"Sobriety Under The Sun" AA Convention in Puerto Vallarta Sobriety Under The Sun
August 2, 2012

Welcome to The Recovery Community in Puerto Vallarta and the Banderas Bay Area.

Year after year, we keep having a great weekend of sobriety, fellowship and fun under the sun. Hope you can attend on January 18-20, 2013.

This year's theme is "Freedom From Bondage!" and is our 11th annual convention, once again promising to be another memorable weekend with a great speaker line-up, workshops and AA and Al-Anon meetings in the beautiful CasaMagna Marriott Resort & Spa.

As always, we count on a large group of volunteers to put this weekend together and would love to have you join us in service (see below).

About The Convention

AA Speakers will be Polly & Dave P. from Jacksonville, Florida and Angie P. from Cincinatti, Ohio. Al-Anon Speaker will be Kathy H. from Cincinatti, Ohio.

The Convention Fee is $75 US ($65 US if you register before December 31, 2012!)

The convention fee includes:

• All convention programs.
• Featured speakers Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday morning.
• Saturday night Speaker Meeting and Fun.
• Continental breakfast on Sunday.
• Free coffee during the convention in our hospitality area.

Additional Activities:

You can also register for additional activities as follows:

Saturday Night Sunset Dinner - $45 US
An elegant sunset dinner overlooking Banderas Bay. Limited seating. This event always sells out. Sign up now to avoid disappointment. Up to 2 extra seats for the dinner may be purchased for each registrant.

Sober Cruise -  $45 US
Stay another day! Join us on Monday, January 21, between 8:30 am and 6:00 pm.

You'll enjoy a fun day cruising Banderas Bay, whale watching and sightseeing with sober friends. The Cruise includes a continental breakfast, beverages on board and lunch ashore at one of Banderas Bay's most beautiful water-access-only beaches.

There are only 150 seats on board, so sign up now. Don't be left ashore! Up to 2 extra seats for the cruise may be purchased for each registrant.

Other Options:
Due to requests over the years, we have added an option to participate in selected events for a smaller fee.

As in the past, if your non AA/Al Anon companion, spouse or significant other prefers to attend only some portions of the conference (not the whole conference, every day) you will register them as an "Event Participant" (rather than "Full Participant") for the events of their choosing as follows:

Friday Night only - $35 US (from registration/opening to evening close)

All day Saturday only - $40 US (all meetings, all day and Saturday Night Speaker meeting - Dinner not included)

Saturday Night Sunset Dinner - $45 US(dinner ONLY. does NOT include Saturday Night Speaker meeting after dinner)

Sunday Morning only -  $40 US (includes Continental Breakfast and meeting/close of conference)

Monday's Sober Cruise: $45 US

About The Hotel

Last year, we moved to the beautiful, newly remodeled CasaMagna Marriott Resort & Spa in the Puerto Vallarta Marina, and have negotiated special discount rates.

Those who joined us for the January 2012 convention had such a great experience at this outstanding resort hotel that we booked it again and this year promises to be even better.

This 4 Diamond luxury Puerto Vallarta resort features newly decorated guestrooms with luxurious bedding, contemporary bathrooms, new decor with Mexican-inspired colors and patterns, four world-class restaurants, and exquisite updates to the banquet facilities and business meeting rooms.

The CasaMagna Resort features Ohtli Spa, the most spacious and luxurious full service resort spa in Puerto Vallarta.

The kid's club offers activities for kids ages 4-12.

You can book your special hotel reservation directly with the hotel through our website. You will be directed to their registration page at the end of your convention registration.

If you are mailing in your reservation for the convention and need to book a room at the Marriott Casa Magna you can go to their special Sobriety Under The Sun reservation by clicking here, OR you can call 800-228-9290. Please be sure to use our special group code (suosuoa) to get our low rate!

Merchandise and Memorabilia

Take home a momento of your experience at the convention.

This year, for the first time, you can preorder our convention merchandise online and we'll be sure to have it waiting for you when you check in!

Because of this online ordering capability, we are able to offer a larger selection of merchandise at economical prices, but only a very limited selection of merchandise will be available for sale at the convention, so order early.

We have new shirt styles and a much broader selection of colors from which to choose. The shirts are available in short sleeve, long sleeve and sleeveless. Hoodies and hats are available too.

Because of this new on-line ordering capability, only a very limited selection of merchandise will be available for sale at the convention, so order early.

Go shopping here.

Are you willing to Volunteer?

Would you like to be a Volunteer at Sobriety Under the Sun? It's an opportunity for AA's and Al-Anon's just like you to come together under the Puerto Vallarta sun and meet people from all over the world who are enjoying their AA & Al-Anon experience.

All volunteers must first be registered as Full Participants for the convention.

We'd love to have your help...

A large number of committed people are required to perform the many tasks that make this weekend a great experience for all of us. Volunteers are always welcome, and it's an honor to be a volunteer at this wonderful convention and it is service work that keeps us sober.

Each Chairperson will have a group of key volunteers to be trained in specific tasks. But we also need other part-time volunteers to fill in throughout this busy weekend.

There are many ways to volunteer:

Spread the word in your home group. You can help us a lot before you even get to Mexico by telling your friends about our convention. Click here to go to the "Help US Tell Your Friends" page and help us get the word out.

Here are some of the jobs you may be asked to do. If you are uncomfortable with any of these activities, please let our volunteer chair know that when you email.

Hospitality - The Hospitality Chairperson will depend on you to be one of the happy folks welcoming our guests when they arrive to register and check-in, helping attendees get where they need to go, answering questions and getting them to the right people if they need further assistance. Additionally, you might be making sure all attendees have a valid badge, taking tickets at the Saturday night dinner or at the dock for the Sober Cruise and helping in any other ways needed throughout the weekend.

Check In/Registration Team - The Registration Team needs a group of volunteers to staff the registration tables. The Team helps folks register for the convention and welcomes preregistered participants and gives them their convention materials and information. You need to be able to deal tactfully with all sorts of people in a cheerful, helpful and efficient manner. Experience handling money and grace under pressure is also helpful.

Literature and Merchandise Sales Force - We need both AA's and Al-Anon's to help us. It will be especially useful if you have a good knowledge of our program literature and some experience making change and keeping records of sold merchandise. The literature and merchandise tables will be open at specific times only. The hours will be posted. Tables will be closed during the speaker presentations and during meetings on Saturday.

"At Large" Volunteers - "At Large" volunteers go everywhere and do everything. You might fill in for someone who needs a break, help out at the registration, merchandise or literature tables, greet guests or check name badges at the doors of our convention venues. If you're flexible and love variety, sign up to be one of our "At Large" volunteers.

Our goal is to be able to provide the man/woman power to help make this convention the best ever. If you are signed up for this convention, we would be grateful for your assistance as a volunteer.

Click here to let us know you'd like to VOLUNTEER!

Another way to volunteer is to lead an hour of one of our Marathon meetings (AA, Al-Anon or GLBT)... Most folks with the six months' required time have done this many times already. Help your fellow attendees out by taking an hour (or more) to pick a topic and keep our marathon meetings going! All you have to do is:

• Have led a meeting so you know how.
• Be there 15 minutes early to set up; straighten up before you leave.
• Open and close on time (The meeting will be 1 hour).

Click here to let us know you'd like to LEAD A MEETING!

Thank you!

Even if you can't join us for the convention but you will be visiting Puerto Vallarta, you can help us out by bringing some literature down when you come. To find out more, Click here to contact our Literature Chair, Connie S. She'll get back to you right away to arrange everything. And THANKS for helping.

Email Us or Call our registration coordinator Cal F. at 011-52-322-223-9775 (Mexico – Mid-Nov. until Mid-April) or (510) 774-5559 (US - anytime).

Click here to register online or for the mail-in reservation form, please click here.

  Learn about Alano Club of Puerto Vallarta