Possible AA Convention in 2011
Representatives of most of the local secular groups in Iowa met last night in Des Moines with Ed Buckner, president of American Atheists. While Ed stated he is still in negotiations with two Des Moines hotels, it’s a 95-98% certainty that the convention will be in Des Moines. We’ve even beat out Las Vegas, HA! We will likely know within the next couple days if the certainty reaches 100%, but definitely soon.
The convention will likely bring around 300-400 people to Des Moines, and maybe more depending on which speakers they can get to confirm. The AA convention is always Easter weekend, so it would be late April 2011.
Mr. Buckner looked forward to collaborating with all the local groups, using the local groups to help promote the convention, but also looked forward to helping out the local groups as much as possible to increase the awareness of the secular community around the state. He was encouraged by the fact that we had about 30 people there last night to meet with him, which bodes well for Iowa.
It’s obvious this will be a big boost for both the Iowa Secularists, and all the local groups. We can play active roles in promotion of the AA convention, as well as our own groups by manning booths at the convention, or coordinating with all the local groups to fill out the necessary volunteer spots that will be needed.
Exciting times are ahead and the IS looks forward to participating in this collaboration!
Scott Fedler
Chair, Iowa Secularists