OFFICIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS CONCERNING ARRL HAMFESTS AND CONVENTIONS (Revised January 16, 2010)
1. American Radio Relay League Hamfests and Conventions are meetings of persons interested in Amateur Radio which are authorized and conducted in accordance with the rules that follow. ARRL Conventions may be sanctioned at the Section, State, and Division levels, and in some cases as Operating-Specialty conventions; there will be not more than one Convention at each level in a given area per year. “Operating-specialty” is defined as an operating or technical activity that is of interest to a subset of the ARRL membership.
2. Neither the name of the American Radio Relay League, nor the initial letters thereof, nor its emblem, shall be used in connection with any meeting or convention, or in the advertising thereof, unless it has been approved in the manner set forth below.
3. Parties desiring to conduct an ARRL-sanctioned Convention shall submit an application (setting forth the place and date of the proposed convention, the area to be served, the clubs, associations or groups who propose to sponsor it, and the names and addresses of the officers chosen to conduct it) to ARRL’s Convention Program Manager. The Convention Program Manager will then seek the approval of the Director of the division in which the convention is to be held. When the Director is satisfied that the approval of such convention will be in the best interests of the League, he or she will notify the Convention Program Manager who will then submit the application to the Executive Committee for its formal approval. State conventions held in states that are partly in two ARRL divisions must be approved by both Directors. Upon such final approval the Convention Program Manager will notify the chairman of the convention group.
The program of every such convention shall be subject to the approval of the Director of the division in which the convention is to be held. ARRL-sanctioned conventions will make provisions for an ARRL forum or meeting and for an ARRL display booth or table and shall make every effort to use the ARRL diamond prominently displayed on the front of all advertising and program materials. On its part, the League will make every effort to provide a speaker from among the Headquarters staff or from among the officers of the League at no cost to the convention treasury; to provide editorial support in QST for the event; to accept paid advertising at rates lower than for commercial purposes; and to contribute awards or prizes.
4. Parties desiring to conduct an ARRL-sanctioned hamfest shall submit an application (setting forth the place and date of the proposed hamfest, the area to be served, the clubs, associations or groups who propose to sponsor it, and the names and addresses of the officers chosen to conduct it) to ARRL’s Convention Program Manager. The Convention Program Manager will then seek approval of the Director of the division in which the hamfest is to be held. When the Director is satisfied that the approval of such hamfest is in the best interests of the League, he or she will notify the Convention Program Manager and the chairman of the hamfest.
ARRL hamfests will make space available for an ARRL display, and those ARRL hamfests which include formal speaking programs will schedule time for an ARRL meeting if so requested by the Director or another elected League official. There is no limit to the number of
ARRL hamfests which may be held, but care should be taken to avoid conflict with other hamfests serving the same general area. Headquarters will provide editorial support in QST for the event, will provide for advertising in QST at rates below commercial rates, and will on request provide awards or prizes.
5. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the Board of Directors may authorize or direct upon such terms as it may prescribe, the holding, as a National Convention, of a meeting of persons interested in Amateur Radio from throughout the operating territory of the League. The President will assign a member of the Board to work with the staff to evaluate National Convention applications and negotiate ARRL participation. The program of every such convention shall be subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.