2025 International Convention Celebrating AA’s 90th Anniversary
By Judy F.
As the 2025 A.A. International Convention is right around the corner I thought it might be helpful to post some information on special sessions to be brought to those in the fellowship who will not be attending.
If you have never had the experience of attending an International Convention it can be exhilarating on one hand and overwhelming on the other. Those of you who know me will understand when I say 10,000 people all clustered in one location is not my idea of fun, until... those 10,000 people join hands and say the Lord’s Prayer to close a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.
So you don’t miss out on the opportunity to share in that experience and hear the three main speaker meetings of the convention you can purchase the 2025 Big Meeting Package for $15.00. Purchase now and receive access to MP3s all three Big Meeting sessions: Opening Flag Ceremony and Big Meeting; Oldtimers Big Meeting; Closing Big Meeting. 2025ic.sclivelearningcenter.com/MVSite/MVSpecialOffer.aspx
The convention is also offering a Virtual Program Track. There will be eight sessions, including topics such as, “Unity: The Most Cherished Quality,” and “Online Meetings, Are We Hiding Behind Our Screens?,” Will be live-streamed as they take place and will not be available for purchase after the convention. Want to watch with a group? You can purchase a group viewing option with discounted rates, as well as individual registration. The Virtual Session Program Track:
- Friday, July 4th: 9am – 10:30am PDT
- AA Around the World Call Up
- Friday, July 4th: 11am – 12:30pm PDT
- Online Meetings Hiding Behind Screen
- Friday, July 4th: 1pm – 2:30pm PDT
- Unity: Most Cherished Quality
- Friday, July 4th: 3pm – 4:30pm PDT
- Living Sober
- Saturday, July 5th: 9am – 10:30am PDT
- AA Around the World Call Up
- Saturday, July 5th: 11am – 12:30pm PDT
- H.A.L.T.
- Saturday, July 5th: 1pm – 2:30pm PDT
- Intensive Work With Other Alcoholics
- Saturday, July 5th: 3pm – 4:30pm PDT
- Celebrate Sobriety
Following is the price for group watch parties: A Group and Information Gathering Watch party coordinator must register and pay a 2025 IC Virtual Program Session Track registration fee based on a tiered number of watch party attendees as follows:
- 6-20 attendees = $200.00 (USD)
- 21-30 attendees = $300.00 (USD)
- 31-40 attendees = $400.00 (USD)
- 41-50 attendees = $500.00 (USD)
2025ic.wufoo.com/forms/z3724db1c8ztax/
The history of the International Conventions is interesting in that they now take place every five years and marks the anniversary of Bill W.’s first meeting with Dr. Bob and the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935. But in 1945 members began to get together in large meetings, first locally with one-day programs, then among several towns in an area and then eventually regionally with week-end conferences. (The first being in Birmingham, Alabama 1945).
The first national meeting was in 1945, hosted by the 44 Cleveland groups on June 9th-10th. People attended from 36 states, two Canadian provinces and Mexico. Cleveland did not announce it as an “International Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous” because in 1945 alcoholism was still a hush-hush word, not to be mentioned in polite company. AA had been struggling to become established in many parts of the country so to hold a Convention of alcoholics was a presumptuous and fearsome thing to do. Cleveland mailed an announcement to all groups saying they would be hosting the most significant meeting in the 10-year history... the milestone is to be commemorated in Cleveland, Ohio. Bill and Dr. Bob were the main speakers. They spoke to a crowd of over 2,500, “the largest crowd of AA’s ever assembled in one place.”
As we celebrate AA’s 90th anniversary as well as the 14th International Convention, I hope we all take the opportunity to reflect on our own sobriety and give thanks to those who have come before us. For, it is in the mistakes that were made in the beginning and the established traditions we follow today, that Alcoholics Anonymous still thrives and allows us to carry the message to the “alcoholic who still suffers.”