Modern Language Association - MLA 2027

Historical attendance figures reported over the convention's history: 40 attendees in 1883; 240 in 1916; 1,100 in 1932; 3,049 in 1948; 10,600 in 1966; 11,750 (the most ever) in 1968; declining to 7,300 in 2009; 5,710 in 2015; and 4,500 in 2019. Until recently, conventions have averaged about 10,000 attendees out of a membership hovering around 30,000. Attendees are predominantly faculty, graduate students, and other professionals in language and literature studies.

Exhibitors reserve space by booth type, with pricing published by the MLA at application. Applicants select the booth type they wish to reserve (P, A, or B) when submitting the form along with at least a 50% deposit. All in-person exhibit booths are either eight feet by ten feet or ten feet by ten feet with an eight-foot-high back-wall drape and three-foot-high side rails, and include an online exhibitor presence and complimentary badges with access to sessions. Furniture is not included in the booth rental, and the exhibit hall is carpeted, so additional carpeting is not required. Specific dollar amounts are set by the MLA on the exhibitor application; contact the MLA for current rates.

Registration for MLA members opens in September, and registration for nonmembers opens in October; alternatively, nonmembers can join the MLA and then register at the member rate. All participants—members and nonmembers alike—must pay registration fees, whether attending in person or online, and registrants receive badges granting admission to sessions, the MLA Professional Development Hub, and the exhibit hall.

Steps to register and reserve housing:

1. On the registration form, enter the email associated with your membership to access member rates.
2. Complete registration online with a credit card.
3. Click the Make Hotel Reservations Now button on the Registration Confirmation and Receipt page once you complete your online registration.

Waived nonmembers who have registered and whose income is under $30,000 may apply for registration reimbursement.

First held in 1883, the MLA convention is an annual gathering of teachers and scholars in the field of language and literature studies. The MLA was founded in 1883 when a group of language professors from the eastern United States met during the winter holidays to discuss the study and teaching of modern languages in the United States.

Just 40 people came to the first convention in 1883, out of a total membership of 126. By 1927, MLA membership was approaching 4,000 and annual convention attendance had grown from forty attendees to nearly 1,000. Since 1884 the MLA has held a national, four-day convention; for many years it was held the last week in December, but beginning in 2011 the convention dates moved to the first Thursday following 2 January. The 2027 gathering is the 142nd Annual Convention.