OA Birthday Party FAQs

Most of the events and sessions for the OA Birthday Party will take place on the Second Level. You can either take the elevator from the Lobby Level or walk up the grand staircase located in the back of the lobby’s main eating area and in front of reception. The registration window will be across the West Foyer. There will be signs placed throughout the Lobby and Second Levels to guide your way.

You can use the VFairs app to view the program schedule and floor plan at any time. Tap on “Program” on the Home screen to access the "Program" and “Event Floor Plan” to find the locations of where you’d like to go. Within the "Program" feature, you can save the sessions you're interested in attending and create your own custom schedule. There will also be digital signs outside of the meeting rooms with a list of scheduled events taking place in each room. Poster-sized signs will also help guide your way.

On the printed schedule and the schedule in the VFairs app, you'll see special codes indicating the type of session that's being offered. They include the following:

P - Panel: Three speakers will share for 10 minutes each on the designated topic. This is followed by Q&A.

W - Workshop: Targeted to a specific subject, this session is more interactive and generally includes writing (i.e. Sober Eating, Two Way Prayer, etc.)

MM - Marathon Meeting: A leader will share on the designated topic for up to 20 minutes. This is followed by open sharing (2 to 3 minutes each)

SF - Special Focus: Meetings that focus on a specific segment of OA (i.e. BiPOC, 100 pounders, LGBTQ, etc). Format can include 1 or more speakers followed by Q&A.

M - Meditation: Facilitators will share their practical experience that utilizes different techniques.

Y - Yoga: Instructors will teach a variety of poses and breathing techniques. Open to all levels of experience as well as the novice.

There will also be a Sponsor Meet and Greet for available sponsors and those who are looking for one.

Lastly, keynote speakers will share their experience, strength and hope during the Opening and Closing ceremonies as well as both the Saturday Lunch and Dinner. Meal purchase is not required to listen to the accompanying speakers.

Meals will be available for purchase up until January 9th, 2024. You can purchase them when you register or contact the Birthday Party Registration Chair if you’d like to add meals to your existing registration.

No. There will be separate seating for those who would like to hear the meal speaker and meal purchase is not required. Speakers will begin approximately 45 minutes after the meal’s start time.

No. Please email the Birthday Party Programming Committee if you’d like to be included as an available sponsor. For all those who are looking for a sponsor, join us and attend the “Sponsor Meet and Greet” sessions.

Yes. All Star Media will be on hand to set up the recordings for all keynote speakers, panels, workshops, and special focus meetings. Marathon meetings will not be recorded. Recordings will be available for purchase at the OA Birthday Party and then available online for purchase thereafter. The All Star Media table will be set up across from the Registration window.

No. They will be available for purchase only. Attendees can purchase recordings of all or individual sessions. All Star Media will be set up across from the Registration window and accepts major credit cards for purchases.

For day guests, parking validations will be available at the Registration window. Please pick one up before leaving for the day. Hotel guests will have the parking fees applied to their hotel bill.

There will be many prizes to be won. Attendees can buy tickets and put them in bags placed in front of each prize. If you’re interested in specific prizes, place more tickets in those bags. Some of the prize drawings will be held at the Friday Night Opening, Saturday Lunch, and Saturday Dinner. The remaining drawings will be held during the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. You must be present at the prize drawings to win. Cash or credit cards can be used to purchase prize drawing tickets. An ATM is available at the Lobby Level. No checks can be used to purchase tickets. Good luck!

The Grand prize will be a bigger-ticketed item and ticket prices are higher than for the “regular” prizes. Each type of ticket will be a different color. Make sure you place the correct colored tickets in front of the matching prize items!

Some of the prize drawings will be held at the Friday Night Opening, Saturday Lunch, and Saturday Dinner. The remaining drawings will be held during the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. You must be present at the prize drawings to win.

Yes.

It takes an army of volunteers to pull off the OA Birthday Party and we can certainly use your help! Be on the lookout for emails and announcements within the VFairs app for a link where you can sign up to be of service. There will be a list of open slots with types of service, days and times. Even if you haven't signed up and want to be of service, visit the Volunteers table across from the Registration window.

The LAX Hilton has a free shuttle that runs 24 hours a day. It may take 25-40 minutes for a shuttle to make a full loop around the 7 terminals at LAX and to the hotel. When exiting the airport (baggage claim), look for the red pylons where hotel and private parking shuttles pick up passengers.

For day guests, the discounted parking rate is $10/day (discounted from normal $20/day). For overnight hotel guests, the discounted rate is $30/day (discounted from normal rate of $49/day).

However, hotel guests can pre-pay parking at a cheaper rate of $17.45/day at airportparkinglax.net. Note: the cheaper parking rate does not include in and out privileges. If you don’t plan on leaving the hotel when staying there, then the cheaper option is your best bet.

The hotel has 2 restaurants (Andiamo and The Café), a bar that serves food and a Grab-and-Go café (The Bistro). Note that there will be a large influx of people, especially on Saturday. The OA Birthday Party committee and the LAX Hilton are discussing have boxed meals available for purchase.

You can also bring your own food and eat in the lobby or Hospitality room. Note: there is a community refrigerator in the Hospitality room for anyone to use pending available space. The room will be locked overnight but will be open as long as events are happening. There is no microwave available.

Another option is to eat at a restaurant at a nearby hotel, of which there are a few within walking distance. If you have access to a car, there are more dining options.

Yes. There are restaurants within walking distance and even more if you have a car. For more information, from within the VFairs app, tap on “Event Resources” and then on "Alternative Dining".

Or click here for the printable PDF.

Here's another document with additional information.

Yes. From within the VFairs app, tap on “Event Resources” and then on the “Closest Groceries and Other Supplies” document for more information.

Or click here for the printable PDF.

Here's another document with additional information.

For non-hotel guests, there is a community refrigerator in the Hospitality room for anyone to use pending available space. The room will be locked overnight but will be open as long as events are happening.

There is also a microwave available in the Bistro located in the hotel's Lobby Level. This is available for all guests but there may be a large demand so please be patient while waiting your turn to use it.

Hotel guests have the option of reserving a mini fridge for their room for an additional $25. If you have a medical reason for the fridge, there is no extra charge. Be sure to reserve your fridge in advance as the hotel has a limited number available.

If you are already registered, join the “RideShare / Roommates” chatroom in the VFairs app and post your request (or look at already posted requests).

If you haven’t yet registered, you can join our free message board at https://oabirthdayparty-2024.freeforums.net. You’ll need to create an account to view the threads and posts but it is free. You can post your requests in “Birthday Party Networking” category.

If you are already registered, join the “RideShare / Roommates” chatroom in the VFairs app and post your request (or look at already posted requests).

If you haven’t yet registered, you can join our free message board at https://oabirthdayparty-2024.freeforums.net. You’ll need to create an account to view the threads and posts but it is free. You can post your requests in the “Looking for Roommates” thread under the “Birthday Party Networking” category.

Think of the app as a central hub. You can find and message another attendee; participate in a chat room of your interest; save selections from the Program Schedule to create your custom itinerary and stay up to date with announcements that will be made throughout the weekend of the event. Note: The Program and schedule will be posted to the app no later than December 15th.

You should have received an email with instructions on downloading the app. All that’s needed is the email address in which you registered with. Enter that and click on “Sign In”. A Welcome screen will be displayed after a few seconds. Click the “x” (close) button at the top right and you’ll see your Home screen.

Tap on Attendees and either 1) scroll through the list until you find the person you’re looking for, 2) enter a name (or keyword) in the search bar towards the top, and/or 3) tap the funnel icon at the top right to open the Filters panel. You can enter values to filter / limit your search. When you find someone, you can tap on the person’s name to get more information.

Tap on “Attendees”. Either scroll down, type in a keyword in the Search bar or use the Filters screen to find who you’re looking for. Click on the chat icon to the right of the designated person’s name to start a chat thread. As mentioned before, all messages will be stored in the “Messages” tab in the “Message Board” section.

Tap the “Message Boards” icon on the Home screen and then on “Chatrooms”. The “Sponsors/Sponsees” chat room should be listed by default. If you want to see and join another chatroom, tap on “Join”. There are over a dozen different chatrooms. Tap on one (or more) to join. The chat operates like a Zoom chat. Type in a message and press the icon to “send”. Tap on “People” to see who’s online at the same time as you. All messages that you write, and that others send to you will be shown under the “Messages” tab.

All announcements will be pushed as notifications in the app. To read or re-read those, either tap on the “Announcements” icon from the Home screen or tap the bell (notification) icon at the very top right of the app. This will display a list of past announcements. That way, you won’t miss anything!

Yes, tap on “Menu” at the bottom right. You’ll see your name and an icon to the left of it. Click on the icon and you’ll get 2 choices on where to add a photo from – Camera or Gallery. Select one and follow instructions on-screen.

Yes. Click here to view the downloadable and printable VFairs instruction guide.