December 2025 Convention Report

OIAA2025 Online International Convention

2025 Convention Inventory and Report

Prepared Jennifer H, OIAA2025 Chair

Contents (click to jump to sections)

OIAA2025 Online International Convention

OIAA2025 Preliminary Feedback based on…

Exit survey to all registrants
Chair Support/Service Leaders Team (administration, infrastructure, mechanics, and systems management)
Group, Members and Assembly feedback

1. Initial Observations

The event was widely regarded as a great success, praised for its global reach and diversity.
Despite a sudden leadership change seven weeks prior, newly created sub-groups enabled effective delegation and delivery.
Attendance numbers were lower than 2024, but the convention provided strong insights and a solid foundation for OIAA 2026 planning.

2. Attendance & Participation

Registrations: 4,505
Participants: 10,917 (approx.; individual activity cannot be tracked- and based on same system used to calculate attendance for the 2025 convention)
- Day 1: 3452
- Day 2: 4609
- Day 3: 2857
Session attendance range: 300+ (highest) to 11 (lowest)
Several sessions had fewer than 20 participants.
Hospitality Suite:
- Day 1: 26 attendees
- Remaining days: Data unavailable; overall very low turnout
Languages represented:
English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Māori, Mandarin, Farsi, Malayalam, ASL

Countries represented:
USA, Canada, UK, France, Brazil, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa, Angola, Iran, The Netherlands, China, Spain, India, Australia, Thailand, Italy, Latin America, South America.

Top 15 Attended Sessions

Group name	Theme	Country /Language	Attendance	Meeting Language
BIG SPEAKER MEETING – ONE ROOM			301	FARSI/ENG
The Twilight Zone – LA	“Rocketed Into The Fourth Dimension – Two Speakers	USA, Los Angeles – English	188	ENG
The Pickle Jar Women’s meeting	Unity is a Big Dill – Speaker	USA/UK – English	164	ENG
AA Online Iran	The 12th Step in the Digital World – How to carry the message to others	IRAN – Farsi/English	157	FARSI/ENG
AA Online Iran	Speaker – Newcomers to the Online World – Exp&Suggestions	IRAN – Farsi/English	156	ENG
World of the Spirit (WOS) – New Zealand	Step 10	NZ – English	133	ENG
Agnostics in Progress – LA	Speaker – Discussion “The only requirement…”	USA, LA – English	128	ENG
MMER Online – Akron	Fun in Fellowship “Evening Reflections” (Live)	USA,Akron – English	127	ENG
Only A Symptom	Speaker/Discussion Unity – Bridging the Gap	Las Vegas- English	123	ENG
AA Online Iran	Speaker – AA Traditions in the Internet Age	Iran – Farsi/English	121	FARSI/ENG
Key West 12 Noon – FL	A Solution – 3 Speaker Panel Cappie B., Looie B.,Alexis T.	USA,FL – English	118	ENG
World of the Spirit (WOS) – New Zealand	Step 11	NZ – English	110	ENG
Cottonwood Freethinkers – LA	Evidence Based Recovery	USA,LA – English	109	ENG
MAI ROOPU	Whakatauaki (Māori)	NZ – Māori, English	106	ENG/MAORI
1 Day at a Time – NYC	Helping the Newcomer in the Online World – Speaker Meeting	USA, NY – English	105	ENG

3. Marketing & Communications

What worked well

Visuals and flyers: very positive feedback.
Website registration (group & individual): efficient, easy to navigate.

Key issues

Many participants did not receive access links/codes, especially via email.
Delays in communications due to leadership changes.
Need for better targeted promotion, especially for Hispanic and global groups.

How participants heard about the event

Home groups
OIAA website / Assemblies / IGR emails
Word of mouth
Social media, WhatsApp/Telegram
Previous participants
NAATW Conference
Deaf AA networks

4. Convention Schedule & Format

Schedule Access & Presentation

The live schedule link worked well and stayed updated.
PDF versions quickly became outdated, causing confusion.
“At a Glance” version was helpful once found.

Meeting Distribution & Language Issues

Too many consecutive meetings from the same countries/groups.
Some sessions had language misunderstandings, leading to combined meetings or under-filled sessions.
Some advertised languages were unavailable at session time.

5. Hospitality Room

Feedback & Challenges

Confusion over language links—many expected direct entry into breakout rooms.
Very low attendance in breakout rooms.
In relation to the over Convention objectives, the VR room was widely considered unsuccessful.

Suggestions

The main room should act as reception/info desk only.
Breakout rooms available for informal fellowship rather than planned activities.
Consider hosting only a small number of organised events or integrating them into the main schedule.

6. Interpretation Services

Strengths

ASL services were excellent.
Most interpreters were high quality and felt supported.
The final meeting used 16 interpreters simultaneously plus Farsi consecutively.

Areas for improvement

Some interpreters struggled with AA terminology.
One interpreter was released due to performance.
Spanish flagged as slightly less effective.
More ASL interpreters for more meetings throughout the convention.
Recommendation to consult GSO New York about interpretation resources.

7. Meeting Formats & Facilitation

Issues

“Focus mode” in some meetings prevented participants from seeing each other → created disconnection.
Meetings with cameras off felt flat and counter to the spirit of unity.
Desire for wider global representation in facilitators.
Timing:
- The early sessions on Day 3 had very low attendance (possibly due to time zones).
- 1h 15 min meetings were well received.
- 15-minute breaks may need review.

8. Planning & Communication (Pre-Convention)

Unity Committee

Effective but experienced disruption after leadership change.
Meeting minutes were sometimes inaccurate—likely translation issues.
Interpreter scheduling issues due to miscommunications.

Sub-groups

Volunteers overwhelmed by duplicate information → need for clear communication channels.
Live documents preferred over PDFs due to frequent updates.

Translation & Website Integration

Strong need for integrated translation tools via website links.
Earlier preparation required for mailing lists and technical build timelines.

9. Communication During the Convention

What worked

WhatsApp groups: extremely effective for Tech, Volunteers, Language teams.
Interpreters felt highly supported compared with last year.
Tech12 team praised for efficiency and professionalism.
Posting meeting links in chat made navigation seamless.

What needs improvement

Earlier release of access codes.
Better timezone accommodation.
Clear training on roles and convention structure.
Ensure rooms open early and tech teams are available for mobile updates.

10. Website Functionality

Issues & Considerations

Problems with email delivery of access links.
Possible need to release codes earlier.
Navigation challenges for less tech-savvy participants.
Colour-coded rooms weren’t intuitive to all.
Mobile site updates incomplete on Day 1.

11. Financials

Item 2025^

Tech 12 $13,167

Website/Tech /Graphics $2,520^

Administration/Support $340

Interpretation – Committee meetings $3,534

Interpretation – Sub-Groups (Hosp/Language/Admin/Marketing, Scheduling, etc) $^

Interpretation – Convention* $10,819^

Translation Services (documentation) $^

Other $

TOTAL: $26,846

Minus Tradition 7 ($5,988) $20,858

(not all items have been allocated correctly due to different system of recording)

*Interpretation Expenditure Breakdown (Convention)

^actual spend to date some items still to be invoiced

OIAA2025 Budget$36,905

12. Participant & Volunteer Feedback Highlights

“Well organised, easy to navigate.”
“Excellent ASL interpreters.”
“Better than last year—fantastic job!”
Deep gratitude expressed by AA Iran Conference.
Interpreter: “What a pleasure to interpret!”
Hispanic feedback emphasised:
- earlier link delivery
- clearer time-zone communication
- stronger promotion to Spanish-speaking groups
- accessible committee meeting times and interpretation

13. Key Suggestions for OIAA2026

Programming & Content

Develop criteria for group participation.
Broader representation of countries and meeting formats
Structure and focus – Introduce more:
- Keynote speakers
- AA History sessions
- Panels (incl. “How OIAA Works”)
- Workshops / OIAA Committees? / AA Deaf community focus
- Fun or culturally focused events
- Opening Ceremony, Flag Ceremony, Closing Celebration with Countdown.

Operations & Administration

Improve communication flow and translation systems.
Better vetting, training, and onboarding for groups and facilitators.
Earlier timeline for technical build, mailing lists, and code distribution.

Hospitality & Engagement

Redesign Hospitality structure:
- Main Room = reception only
- Breakout Rooms = informal conversation spaces
Remove VR or redesign it carefully.