Success seminar to clog uptown roads today

Flashing signs on I-77 have been warning drivers for days of major traffic expected uptown this morning. It's not a Bobcats or Panthers game. It's not even a parade or street festival. WFAE's Julie Rose has more. Believe it or not, all the fuss is over a motivational seminar. But it's likely to draw as many people to the Uptown arena as an average Bobcats game last season. Some 15,000 seekers of the secret to success are expected to converge just as rush hour hits Charlotte. City transportation officials say there will be major traffic jams. The last time a Get Motivated Business Seminar came to Charlotte, 13,678 people attended. Company founder Tamara Lowe says attendance at seminars nationwide has been up since the recession started. "I think that really is the recognition that people have that they need to do something to counterbalance all the bad news that we're hearing in society," says Lowe. But Lowe says the recession hasn't been quite as good for the money-making side of Get Motivated. The day-long seminars typically break even, with people paying just a few dollars to attend. Lowe says the profits come when attendees buy other services like corporate training packages after the seminar. Those were some of the first expenses companies cut when the economy turned dow