Your bid form will be distributed to the steering committee. The responsibility of the Committee is to select a maximum of three bids to present to the entire body at the business meeting during the Workshop, and for the Steering Committee to choose from for final decision.
A complete bid package should be available for presentation at the workshop at least one year prior to the year the bid is for.
The Steering Committee will form the actual workshop agenda and help to level-set the technical needs for the Workshop. There will be no particular need for special expertise from the local Host committee, though if that expertise exists, it is welcome.
Financial budgeting and funding for the event may include seed money from the NAATW treasury if needed. The goal is to be self-supporting through registration fees, hospitality basket, and a general basket if absolutely needed. The NAATW also depends on income from the Workshop for ongoing expenses. Thus, at the end of the Workshop, any workshop overage will be returned to the NAATW treasurer along with any seed money advanced. Similarly, any Workshop underage will be the responsibility of the NAATW. The Steering Committee will work actively with your committee to manage funding as needed.
The NAATW Chair and Alternate chair are available to you for questions and discussion as you prepare this bid. In addition, minutes of past workshops and reports can be reviewed. You may also want to ask questions of past Host Committee Chairs to determine current trends with regards to:
- Attendance – how many people are generally coming to the seminar?
- Coffee consumption.
- Room nights accounted for credit against meeting rooms in hotels.
- Event technology needs
- Other general trends and needs.
To accommodate as many of our fellowship as possible, access to meeting rooms for those who are older or with special needs should be considered. In addition some remote attendance options should be provided where possible.
The proposed date, if possible, should include alternate dates that the facility is available around the specific dates proposed (to provide for flexibility during review if conflicts are discovered). The traditional month for the event is September but has been scheduled any time between September and Thanksgiving.
The cost for the meeting facilities: If the meeting space is offered by a hotel free or at a discount based on the number of room nights, the basis for the cost should also be explained (e.g. “…the hotel meeting room will be free if we sell 150 room nights…”). If the need for additional funds is foreseen, please ask during the bid submission.
Some committees will need volunteers that may include: registration, event technology (hybrid, zoom, event apps, A/V needs) hospitality (coffee/ food), logistics, transportation. It is strongly recommended that you also have a co-chair and treasurer to help with those responsibilities.
Some work is required to prepare a bid and host a workshop, but it can have a great, positive influence on the local A.A. community.
If your Intergroup / Central Office / District / Area / Region is interested in hosting the Workshop, please fill out the bid form and return it to chair@naatw.org