“A Vision for You”
2010 International Convention
Frequently Asked Questions
(provided by the International Convention desk @ AAWS, February 2009)
Registration, Hotels, Transportation, and Volunteering
The
2010 International Convention will celebrate A.A.’s 75th Anniversary,
July 1-4, in San Antonio, Texas. Members of the Fellowship, as always,
are now gearing up for this wonderful event and the General Service
Office is beginning to receive inquiries. So here are some answers to
the most frequently asked questions regarding the Convention.
More information will be available in Box 4-5-9 and on G.S.O.’s Web site, www.aa.org.
The Web site will be updated as more information becomes available.
All necessary information will be included in the registration packet,
which will be mailed in August. This packet will also provide Web
sites and special telephone numbers to consult for answers to specific
questions about housing, the meeting program, tours, etc.
Registration
Q When will registration forms be available?
A
Registration forms and housing information will be mailed in August
of 2009 to all G.S.R.s, Central Offices and Inter-groups and
international G.S.O.s.
Q What about on-site registration?
A On-site registration will be set up in the Convention Center. Registration will open on Wednesday morning, June 30, 2010.
Q Will I be able to register over the Internet?
A Yes. There will be links to forms for registration and to sign up for housing from the A.A. G.S.O. Web site.
Q How much will registration cost?
A Registration fees will be established this year.
Q Must everyone register? I thought I didn’t have to pay to go to an A.A. event.
A
Yes. Everyone must register. Attendance at this special celebration
is voluntary and, as responsible A.A. members, “we pay our own way.”
The International Convention is paid for by those A.A.s who participate
in it.
Q Can travel agents register groups or individuals?
A Payments from travel agencies to register groups will not be accepted. Individuals must register themselves.
Housing
Q When can I reserve my hotel room?
A Once you have registered, you will be able to sign up for housing.
Q What are the main hotels?
A
The headquarter hotels will be within walking distance of the Henry
B. Gonzalez Convention Center and the Alamodome and are yet to be
determined.
Q Can members contact hotels directly?
A No. To make the process as fair as possible, all housing requests will be processed through the official Housing Bureau.
Q Will there be a hotel room lottery?
A
No. Because of the large number of hotel rooms available in the
downtown core of San Antonio, we will not have a hotel room lottery
system for this Convention. This means that rooms will be assigned on
a first-come, first-served basis. In September you can reserve a room
electronically or by paper concurrent with registration, and you will
know where you are staying when you have completed the housing process.
Q If 50 of us are coming together from the same area, can we be in the same hotel?
A
We do make an effort to accommodate group housing requests. There
is a separate procedure for this to ensure fairness while trying to
meet your needs. Contact the G.S.O. International Convention
Coordinator, in June 2010.
Q Can travel agents make room reservations?
A
Room reservations can only be made in individual people’s names.
Rooms available through the Housing Bureau, at specially negotiated
Convention rates, are not commissionable to travel agents.
Transportation
Q Will local transportation be available?
A
Of the 10,000 rooms A.A. has in its block, nearly 8,000 rooms are
in downtown San Antonio, so many members will be within walking
distance or a short ride on public transportation from their
accommodations. There will also be a shuttle system in place for
Convention attendees. All housing blocked for this event is less than
a 30-minute ride from the Convention Center and Stadium.
Q What about special airline rates?
A
As at other International Conventions, there will be special fares
available. That information will be available with the August 2009
registration information mailing.
Q Where can I find information about crossing the border into the U.S. for this event?
A
If you are coming from abroad you may need a visa. For specific,
accurate and up-to-date information about visas and travel to the U.S.,
visit the United States Department of State Web site www.travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html.
The site shares that most Canadian citizens and many citizens of
countries in the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP) do not need a
visa. However, you will need a machine readable passport valid for at
least 90 days past your date of departure.
The VWP
countries are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
If you do not come from a
VWP country you must obtain a non-immigrant visa. Plan ahead; it may
take six months to receive a non-immigrant visa, depending on the
demand in your country.
Volunteering
Q How can I volunteer to help at the Convention?
A
It has been said that International Convention volunteers are like
greeters at an A.A. meeting room door, except they are greeting 50,000
people. This wonderful event will need a host committee of 3,000 to
4,000 volunteers to welcome members from around the globe.
That
being said, at this point there is very little activity for
volunteers. The structure of the local host committee is being put in
place. In January of 2010, we will hold a volunteer kickoff event in
San Antonio to begin gathering names of A.A. members interested in
volunteering. Please keep tuned to www.aa.org for future bulletins.
We hope to see you in San Antonio to celebrate 75 years of carrying the message of Alcoholics Anonymous!
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