Why do I have to pay?

In AA, a conference or convention is an important opportunity to share the AA experience in a broad way. There are many AA conferences held around the world.

One of the most common misconceptions of these gatherings is that they are AA meetings, and since “There are no dues or fees for AA membership…” there should be no fees to attend.

Conventions and conferences are special events, not regular meetings. Conventions require months of planning, preparation, and money to present.

Since most events, such as ours, are held in hotels or convention centers, there is a charge for the use of these facilities and, as responsible AA members, “we pay our own way.”

Our contractual commitment to the hotel requires us to guarantee a minimum number of hotel rooms and banquet sales. We are also charged for coffee service throughout the weekend.

Other expenses include travel and lodging for conference speakers, printing of flyers and schedules, postage and supplies.

This convention is self-supporting; no AA group monies are used to pay for this event. The cost of the event is paid through your registration fee, hotel reservation and meals purchased. Our financial goal is to break even; therefore we ask your help in meeting this goal by booking rooms in the hotel and buying meal packages.

We hope you agree the overall cost is nominal compared to the weekend's worth of fellowship, fun, entertainment and recovery you will experience