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®
GAMBLERS
ANONYMOUS
GAM-ANON
Joint
INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE
GUIDELINES
®
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GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS
GAM-ANON
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE GUIDELINES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
Goals of an International Conference
General Overview
GA/Gam-Anon Conference Oversight Committee
Conference Guidelines Changes
1
2
4
5
SECTION 2 - THE BIDDING PROCESS
5
Preparing and submitting a bid to host the Conference
Conference Bid voting procedures
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SECTION 3 – COMMITTEES
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SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION
Steering Committee
Finance Committee
Workshop Committee
Publicity/Printing Committee
Reservations and Registration Committee
Approved GA/Gam-Anon Literature Committee
Conference book Committee
Hospitality Committee
Dining Room/Dietary/Religious Observance Committee
Entertainment/Opening & Closing Committee
Activities Committee for Wed. to Fri. Activities
Walk-a-thon Committee
Transportation Committee
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SECTION 4 - APPENDIX
GA/Gam-Anon ISO/Board Committee Contact Information
GA Trustee Areas and Gam-Anon Delegate Areas
Hotel Requirements, Helpful Hints on Hotels
Hotel Contracts: Points to be Included
Sample Conference Budgets
Meals for Conference and Board Meetings
Sample Registration Plans
Suggestions for Workshops
Reports to the Oversight Committees
Non-International Conferences (Local / Mini-Conferences)
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A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
SECTION 1
INTRODUCTION
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These Guidelines, written by the GA and Gam-Anon Joint Conference Guidelines
Committees and approved by vote of the GA Board of Trustees and the Gam-Anon
Board of Delegates, are the result of many years of experience. The Guidelines
contain requirements and suggestions to enable any group of GA and Gam-Anon
members to host a memorable and successful Conference. Additional guidance to
the Hosting Conference Committee is provided by GA Board of Trustees and GamAnon Board of Delegates appointed Conference Oversight Committees and each
International Service Office (ISO). (See Appendix A for ISO and Board Oversight
Committee Contact Information.)
Though Non-International Conferences (local/min-conferences) do not reach the
scope of the International Conferences, these Guidelines can be very helpful to
those Conference Committees. The guidelines for financial planning of a
Conference and the list of necessary Committees and their responsibilities are
invaluable tools for hosting a local Mini-Conference. (See Appendix J for NonInternational Conference information.)
This document replaces previous Conference Guidelines and is to be used for all
International Conferences.
GOALS OF AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Educate and carry the message of GA and Gam-Anon to its members, locally and
from afar, through the Conference’s workshops, meetings, speakers and socializing
opportunities;
Promote GA unity and growth of the GA program;
Promote Gam-Anon unity and growth of the Gam-Anon program;
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Promote cooperation between the GA and Gam-Anon programs;
Enable local Areas to experience the benefits of hosting a Conference for the
International Community of GA and Gam-Anon Members
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GENERAL OVERVIEW
Joint GA and Gam-Anon International Conferences require a sharing of committee
responsibilities between Gam-Anon and GA. The committees working on the
Conference shall have members representing both fellowships.
International Conferences are held twice a year, in the fall and spring. Each
Conference hosts the semiannual GA Board of Trustees (BOT) meetings; the Spring
Conference hosts the annual Gam-Anon Board of Delegates (BOD) meeting. GA
Trustee and Gam-Anon Delegate areas are not the same. (See Appendix B for Area
listings.)
If a Conference is hosted by an Area that does not have a sufficient Gam-Anon
presence the Conference Committee will receive support from the Gam-Anon ISO
in securing the necessary Gam-Anon participation for planning and hosting the
Conference. (See Appendix A for GA and Gam-Anon ISO contact information)
Profits (Income in excess of expenses) gained from a Spring Conference will be
split 65% GA and 35% Gam-Anon. At the Fall Conference, where Gam-Anon
attendance is traditionally smaller, it will be split 80% GA and 20% Gam-Anon.
(Please note: This differs from the split of profits of a Local Conference. Guidelines
clarifying Local Conferences can be found in Appendix J.)
It is understood that with these Guidelines, every possible step is being taken to
prevent any financial loss for GA or Gam-Anon. With proper oversight, adherence
to contract protections and acquisition of liability insurance, there should be no loss.
However, if there is a loss, beginning with the Spring Conference 2015, losses shall
be split in the same percentage as profits.
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If there is misappropriation or theft by anyone in either organization, arrangements
for paying for losses will be decided upon by the Gamblers Anonymous Board of
Regents and the Gam-Anon Executive Committee. The member(s) responsible for
the loss will be held financially accountable.
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The Board Meetings take place on Thursday and Friday preceding the start of the
Conference on Friday. For each Board Meeting, the start time on Thursday is
subject to change year to year depending on the size of the Agenda. Availability of
the Board rooms on Friday evening or Saturday morning may be necessary.
The Conference begins on Friday and ends on Sunday. Dinner will be served on
Friday; Breakfast (Continental or Full), lunch, and dinner on Saturday; and
breakfast or brunch on Sunday. For lunch on Saturday the conference committee
may supply a box lunch from the hotel or a simple lunch in the hospitality room at
minimal cost. The reasons for handling Saturday lunch in this manner are: a) to
avoid what could become a costly lunch in the hotel restaurant; b) to keep members
on site so they can attend the first scheduled afternoon workshops; c) to keep
additional costs of attending the conference to a minimum.
Consideration should be given to the needs of the Trustees and Delegates attending
their Board meetings prior to the Conference, including the cost of meals in the
hotel restaurant and the ability of the hotel restaurant to feed approximately 200
people within a limited time period. The Hospitality Room can provide inexpensive
cold breakfast selections, fruit and pastry Thursday and Friday mornings, as well as
cost-effective lunches on Thursday and Friday.
All 3 days (Friday - Sunday) of International Conferences should offer workshops
and program activities. Members who are not attending Board Meetings should
have the choice of attending therapy meetings, or sightseeing on Wednesday and/or
Thursday. This choice respects the goals of the Conference and our membership’s
cost of traveling to and attending an International Conference. GA and Gam-Anon
members who arrive on Thursday can also attend the BOD and BOT meetings. Past
Trustees of the BOT can speak on any issue and all Gam-Anon members can speak
at the BOD on any issue. Conferences should also consider the option of therapy
rooms or regular GA or Gam-Anon meetings after dinner on Thursday as there are
often many interested members who have already arrived.
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Workshops and activities should reflect the diversity of the members of GA and
Gam-Anon and embrace all members who attend - gamblers, spouses, significant
others of, parents of, children of, etc. Opportunity for evening entertainment and
sightseeing trips can be considered, but should not be the primary focus. Planned
local sightseeing/attractions, side trips, and golf outings may be planned but not
overlap with the Friday evening to Sunday Conference schedule.
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The primary focus of a Conference is the enhancement of the fellowships as
Programs of Recovery; as a vehicle for bringing experience, strength, and hope to
the members affected by this illness and enhancing their journey to serenity. Each
area wishing to host a conference will design a theme with specific goals for that
conference.
Out of respect for all of our members and to ensure the largest possible member
participation, close attention should be paid to holidays so the BOT, BOD, and
Conference will not conflict with any national or religious holidays. The
Conference Committees must check all secular and religious calendars for the year
of the proposed conference. Keeping this in mind, Conferences are to be scheduled
as close as possible to the first of May and the first of November.
CONFERENCE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES
GA BOT and Gam-Anon BOD will each have its own Conference Oversight
Committee. The purpose of these Committees is to oversee and advise the
Conference Committee with the goal of creating a successful conference. The
members of each Oversight Committee should have experience planning and
hosting International Conferences. Each Board sets its own qualifications for
membership, selects its own members and the number of members on its
committee. Each Committee sets its own guidelines for communication among its
members.
The two Conference Oversight Committees will work together to oversee all
aspects of the conference beginning with reviewing contracts and related issues in
the pre-bidding process. Once a conference is awarded, all bank statements,
conference reports (minutes), workshop handouts, conference book submissions are
to be sent to the respective Conference Oversight Committees for approval.
(See Appendix I for Reports to the Oversight Committees)
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CONFERENCE GUIDELINES CHANGES
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With the exception of any changes in AREAS (Appendix B) and contact
information (Appendix A), any changes to these Joint Guidelines must be presented
to the Conference Oversight Committees of GA and Gam-Anon for their discussion
and approval before being put on the BOT and BOD agendas.
Any changes to these guidelines must be approved by both Boards.
SECTION 2
THE BIDDING PROCESS
An area may bid for an International Conference 2 years prior to the time of the
Conference. It is customary for Fall Conferences to be bid on at a Fall Conference
BOT meeting, and the Spring Conference, in the Spring at the BOT and BOD
meetings.
Experience has shown us that a successful conference starts with a significant
amount of planning even before the bid is made. At least 6 months to a year before
the bid is to be made, pre-bid meetings of interested persons in both fellowships are
held to exchange ideas and discuss area hotel options.
Before a bid can be presented for voting at the BOT and BOD, a copy of the
unsigned Hotel contract and any other unsigned contracts secured at that point will
be sent to the GA/Gam-Anon Conference Oversight Committees for review at least
30 days prior to submitting at a conference. No contracts can be signed without
approval of these Committees and acceptance of the bid by the Boards. No bids will
be accepted for placement on the Agendas of the BOT and BOD without approval
of the Oversight Committees. (See Appendix I for Reports to the Oversight
Committees)
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PREPARING AND SUBMITTING A BID TO HOST THE
CONFERENCE
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A GA Intergroup or Gam-Anon Unity/Intergroup of any Area decides to go
forward with a bid to host a Conference by first consulting the other fellowship for
shared joint interest. In the absence of a Unity/Intergroup, local meetings should be
visited by the members interested in hosting a Conference to find other interested
members. If there are few or no other meetings in the immediate area , contact GA
or Gam-Anon ISO. (See Appendix A for GA/Gam-Anon Contact Information.)
The Site Selection Committee consisting of GA and Gam-Anon members is
selected by the hosting GA Intergroup and Gam-Anon Unity to visit hotels and
meet with appropriate hotel staff to assess the facilities, including number of rooms
available, costs for rooms and meals, maximum number of seats for meals and
events in ballrooms, distance and travel options from airports, support mechanisms
for the BOT and BOD meetings, amenities, cancellation policies, force majeure,
etc.(See Appendix C for Hotel Requirements)
The Site Committee should contact the GA ISO and Gam-Anon ISO for a listing of
requirements for each Board Meeting, such as microphones, room set-up, etc. The
Board Meetings take place on Thursday and Friday and possibly Saturday. Some
Board members arrive earlier for Committee meetings and other preparations.
Reduced room prices should be negotiated for up to 5 days prior to the first night of
the Conference and at least 3 days after the Conference for all attendees. (See
Appendix C for Hotel Requirements)
Hotel contracts may include free (comped) rooms and/or free upgrades. All rooms
during the Conference (Friday - Sunday) must be sold; they cannot be used for
Committee Members, GA and Gam-Anon Officers, Trustees or Delegates. It is part
of the Oversight Committees’ role, to review this in the hotel contract. (See
Appendix D for Hotel Contracts: Points to be Included)
Transportation from airports and train/bus stations to and from the hotel should be
available at minimum cost provided by the hotel, or as part of the other expenses of
the contract and should be considered when negotiating the price of the hotel and
costs to attendees. Airport hotels provide this service and for that reason can be an
excellent choice.
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The BOT and BOD will assemble together in the Spring for Bid Presentations. For
Bid Presentations each bidding Area should provide all necessary information for
an informed vote including:
Theme and dates of the Conference;
Costs (hotel and registration fees, parking, transportation to and from the
airport, package costs);
Number of room nights guaranteed to hotel;
Completed Registration Flyer;
Summary of the accommodations for the BOT and BOD including meeting
rooms, availability and cost of food on Thursday and Friday;
Room rate guarantees.
(See Appendix E for Sample Conference Budgets)
The required hotel deposit, not to exceed $1,000, will be provided by GA ISO and
Gam-Anon ISO for Spring and Fall Conferences in the same percentage as the
division of profits. The deposit will be repaid prior to the end of the conference on a
schedule decided by the GA Board of Regents and Gam-Anon Executive
Committee.
Liability insurance shall be purchased by the Hosting Conference Committee.
CONFERENCE BID VOTING PROCEDURES
When the Conference Oversight Committees state that guidelines for bid approval
have been followed, the bids will be presented in the BOT meeting room. GamAnon BOD members will be invited to attend the BOT meeting during the
Conference bid approval process.
At the Spring BOD and BOT meetings, both Boards will be present for the bid
presentations. Gam-Anon Delegates will then conduct a roll call vote in their Board
room and GA Trustees will conduct a hand count vote in their Board room. A
Gam-Anon Delegate will bring the result of the Delegate vote to the GA Board
room and be present when the votes are counted.
In the Fall, when the Gam-Anon Delegates meet by mail, the Conference Oversight
Committees will send all the appropriate information about bids to the Gam-Anon
ISO at least three weeks before the Fall BOT meeting. The BOD will vote by
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mail and the Gam-Anon ISO will forward the results to the GA ISO Executive
Secretary to be counted with the Trustee votes.
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If there is no presentation for a bid 2 years prior for a conference, a conference bid
may be presented 18 months in advance and if still no bid, 1 year in advance. If
there still remains no bid, then an International Conference will not occur in the
designated season and the BOT and the BOD shall proceed individually to pursue
their respective Board meetings.
SECTION 3
COMMITTEES
Once the bid is awarded, the Site Selection Committee members may continue as
members of other Conference committees. Of course, many more members will be
needed to serve on the various committees.
Sample flyers (registration, walk-a-thon, conference book writing requests, side
trips, etc.) from previous conferences are available on the GA Trustee Website and
from the Gam-Anon ISO.
The Steering Committee, consisting of members of both GA and Gam-Anon,
oversees all other Conference committees.
Steering Committee - Oversees all committees:
• sets the budget for each committee: approves or denies all
expenditures;
• reviews contracts for purchases decided upon after the bid in consultation
with Oversight Committees;
• sets timetables for completion of all the committee tasks;
• approves format, content, budget for Conference Book (if any) and sale
price;
• approves any giveaways and sale price for selling extra items not given to
attendees;
• corresponds with the ISOs and Oversight Committees;
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• chooses all committee chairpersons;
• approves the plans and suggestions of the various committees;
• designs and collects monthly committee reports;
• holds monthly meetings with timely agendas and committee reports;
• uses these approved Guidelines as the resource for hosting International
Conferences
Recommended Steering Committee Members:
GA and Gam-Anon Conference Chairpersons
Hotel Liaison - one member to liaise with the hotel in order to
maintain continuity with hotel staff (this member may also serve
on any other committee);
Treasurer -does not sign checks, but is responsible to oversee
the Conference budget, balance the checking account and
• reviews registration and hotel records and contracts
• writes the checks requested by the Finance Committee after
approval of the expense by the Steering Committee;
• balances the books after the conference and authorizes sending
profits, if any, to GA and Gam-Anon ISOs;
• sends required financial reports to the Oversight Committees and
the ISOs;
Secretary
• writes the minutes of the Steering Committee meetings and
forwards them to the Oversight Committees;
• sends the names and contact information of Chairpersons to the
GA and Gam-Anon ISOs and the Oversight Committees;
• mails/e-mails all flyers (walk-a-thon, conference book, etc.) and
other information (except information sent by the Treasurer) to
the GA and Gam-Anon ISOs and to the Oversight Committees.
Committee Chairpersons- are responsible for overseeing and fulfilling
the guidelines for specific committees, meeting deadlines, and
reporting
monthly to Steering Committee.
Committees
Finance Committee
• reports to the Steering Committee Treasurer;
• opens a checking account in the name of the Conference. The names,
Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon, may not be used in the title or appear
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on the checks. It is suggested that the account be entitled “Spring Conference
2015” or such. It is recommended that four (4) people are check signers, two
from GA and two from Gam-Anon. All checks must have 2 signatures, and
the bank account information and each check must state so. No two (2) GA or
two (2) Gam-Anon members shall sign the checks. Each check must be signed
by a GA member and a Gam-Anon member. No husband and wife, or
relatives or significant others can sign the same check;
• obtains a stamp that states “TWO SIGNATURES REQUIRED” if the bank
cannot print “Two signatures required” on the checks when they are ordered.
This can impact liability in the event of a one signature submission.
Workshop Committee
The Workshop Committee is responsible for organizing and
coordinating all workshops and therapy rooms to achieve a fulfilling, purposeful
conference program.
• explains guidelines for workshop presentations to all presenters;
• recruits chairpersons for therapy rooms;
• recruits presenters for all workshops;
• creates a program/schedule for workshops and therapy meetings,
scheduling all workshops (GA, Gam-Anon, Combined) to start and end at the
same time;
• coordinates workshop schedule with entire conference schedule,
specifically, Trustee/Delegate meetings, entertainment, opening, closing,
walk-a-thon;
• determines needed workshop materials (chalkboard, overhead projector,
easels, etc.);
• works with the Conference Hotel Liaison in assignment and scheduling of
meeting rooms and requests for materials provided by the hotel;
• sets schedule for receipt of final workshop presentations to allow time for
Publicity/Sign Committee to produce its required materials.
(See Appendix H for Suggestions for Workshops)
Publicity/Printing/Signs Committee
The Publicity/Printing Committee is responsible for the printing and
distribution of conference information.
• creates and prints conference schedule, workshop list, all signage,
including workshop signs, hotel lobby signs, etc.;
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• works with Registration Committee to print name tags for all conference
attendees and committee members;
• works with Walk-A-Thon, Workshop and Conference Book Committees to
create, print, and distribute needed flyers;
• designs logo as needed for the Conference;
• designs T-shirt and/or Conference bag (neither required for Conference);
• arranges for a table to be used by representatives of the next conference for
distribution of registration and other Conference material;
• provides attendance of at least one member at the conference immediately
preceding for the purpose of distributing Conference flyers and collecting
advance registration deposits.
Reservations and Registration Committee
This committee receives, records, and organizes all registration forms
and keeps a record of the number of GA attendees, Gam-Anon attendees, and
guests.
• responsible for setting up registration tables and collecting conference fees;
• works with Finance Committee for handling of funds;
• works with hotel to review registrations;
• advises attendees prior to the Conference of available transportation to and
from the Hotel;
• provides name tags for all conference attendees and committee members;
• organizes a table for registration using an adequate number of volunteers to
register attendees and distribute conference materials;
• provides registration flyers and in cooperation with the Publicity/Printing
Committee receives registrations at the International Conference immediately
preceding.
(See Appendix G for Sample Reservation Plans)
Approved GA/Gam-Anon Literature Committee
This committee is responsible for providing and managing the sale of
GA and GAM-ANON approved literature.
• works with Finance Committee for handling funds
• contacts GA and Gam-Anon ISOs 45 days before conference to order
consignment orders of literature.
• organizes GA and Gam-Anon tables for selling literature with an adequate
number of volunteers to keep the tables open throughout the Conference as
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much as possible. It is suggested that the location be near the registration area
or central to the workshop meeting rooms.
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Conference Book Committee
This Committee is responsible for the creation of a Conference Book.
• develops the format for conference book;
• creates a flyer requesting writings for Conference book;
• determines with the Publicity Committee how to distribute flyers
requesting original GA and Gam-Anon writings;
• upholds the requirement that Gam-Anon and GA writings must be original
and identified as a Gam-Anon or GA writing. (Short excerpts from approved
literature are permitted with source provided.)
• sends all writings to the Oversight Committees for review. (GA writings to the
GA Oversight Committee and Gam-Anon writings to the Gam-Anon
Oversight Committee.) The Oversight Committees are authorized to review
all writings and reject writings that do not meet the Conference
Book requirements, particularly in reference to outside writings and materials;
• prepares Conference Book for printing;
• provides Steering Committee with costs/options for professional printers or
other resources for printing;
• works with Steering Committee to arrange for sale of extra Conference Books.
(See Appendix I for Reports to the Oversight Committee)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hospitality Committee
The Hospitality Committee is responsible for the Hospitality Suite.
works with the Steering Committee to set the budget, determine provisions,
and hours of operation;
meets any other requirements as per the Hotel contract;
provides provisions during the Conference and during the BOT and BOD;
organizes and staffs the facility with an adequate number of volunteers for set
up and cleanup as per hotel contract and steering committee;
at least one week prior to the Conference, advises GA ISO and Gam-Anon
ISO when the Hospitality Room will be open for the Trustees and Delegates;
contacts BOT and BOD Chairpersons immediately Thursday morning to get
time of breaks and meal breaks in order to be prepared.
Dining Room/Dietary/Religious Observances Committee
This Committee serves as Liaison with Maitre’D and Hotel to
accommodate Conference attendees dietary and religious needs.
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• is responsible for dining room seating options;
• is responsible for availability of special needs menus - kosher, vegetarian,
vegan, allergies, etc.;
• provides information about church services and Jewish Sabbath observance
(on site or off site within walking distance of Hotel). ( See Appendix F for
Meals for Conference and Board Meetings)
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Entertainment/Opening & Closing Committee
This Committee is responsible for deciding and organizing
entertainment for the conference.
• formats opening and closing ceremonies;
• establishes subcommittees if necessary, to assist in accomplishing the
committee’s objectives;
• works with the Steering Committee in selecting any keynote speakers;
• A Friday or Saturday band or DJ is not a required element of the Conference
and adds to the cost of the conference for the attendees. Consider the per
person cost of a banquet and dance against other entertainment choices such
as GA and Gam-Anon guest speakers, special evening workshops for all
attendees in banquet room, and therapy and workshop rooms;
• organizes traditional “count down” to include both GA abstinence and GamAnon attendance. Determine when this shall occur in program. (usually
Saturday);
• plans for the ‘passing’ of the torch to next conference hosts;
• works with the Steering Committee to follow budget and guidelines.
Activities Committee for Wed. to Fri. Activities
This Committee contacts local travel agencies and recreation facilities to set
up tours and golf outings for members who arrive before the conference,
Wednesday night dinner for BOT and BOD members ( not required ) and works
with the Sign Committee to make flyers with information available to all registrants
and the Transportation Committee if necessary.
Walk-A-Thon Committee
This Committee is responsible for planning a walk-a-thon for the
Conference to raise funds for GA ISO and Gam-Anon ISO. (The collection from
the International memberships in GA and Gam-Anon is handled separately for each
fellowship.)
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• contacts GA Trustee and Gam-Anon Delegate areas in advance encouraging
them to collect contributions for the walk-a-thon;
• works with Finance Committee for the collection and tallying of contributions
(See Appendix B for GA and Gam-Anon Areas)
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Transportation Committee
This Committee is responsible for recommending transportation options to
and from the BOD, BOT, and Conference from airports, train and bus stations as
appropriate.
• works with the conference location to determine availability of shuttle buses;
• establishes procedures for members to follow to receive this service;
• establishes a committee of volunteers to pick up and drop off members at
airports, bus, and train stations if necessary;
• works with Publicity/Printing Committee to create letter about transportation
services to be mailed or e-mailed by Registration Committee to attendees
prior to Conference.
Any other committees or subcommittees that a conference deems necessary
can be added.
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APPENDIX
This appendix provides the important details referenced in the Guidelines. This
information is the result of GA and Gam-Anon’s more than 50 year history of
creating successful conferences.
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APPENDIX A
GA and Gam-Anon ISO and Board Oversight Conference Committee
Gamblers Anonymous ISO
PO Box17173
Los Angeles, CA 90017
626-960-3500
[email protected]
Gam-Anon ISO
PO Box 157
Whitestone, NY 11357
718-352-1671
[email protected]
The GA and Gam-Anon ISO Executive Secretaries have the name and contact
information for the Chairperson of Conference Oversight Committee.
APPENDIX B
GA TRUSTEE AREAS AND GAM-ANON DELEGATE AREAS
GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS AREAS
AREA 1 – Central California, Los Angeles area, Palm Springs, Hawaii
AREA 1A – Orange county, California
AREA 2 – Northern California
AREA 2A – Alaska and British Columbia
AREA 2B – greater Sacramento area
AREA 2C – Montana, Casper, Northern Wyoming
AREA 2D – Saskatchewan,
AREA 2E – Manitoba
AREA 2F – Idaho and Eastern Washington
AREA 2G – Oregon and Vancouver, Washington
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AREA 2H – Western Washington north of Longview, south of Bellingham/Blaine
and west of the Cascades
AREA 2J – Northern Alberta
AREA 2K – Southern Alberta
AREA 3 – Southern Nevada, Mesquite, Nevada; St. George, Utah; Cedar City,
Utah; Bullhead City, Arizona; Pahrump, Beatty, Overton, Nevada
AREA 3A – San Diego, California
AREA 3B – Colorado, Utah north of Cedar City, southern Wyoming
AREA 3C – Northern Nevada and Susanville, California
AREA 3D – Arizona and New Mexico
AREA 3E – South Dakota and Western North Dakota
AREA 3F – Arizona ( Spanish speaking)
AREA 4 – Ontario, Canada
AREA 5 – English Quebec and Labrador
AREA 5A – Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island
AREA 5B – All French meetings in Quebec
AREA 5C – Ottawa and Eastern Ontario
AREA 6 – Southern Florida
AREA 6A – Pensacola, Panama City, Central and Northern Florida
AREA 6B – West coast of Florida, Panama, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad
AREA 6C – South Carolina, North Carolina
AREA 6D - Georgia, northern Alabama north of Montgomery
AREA 7 – Louisiana, Mississippi, lower coast of Alabama
AREA 7A – Austin, Houston, Gulf Coast, South Texas
AREA 7B – Arkansas, Oklahoma, rest of Texas
AREA 8 – Illinois, Northern Indiana
AREA 8A – Eastern Iowa, Southern Minnesota, Bay City, River Falls and New
Richmond, Wisconsin.
AREA 8B – Nebraska, Western Iowa, Kansas, and Kansas City and Western
Missouri
AREA 8C – Eastern North Dakota, Northern Minnesota, Ashland, Superior,
Hayward, Washburn Wisconsin
AREA 8D –Eeastern Missouri, Southern Illinois including Springfield and Quincy
AREA 8E – Wisconsin
AREA 9 – Michigan and Northwest Ohio
AREA 9A – Southeast Ontario, Canada
AREA 10- Ohio and Erie, Newcastle and Warren, Pennsylvania
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AREA 10A – West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania
AREA 10B – Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, Indianaplis, Anderson and Southern
Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee
AREA 11 – Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire
AREA 12 – New Jersey, New York and Northeastern Pennsylvania
AREA 13 – Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware
AREA 13A – Maryland and Washington, D.C.
AREA 13 B – South New Jersey counties – Burlington, Camden, Atlantic,
Gloucester, Cumberland, Cape May
AREA 13 C – Virginia
AREA 14 – Long Island, New York
AREA 15 – Suffern, New York City and surrounding areas
AREA 16 –Eastern Upstate New York, including the Albany area, Niagara Falls,
Southwestern New York and Jamestown
AREA 17 – Connecticut and western Massachusetts
AREA 18 – New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, New Zealand
AREA 18A – Victoria, S. Australia, Tasmania
AREA 18B - Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia
AREA 19 – Argentina
AREA 20 - Uruguay
AREA 21 – Spain
AREA 22 – South Africa
AREA 23 – Rio, Brazil
AREA 23A – Sao Paulo, Brazil
AREA 24 – Sweden
AREA 25 – Italy
AREA 26 – South Korea
AREA 27 – Hungary
AREA 28 – Mexico
AREA 29 – Moscow, Russia and surrounding areas
AREA 30 – Latvia
AREA 31 – Lithuania
AREA 32 – Japan
AREA 33 – Colombia
AREA 34 – Venezuela
AREA 35 – Paraguay
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GAM-ANON AREAS
MA, ME, NH, RI, VT
CT
Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn counties
Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess counties
Upstate NY
Eastern Canada ( excluding Windsor, Ontario )
Long Island ( Nassau and Suffolk counties )
Northern NJ, Northeastern PA
Southern NJ, Southeastern PA
Washington DC, DE, MD, VA
W. VA, Western PA, OH (excluding Toledo), KY
NC, SC, GA, TN, AL, MS
Southern FL, PR, USVI
Northern FL
WI, IL, IN (Chicago metro area)
IN, MI, Toledo OH, Windsor ONT
MN, IA, MO, KS, NE, ND, SD
AR, OK, LA, TX, NM
Southern CA, CO, UT, HI
AZ
Greater San Diego, CA
NV, AK
Northern CA
Western Canada ( BC, AL, SK, MA)
WA, OR, ID, WY, MT
United Kingdom ( England, Ireland, Scotland)
Australia, New Zealand
Japan
Spain
Italy
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Area 1
Area 2
Area 3
Area 4
Area 5
Area 5A
Area 6
Area 7
Area 8
Area 9
Area 10
Area 11
Area 12A
Area 12B
Area 13A
Area 13B
Area 14
Area 15
Area 16
Area 16A
Area 16B
Area 17
Area 17A
Area 18
Area 18A
Area 19
Area 20
Area 21
Area 22
Area 23
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APPENDIX C
Hotel Requirements, Helpful Hints on Hotels
1-Banquet room must be large enough to host a minimum of 450 people.
2-Hotel must have at least 250 guest rooms and a secondary hotel nearby with
matching room rates for a possible overflow.
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3-Trustee room to accommodate 110 trustees plus additional guests and a head table
for the Board of Trustee Chairs, IES and the Board of Regents Chairman. The GamAnon Board Room must accommodate at least 30 Board Members and Officers.
GA and Gam-Anon ISO will send details of Board Room set-up at least 6 months
prior to the Conference or earlier if requested.
4- Refreshments for the Hospitality Room can be provided by the Conference
Committee when permitted by the Hotel contract or an addendum to the contract;
e.g. soda, water, chips, snacks, coffee, etc. or food from local fast food restaurants
for lunches. Hotel should provide water and ice.
5- Sufficient breakout rooms for workshops, therapy rooms and any other rooms
that might be necessary.
6 - Free or reduced rate parking.
APPENDIX D
Hotel Contracts: The following are points to be included in conference
contracts.
1. Rates per person per day – Number of extra days to be honored at the contracted
rate; rate for third or fourth adult per room per night
2. Master billing procedure
3. Individual billing procedure
4. Taxes – rate for rooms and other charges
5. Service charges - include gratuities in room rates
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6. Check in and check out times
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7. Complimentary stays: hotel may provide comp rooms during the Conference
based upon the number of rooms booked. (example: 1 free room with every 40 sold)
All these rooms must be sold. No individual is to profit from serving the
fellowships.
8. Liability/damage – definition and description of GA and Gam-Anon liability
9. Deposit: Regardless of date, the deposit is refundable if hotel has gaming on
premises, whether available at time of contract or made part of hotel facilities
after contract is signed.
10. Rental through outside vendors: Materials to be supplied by the hotel are listed.
Should your organization require materials above and beyond hotel inventory (i.e.,
riser, tables, chairs, audio/visual, etc.) an additional charge will be incurred through
the renting of equipment from outside vendors.
11. Cots, cribs and refrigerators
Cots and cribs are available at $_______per cot or crib per day. Refrigerators are
available at $_____per refrigerator per day.
12. Banquet room for dinner Friday and Saturday to hold 450+ persons.
13. Guest rooms – at least 250 on site with more available on or off site nearby.
14. Hospitality room – large enough to accommodate attendance from at least
Thursday morning through Sunday morning at hours suggested: The hospitality
room should provide snacks, desserts, fruit, water, coffee, tea, soft drinks, as well as
breakfast and lunch foods Thurs. and Friday if not otherwise provided by the hotel.
15. Meeting rooms - The Hotel will provide your group with all meeting rooms
needed. This would include meeting rooms for workshops; hospitality, night
meetings, BOT and BOD.
16. Audio/Visual - As needed for BOT, BOD, and conference committee.
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17. Force Majeure - The performance of this Agreement is subject to acts of God,
government authority, disaster, strikes, civil disorder, or other emergencies any of
which make it illegal or impossible to provide the facilities and/or services for your
intended stay. It is provided that this Agreement may be terminated by the Hotel or
Gamblers Anonymous for any or more such reasons. The termination of the
agreement will result in the return of all deposits.
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18. Attrition – In the written contract, the hotel will set aside ‘x’ number of rooms
to be released back without penalty should the anticipated rooms sold not happen.
Ideally all unsold rooms can be returned without penalty up to the day of the
Conference, or if not possible then according to some timeline as suggested below
as an example:
Up to 120 days prior to arrival there is no attrition penalty
90-119 days prior to arrival date 15% of contracted room nights may be cancelled
with no penalty
60-89 days prior to arrival date 10% of contracted room nights may be cancelled
with no penalty
0 - 60 days prior to arrival date 5% of contracted room nights may be cancelled
with no penalty
19. Entire agreement statement: This agreement contains the full and complete
understanding of the parties concerning the subjects contained herein and
supersedes any and all prior written or oral agreements between the parties and
cannot be amended except in writing signed by both parties.
20. Governing law statement: Any questions or disputes arising under or relating
to this agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of __________ without
giving effect to its conflicts of laws principles
21. This Agreement is acknowledged, dated and accepted with signatures of
authorized hotel representative and authorized site selection committee member.
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APPENDIX E
Sample Conference Budgets
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During the Pre Bidding meetings, it is necessary to determine how to price the
conference. All costs need to be considered and a per person cost determined in
order to price the packages to bring to bid. Once the bid is made and voted upon,
the costs cannot be changed. Pricing a conference is extremely important and
challenging considering it is 2 or more years before the event! In an effort to keep
costs down every conference is encouraged to minimize costs.
Per person costs = total of the following divided by the estimated number of guests
1. hotel room costs ( at two guests per room )
2. hospitality room costs
3. BOT and BOD costs (audio-visual rentals, beverages, etc.)
4. 5 meals: Comparing costs of buffet and plated meals and various food
choices, determine what will be served and in what manner to arrive at cost per
meal.
5. conference book - cost of printing ‘x’ number of books divided by
attendance and perhaps with extras for sale at conference and beyond. Do not
assume sale of extra books will pay for the printing
6. entertainment costs - determined if conference wishes to hire
entertainment, music, etc.
7. decorating - does the conference area wish any centerpieces for tables
or other decorating items
8. signs - how will the workshop signs be printed (simple computer
printing or costly fabricated signs)
9. transportation costs - anything needed to/from airports
10. publicity, printing, public relations - flyers, postage, computer costs
with computer e-mails; this can be lower than regular mail
11. give-aways: custom T-shirts and conference bags (neither required for
conference). Conference Bags may not contain any item provided by an outside
enterprise or information about any other program, supplier, or vendor other than
the hotel and sightseeing offerings even if including this information would save
money.
12. gratuities as needed
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APPENDIX F
Meals for Conference and Board Meetings
Attendance at International Conferences should support full attendance at all
workshops with no additional costs necessary over the published cost of conference.
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The International Conference should provide no fewer than 5 meals per person:
Dinner Friday
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Saturday
Breakfast or Brunch Sunday
The Dinners can be buffet or plated. Provisions should be made for members with
special dietary concerns: vegetarian, vegan, kosher, sugar-free, etc.
Breakfast on Saturday may be continental, bagels and spreads, danish, coffee and
juices or fresh fruits or yogurts. This can be cost-saving for breakfast instead of a
hot buffet or plated meal.
Lunch on Saturday may be plated or buffet in the hotel dining room. It may be a
boxed lunch or sandwiches or pizza in the hospitality room. (Costs and budget are
to be considered.)
Home cooking is discouraged for liability reasons. Hotels may have their own
requirements to consider that will affect what can be served in the hospitality room
and by whom.
On Thursday and Friday the Board Meetings have limited time for meals and the
cost and size of the hotel restaurant may make that an unrealistic choice for many of
the Board members. Breakfast and lunch available in the hospitality room, even at
a nominal price should be considered. A list of nearby restaurants for dinner
Wednesday and Thursday would be helpful.
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APPENDIX G
Sample Registration Plans
It is suggested that all hotel reservations be made directly with the hotel and paid
directly to the hotel. Conference attendance registration is not included in the hotel
price and is paid directly to the Conference Committee. Conference flyer must
contain all of the information needed to accomplish this.
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Conferences should offer various packages. .
Some possible packages are:
Plan A: Two persons, 2 nights, 10 meals
Plan B: One person, 2 nights, 5 meals
Plan C: Two persons, 1 night, meals
Plan D: One person, 1 night, meals
Plan E: Registration only, no hotel stay and no meals.
Plan F: Registration only, no hotel stay, meals
Other packages may be needed as per area choice.
APPENDIX H
Suggestions for Workshops
Scheduling
•Each workshop should last about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
•There should be 4 to 6 workshops per time slot, all beginning and ending at the
same time.
•When setting up a full day of workshops it is usually a good idea to begin about
9AM with 2 -3 time slots before lunch and 2- 3 time slots after lunch. During each
time slot the workshop selections should include a GA focus, a Gam-Anon focus, a
combined GA/Gam-Anon focus. All workshops will be open to everyone.
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•Workshops should be offered on Friday beginning as early as 2 PM and also on
Sunday to make the whole weekend worthwhile and distinguishable from a miniconference.
•GA ISO and Gam-Anon ISO each require one workshop to present information to
the membership at large.
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•A Conference may also offer additional therapy meetings, workshops on Thursday
night.
Written Program
Include a very brief description of each workshop in the printed schedule so
members have information to help decide which to attend in each time period.
Workshop Content
Encourage new workshops and new presenters. It is exciting to see new workshops
offered at conferences balanced with important familiar ones.
A workshop presenter provides the workshop chairperson with an outline of the
proposed workshop. The presenter should develop a handout for each attendee
which will help maintain focus on the workshop’s topic. The handout might
include questions the audience can address. It is important to remember that only
original writings and GA and Gam-Anon approved literature can be referenced in a
workshop. Workshop handouts and materials are reviewed by the Conference
Oversight Committees for approval. Copies of the handouts for the workshop can
be provided either by the presenter or by the Conference as decided by the
Conference Committee. If questions arise about the workshop material, it is
appropriate to consult with the Conference Oversight Committees.
While noting there are various formats for workshops, for those which desire
attendee’s participation, it is suggested that presenters limit their opening remarks
to 5 – 10 minutes.
Presenters should encourage attendees to continue support of each other as needed
after the workshop/therapy meeting.
Presenters are asked to begin with a reminder “what is said in this room stays in this
room” in workshops and therapy groups, just as at meetings.
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Presenters are asked to express appreciation for attendance at their workshops and
close with the Serenity Prayer.
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A guest speaker who is not a member of GA or Gam-Anon may be invited,
however, no books, business cards, advertisements, pamphlets or articles can be
distributed.
APPENDIX I
Reports to the Oversight Committees
The Conference Steering Committee is responsible to send the following to the
Conference Oversight Committees via e-mail.
Steering Committee meeting minutes
Bank statements
Handouts for Workshops
Conference book submissions (GA submissions to GA committee, Gam-Anon
submissions to Gam-Anon committee)
APPENDIX J
Non - International Conferences (LOCAL MINI-CONFERENCES)
Local conferences that are attended by GA and Gam-Anon members are
usually fundraisers for the local Intergroups/Unities/Meetings. The division of
profit between GA and Gam-Anon in International Conferences as stated in this
document does not apply to the local conferences. Prior to planning the conference
the local GA and Gam-Anon Intergroups/Unities, or combined planning committee
in the absence of an Intergroup or Unity, decide on the division of any profits. GA
and Gam-Anon thereafter decide for themselves what to do with their share of the
profit.
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GA logo
The name Gamblers Anonymous and the Gamblers Anonymous logo are registered trademarks
of the Gamblers Anonymous International Service Office, Inc.
© date
Gamblers Anonymous International Service Office, Inc.
date
Approved by the Gamblers Anonymous Board of Trustees
Gamblers Anonymous® International Service Office, Inc.
PO Box 17173
Los Angeles, CA 90017
gamblersanonymous.org