Elite Retreat Free Entry Pass: The 2007 Contest and Cheaper Ways In

The Elite Retreat was a small, premium internet marketing and blogging event where attendees spent a couple of days with well-known bloggers and marketers. In March 2007 one lucky reader could win a free entry pass. This post keeps that story and shares practical ways to get into blogging and marketing events for free or for less today.

Quick answer: The Elite Retreat was a high-priced, small-group event for bloggers and online business owners, with a $4,950 pass in 2007. ProBlogger ran a contest for one free ticket, which closed on 14 March 2007. Today the cheapest routes into similar events are volunteering, scholarships, contests, speaking, or low-cost community events such as WordCamps.

The Elite Retreat free ticket contest (2007)

The Elite Retreat was back on March 19-20, 2007 in San Francisco, California, promising to take your business to another level by helping you optimise your business structure. If you could not afford the premium fee of $4,950, you could try to win a free entry pass.

Darren Rowse announced the free Elite Retreat ticket offer on ProBlogger. To enter, you had to email your contact details and your answer to one question: why should a legitimate business need to worry about branding? Entrants also had to be ready to book flights and hotels straight away, since the event was less than a week off.

The deadline was 14 March 2007 at 12:00pm CST. The prize meant time with a strong line-up of speakers:

• Jeremy “Shoemoney” Schoemaker
• Guy Kawasaki
• Kris Jones
• Lee Dodd
• Aaron Wall
• Neil Patel
• Darren Rowse

Update: Wendy from Emoms at Home won the free ticket.

Why the Elite Retreat format stood out

Most conferences put hundreds of people in a hall to watch talks. The Elite Retreat sold the opposite: a small group, direct access to experts, and time to discuss your own projects. That is why it cost so much. The same idea lives on today in mastermind groups, paid coaching cohorts and small-group workshops. Many of those 2007 speakers, like Neil Patel and Darren Rowse, still teach online marketing and blogging through their own sites.

How to get a free or cheaper conference pass today

Premium events still charge high fees, but there are honest ways to attend for less:

• Volunteer. Many conferences give free passes to volunteers who help with registration or room hosting for part of the day.
• Apply for scholarships or diversity tickets. Check the event website’s ticket page; some events set aside free or reduced passes.
• Enter contests. Like the 2007 Elite Retreat contest, organisers and sponsors still give away tickets through blogs, newsletters and social media. Read the rules: travel and hotel are usually not included.
• Speak. Accepted speakers normally attend for free. Pitch a talk based on your real results.
• Use early-bird and group pricing. Buying early or with colleagues is often much cheaper.
• Start with community events. WordCamps are low-cost, volunteer-run WordPress events held around the world. We shared our own lessons from WordCamp.

Also, watch out for fake “free ticket” offers that ask for payment details or personal information beyond what a contest needs.

Is the Elite Retreat still running?

We could not find a current Elite Retreat event, so treat it as a 2000s-era event. For bloggers today, online courses, community meetups and niche conferences cover the same ground. If you are new to the jargon you will hear at these events, our blogging terms glossary helps. You may also enjoy our look at the women bloggers who inspired us around the same time.

FAQ

What was the Elite Retreat?

A small, premium event where bloggers and online business owners spent a couple of days with well-known internet marketers to work on their own projects.

How much did the Elite Retreat cost?

The pass was worth $4,950 in 2007, not counting travel and hotel.

Who won the free Elite Retreat ticket?

Wendy from Emoms at Home won the 2007 free ticket contest.

How can I attend a blogging conference for free?

Volunteer, apply to speak, look for scholarship tickets, or enter official ticket giveaways. Low-cost community events like WordCamps are a good start.