AARP's annual event "Life @ 50" question?

[Orchidflower]

AARP's annual event is this 2011 in L.A. Living close to there (I'm in Phoenix) and being able to drive to the convention seems like a plus; but, wanting to investigate further as to the benefit of attending this event, I started digging on the net. Nothing. I mean nothing insofar as reviews go.

With so many AARP members and the huge attendance at this annual convention, why no reviews? Does this seem odd to anyone other than myself? AARP can't possibly monitor any reviews an attendee would post...but why no reviews? This is a puzzler.

Has anyone here ever attended one of these? And is it worth the time and money to do so?

 

[REWahoo]

Do old people do online reviews?

 

[Telly]

Maybe everybody bought as much AARP-branded insurance as they could afford, and now can't do anything else?

 

[mickeyd]

Not an AARP fan, so there's that. I already know how life @ 50 was, so there's also that.

 

[Gotadimple]

I have a friend who went to the convention last year in Orlando. She was absolutely gushing about the wide array of speakers, first run movies available during the day, and of course, all the trinkets you can pick up in the exhibitors hall.

 

[Orchidflower]

Ahhh..okay. I was curious if it was worth it. They always seem to have a fantastic array of speakers and entertainers that make it seem soooo worth the money.
They do have a movie by Martin Sheen coming out, but they want $25 to see it! Yikes!!! Guess I'll wait.
However, after adding up the costs--and this means staying at a La Quinta for $79 a night and not the $159 hotels they suggest--and driving myself to L.A., I cannot seem to get the bill down below around $750++++ for 4 days. And I'm doing this on the cheap compared to the norm.
This isn't high...but, gee! I can hit Vegas for a whole lot lower than this for 4 days right now, so this isn't some give-away by AARP.
LBYM's is making me think go to Vegas instead. We shall see.....just not sure yet.

 

[Telly]

Off the topic a bit...

When I was younger (like in my 30's ), I thought the American Association of Retired Persons sounded like a good idea. I envisioned myself off in the future on a bus filled with gray-haired folks careening down an interstate while singing songs from the 60's off-key, and passing around a large bottle of Metamucil on the way to D.C. to picket congress on some senior issue.

But then they became the AARP and wanted to sell me all kinds of insurance. Now I take their bi-monthly mail attempt to get me to join and separate it into the parts with my name/addr. on it like the silly temporary card and feed those to the shredder. And the other parts go into the recycling bin. So there will be no singing 60's songs off-key for me, and I was figuring somebody else on the bus would have brought the Metamucil...

 

[Gotadimple]

They do have a movie by Martin Sheen coming out, but they want $25 to see it! Yikes!!! Guess I'll wait.

From an AARP mailing:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Tickets are required for the premier of The Way and are included in the price of your event registration.

[/FONT]

However, after adding up the costs--and this means staying at a La Quinta for $79 a night and not the $159 hotels they suggest--and driving myself to L.A., I cannot seem to get the bill down below around $750++++ for 4 days. And I'm doing this on the cheap compared to the norm.. We shall see.....just not sure yet.

Get a friend to go with you, and share the cost of the room!

 

[rescueme]

With so many AARP members and the huge attendance at this annual convention, why no reviews?

50"s? That's so "last decade" ....

I'm too old to be a member of the "AARP generation" (e.g. I dropped my subscription when I turned 60, and knew better of what they were all about - selling insurance products )...

 

[Orchidflower]

From an AARP mailing:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Tickets are required for the premier of The Way and are included in the price of your event registration.

[/FONT]
Get a friend to go with you, and share the cost of the room!

Thanks! I haven't registered yet, so guess I will find out if I register.

I'm still thinkin' about it....