Your First AA Convention: Questions to Ask Before Registering
A convention invitation can sound like a bigger version of your usual meeting. It may involve a programme across several rooms, registration, travel and choices about how long to stay. Read the particular event's information before making plans around what happened at somebody else's convention.
Verify the event and its programme
Start with the organiser's current information. Confirm the dates, venue and registration route, especially when an old event page still appears in search results. AA's guidelines on conferences and conventions provide background on organising these gatherings.
Read what kinds of sessions are planned and who can attend each one. If the programme includes participation from another fellowship, check its description separately. A large shared venue does not mean every session has the same purpose or visitor arrangements.
Calculate the costs you are actually accepting
Check the registration price and its terms, then list transport, accommodation and food separately. Look for clear information about cancellation, transfers and optional activities. Ask the organiser about a missing detail before paying.
AA membership has no dues or fees, while a special event may charge registration to meet its costs. Our meeting-cost guide explains that distinction. You can decide an event is outside your budget without treating that decision as a statement about your commitment to recovery.
Choose a manageable programme
Look at the schedule and pick a few sessions you want to attend. Leave time to find rooms, eat and take breaks. If you are going with friends, discuss whether you will follow the same programme or meet at agreed times.
You don't have to fill every gap. A shorter visit may suit you better than a whole weekend. Keep transport information accessible and know how you will leave independently if plans change. Check access arrangements directly if a venue feature matters to your attendance.
Read the privacy guidance
Look for the organiser's instructions about photographs, recordings, name badges and online sharing. AA's anonymity information remains relevant when the room contains many people. Don't assume everyone is comfortable appearing in a picture because they attended a publicised event.
Ask before taking or posting a photograph with identifiable attendees. If somebody shares a personal story, hearing it does not give you permission to reproduce it online. You can describe your own attendance without identifying other members or telling their experiences for them.
Keep souvenirs separate from participation
If there are vendors or event keepsakes, read what each item actually is. A convention souvenir can mark the gathering; a numbered sobriety coin marks the milestone selected for its recipient. The two dates need not be connected.
Our AA chip history guide offers background to token traditions. You can be interested in that history without buying a souvenir at every event. If you choose a medallion, confirm the design and sobriety time instead of selecting whatever year happens to be pictured.
Medallions to consider
These are store AA anniversary medallions, not merchandise from a particular convention. Choose them only for a confirmed personal sobriety milestone and check the selector; no event admission or fellowship affiliation is included.
Tricolor Jet Black Diamond Sparkle (1-50y)
Annual options from 1 year to 50 years. Use the Sobriety Time selector on the product page to choose the actual milestone; this catalog photograph shows a sample year.
Tricolor Jet Black (24h, 1-50y)
Annual options from 1 year to 50 years; also 24 hours and 18 months. Use the Sobriety Time selector on the product page to choose the actual milestone; this catalog photograph shows a sample year.
Common questions
Do I need to attend a convention to belong in AA?
No. Convention attendance is an optional event choice, separate from membership.
Does registration always include meals or a hotel?
Don't assume so. Check the specific event's current package and terms.
Is a convention coin the same as my sobriety-year coin?
Not necessarily. Check what the design commemorates and choose a personal milestone separately.
Keep reading
If you want to choose a personal AA sobriety keepsake, browse Elite Medallions and Deluxe Coins. Review the design, milestone selector and current product details before ordering.
