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I am considering going to AARP's Alive at 50 annual convention this 9/21-24/2011, but have no idea if it is worth the money and time or not.
Has anyone on this board ever gone or know of anyone who went?
Worth it or not? It isn't going to be cheap to do, and I would hate to spend so much and find out it's a bust.
This is the second board I have posted this on, and I haven't found even one person who has attended yet. And try and find reviews on it on the net..nothing. What gives with this?
Supposedly--and I believe them--25,000 people attend this event. But where the heck are they??????
And when your name and address gets on AARP's mailing list, they sell that info to "partner" companies that bomb you with junk mail to make even more bucks.
What about that convention interests you? Are there certain speakers you want to hear? Do you want to be able to browse the many booths and buy merchandise there? Or do you just want to socialize with other AARP'ers? Any of those would be good reasons to attend.
I truly doubt there are going to be 25,000 paying attendees. I saw that number on the AARP website, but I dont believe much, if anything, of what AARP says. If you go, however, you'll probably have a good time. Conventions are usually fun for many reasons. And please report back here on how it was.
1. Are you aware that AARP is the biggest lobbying group around with the NRA being second? I joined for 5 years cause it's cheaper that way, and I have gleaned some information that has helped me--and saved me more money than the membership--from their silly, little monthly magazine, AND I have saved alot with my membership on hotels/motels when traveling. Personally, I haven't used the membership for more than hotels/motels, but seems you can save alot at stores and other places with it, too. Regardless, it is purely a moneysaving thing for me. One motel night can save you $10+.
2. I, too, decided for $750--which is the cheapest I could cut it down to and that's staying at a cheaper nonlisted on their roster place--for 3 days that I would rather take a cruise since I've never done one before.
It IS expensive to go to that AARP convention, and I am shocked nobody has ever gone to one on 2 boards I am on with retired people and lots of members of those boards. 25,000 coming? I doubt it myself now.
3. Yes, the AARP convention has some great entertainment always and neat people to meet. This year is Lionel Richie, Jon Secada and others entertaining; and they have a number of neat speakers like Jeff Greenberg on travel (he is always on the Today Show), Richard Simmons, Martina Navratilove, Martin Sheen and Emilio Estavez, etc. You can't fault them for not getting good speakers, anyway, at this convention, because they do have them. However, it's still too expensive.
4. Junk mail from AARP and it's subsidiaries? Hello, Mr. Junk Mail meet Mr. Garbage. No biggie for me...ha!ha!
I've been an AARP member for 15 years for the same benefits as you mentioned, Tootsie. But, as time has passed, I've become less and less enamored with AARP. My membership is not a show of support at all. I'm in it strictly for the discounts. I cant imagine myself attending an AARP convention even if it were held in my city -- and, to be honest, all my AARP friends feel the same way.
I've been an AARP member for 15 years for the same benefits as you mentioned, Tootsie. But, as time has passed, I've become less and less enamored with AARP. My membership is not a show of support at all. I'm in it strictly for the discounts. I cant imagine myself attending an AARP convention even if it were held in my city -- and, to be honest, all my AARP friends feel the same way.
I quit AARP. I don't agree with their politics and will give them one more cent. I never found their discounts all that useful. You can get most of them elsewhere. I wouldn't go!
I figure for the amount of money I would spend to go I could just about go on a week's cruise somewhere (ok...the cruise would cost a little more I admit).
But it amazes me that I can't seem to find anyone who has ever been. The best I have been able to do is find a friend of a friend who went and raved about all the freebies she got. If 25,000 people go, why am I not able to find one person who has attended? This is just bizarre.
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