Annual Gathering 2024
July 3-7, 2024, in Kansas City, MO
ag.us.mensa.org

As of mid-April, with more than two months yet to go, there were about 1100 registrants who plan to take in the entire Annual Gathering in Kansas City, along with a number of partial registrations. It’s going to be a blast!

The Saturday evening Gala Dinner featuring Alton Brown as the keynote speaker has been long sold out. All 450 tickets went fast!

There has been lots of conversation about the AG on Mensa Connect. How much is parking? What’s on the breakfast and lunch menus? What are the hospitality hours? Is there a schedule of events yet? What tours are being offered?

Here are a few answers, but not all by any means. First, about parking. If you are a guest at the hotel, you get a break on the daily parking rate — $15/day. If you’re not staying at the hotel, parking is $25/day or $6/hour. At least, that’s what it was in early May.

Hospitality opens on Wednesday at 1:30 pm in the Exhibit Hall and will remain open 24 hours until noon on Sunday. It will feature four breakfasts, three lunches, snacks, and a selection of beverages, including beer and wine. There’s a lot more specific detail here: https://ag.us.mensa.org/essentials/hospitality-dining/. There will be limited offerings (i.e., non-perishables only) between 1:00 am and 6:00 am when the hotel is resetting and cleaning the room.

What else? What else? There should be something here for everyone:

  • An astronaut who’s visited space five times.
  • A Sesame Street puppeteer.
  • The man who talks for Einstein through social media.
  • How about tales from Walt Disney’s confidante?
  • Or a former Iran Hostage Crisis captive?

And the AG Committee is still at work finding more speakers/topics to engage all of our ever-inquiring minds.