pricing for them but do recall that pin pricing depends somewhat on how detailed you want your pins and how many colors are involved. For my purposes Black and white with enamel and gold trim worked well. Customized Memories had what I considered to be good pricing, great follow up and fast delivery. I would suugest that if you are considering having pins made that you make them one of the companies you talk with.

How did the Meet & Greet Party get started??

Just how did the Annual Meet & Greet Party come to be?

This year in Las Vegas will be the 4th Annual Meet & Greet Party that our Group puts together for the eBay Community.

How the first party came to be and evolved is a true testament to the friendliness and true "Community Spirit" of the eBay Community. Back in early 2003 (the second year eBay held a convention) an eBay user named Ginny posted a thread to the eBay Live Discussion Board asking if there were any other female eBayers going to Orlando on their own - since she was going alone she was hoping to meet a gal to have dinner with the first night and possibly network with at the convention. She was quite surprised at the number of ladies that responded to the thread and within days the eBay Live Ladies Dinner Group came to be on the discussion board. Two of the moderators of our current group were among those gals the first year. Carolyn who was flying into Orlando from Ohio offered to pick up Clarissa and a couple of other gals that were flying in from Southern California from the Orlando airport - even though she had never met them before. To this day Carolyn and Clarissa have been roommates at every convention since as they became such good friends in Orlando.

The group of gals became quite friendly on the discussion board over the couple of months prior to the 2003 convention. We expected about 25 or so ladies to meet in the hotel bar the night before the convention started. When that night arrived we had closer to 50 gals there over the course of the evening and it was like old home week. People had brought gifts for each other and many made life long friends. We even let a couple of guys crash the party and everyone had a great time. A film maker who was planning a movie about eBay even came by and interviewed many of the ladies. It was the most amazing thing - people that came to a convention alone now spent the next three days of the convention running into friends around every corner. Many people went to classes together and every night many continued to meet to go to dinner.

We decided that we had to keep this going every year as it was a great way to start off the convention - so for 2004 in New Orleans we contacted the Ambassador Hotel http://www.ambassadorneworleans.com/ and arranged to have our Annual Meet & Greet (which was now a co-ed party) in their bar. The Hotel bar was fabulous to us and even supplied free appetizers over the course of the evening. That year we started our Sellers Grab Bags / Door Prizes tradition. Any interested seller brings gifts in gift bags to be given out in a drawing. The seller's most often contribute something that they sell (but it could be any nice little gift) and include their business cards in the gift bag. It is a great ice breaker and a way to get to know fellow sellers and just about everyone seems to win a prize. The New Orleans party was a great hit - we had 150 or so people in and out over the course of the evening before everyone headed off in smaller group down to Bourbon Street. The moderation team had brought hundreds of Mardi Gras Beads to the party for everyone in attendance and part way through the evening a vehicle with eBay employees came by and dropped off even more beads for attendees. By the time we hit Bourbon Street late that night we were all stylin!

We knew that for eBay Live 2005 in eBay's home town of San Jose we had to make it an even bigger party. Several months ahead of time three of the Group Moderation Team, Rene, Carolyn and Clarissa went to San Jose to do two things - one: to find a great location for the party and two: to find a great hotel to set up Group Rates with. We had gotten a list of hotels to check out from a friendly eBay staffer who lived in the area. When we walked into the Paragon Bar http://www.paragonrestaurant.com/sjbar.htm at the Hotel Montgomery http://www.jdvhospitality.com/hotels/hotel/295 in November of 2004 we knew we had found the place for our party. The ambiance was perfect as was the location. Then we saw the gorgeous hotel rooms and knew we had the perfect location for party and hotel. We contacted the bar management right away and got our party booked. Moderator Rene then worked with the Hotel management to set up Group rates at the hotel and at the Montgomery's sister hotel for our group.

We were pleased and proud to have buySAFE come on as our Event Sponsor in 2005. They agreed to pay for / supply two drink tickets for the first 150 party attendees and they had very cool name badges custom made for the party. An added benefit was that party attendees received the first pin needed to become a winner in the buySAFE game at that years convention which gave them a real edge on winning big money.

The 2005 party was great! We had several hundred people in attendance including eBay sellers (small and large) from all over the world, eBay buyers, eBay Staffers, Paypal Employees, Solutions Providers, Voices members, PESA members and probably more than a few folks that came in off the street to see what all the noise was about. What a great way to start networking with others before the convention starts and have a great time. Auctionbytes even covered the event for their site. The number of grab bags was amazing. Just about every one of the hundreds of party attendees won a prize. The only glitch was that we had forgotten to request a sound system / microphone so a couple of us lost our voices yelling out winners names over the crowd. Thanks to new Moderator Frank for stepping in with his booming voice. Many attendees had even had trading pins made so that the pin trading began in 2005 even before the convention got started. A member of the eBay Community relations team came by and showed attendees a preview of what the collectors pins for the convention would be to get the excitement started.

We started working on logistics for the 2006 Meet & Greet Party right after eBay Live 2005. We wanted to have a huge party in a place that was not right inside a casino so that the place would be "all ours" for the party. While in Las Vegas for a different Convention two of our Moderators, Cathy and Clarissa saw "The Beach" http://www.beachlv.com/ across the street from the old Convention Center. They had seen it advertised on hotel T.V.'s as "the" Hot Vegas Night Spot, it had won the "Best Night Club of the Year" review and it sounded like a fun place. They went over to speak with the management there and started working on a deal. We are very thankful to buySAFE for their continued sponsorship. In order to have our party in a venue for ourselves the venue has to be paid for. buySAFE is being tremendously generous this year. They are picking up the complete tab for the venue use , security, a sound system, DJ, paying for two drinks for the first 250 attendees through the door and lots of appetizers early in the evening. We are also grateful to our "in town" Vegas specialist Babs who helped pull the contracts together for the venue (You will hear more about Babs later). There will be lots of games this year , our annual grab bags and drawings for big prizes. We have many big prizes this year from eBay Store owners and from Solutions Providers....everything from Shopping Sprees in eBay Stores to Helicopter Rides over Las Vegas. As an added bonus "The Beach" has agreed to let our party attendees stay on after the Meet & Greet if they like rather than having to pay the normal cover charge for the club when it opens to the partying public at 10:00. The Beach is located across the street from the original Convention Center (not Mandalay Bay) and the Hilton. There is a tram station right across the street for those wanting to use Public Transportation.

Check this blog often as new info about the Meet & Greet Party, the eBay Live Convention and all things eBay related will be posted.

Going to the eBay Live Convention Blog

This Blog is about going to the Annual eBay Live Convention. It is written and moderated by the Moderation Team from the Going to eBay Live Group on eBay who put on the Annual pre-convention party each year - The Sellers Meet & Greet.

Questions people may have

What is the eBay Live Convention? The eBay Live Convention is the annual eBay Convention that brings together over 10,000 eBay users each year.

When is it? June 13th - 15th, 2006

Where is it? Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

What happens there?

A multitude of things:

A large Solutions Center Expo Floor where Solutions Providers from companies that have products such as Auction Management Systems, Shipping Solutions, Advertising Solutions and Publishers is open to attendees - this is a great way to meet face to face with representatives from many companies to determine which companies offer the services that are best suited to help you grow your online business. The Expo Floor is also the place to be to pick up freebies, win prizes and network with fellow eBayers.

Classes, Round Tables & Seminars - A large number of classes and seminars are offered at all different levels to inform and assist community members in growing their business or just learning about eBay overall.

Networking, Networking, Networking! Just about anyone that has attended in the past will tell you that you can learn more from just talking to other eBayers than anything else. Well...where else are you going to find 10,000 like minded people most of whom are happy to talk to you and share some tips.

Parties and Entertainment - It has been said that eBay Live is one big party. Having attended all of them so far we have to agree....it is an absolute great time. Each year there are eBay sponsored events on a couple of the evenings including a large gala party on the closing night.

How do I register and how much does it cost? eBay will open registration on their site on February 24th. The cost is usually between $50.00 - $70.00 depending on when you register.

Whats the best way to get started with the festivities?

Of course we believe that the best party of all takes place the night before the Convention even starts - The Annual Sellers Meet & Greet Party. This is not an eBay sponsored event (though we do see many eBay employees in attendance each year - they like to socialize with community members) but an event that a group of us starting doing each year four years ago in Orlando. It is a fun way to start the Convention off by meeting other eBayers in a social environment. Lots of people go to the convention alone and it is a fun way to make friends before the convention starts or to see old friends that you know from the Community Discussion Forums. In 2005 and again in 2006 the Party is sponsored by buySAFE (www.buySAFE.com). They are picking up the tab for our venue, a DJ , some early evening appetizers and two free drinks for the first 250 people to arrive. There will be contests, games and lots of prizes along with the annual sellers grab bag give away. Many Solutions Providers and eBay Stores will be giving out great prizes such as shopping sprees, helicopter rides over Las Vegas etc.  Check out the posts that follow this one for more information and details.