YES.  All candidates are reminded that detailed knowledge of the course manual is necessary to ensure satisfactory completion of the examination at the course.

Few hospitals have the facilities required to run the course, and access to postgraduate education centres at weekends is often fraught with problems.  Catering at weekends is a problem in hospitals, whereas hotels can manage this every day.  Using hotels saves travelling time in the busy schedule for the volunteer instructors.  Holding the courses in major cities usually means the instructors can fly in on Friday and out on Sunday evening.  In contrast, using regional locations often means staying over on Sunday night, which not only increases the cost of the course but also requires the instructors to take more (unpaid) time from work.  Finally the current arrangement means that candidates travel to meet others from elsewhere in the country, which allows a further sharing of experience that would be lost with a 'local' course.

The high instructor:candidate ratio, usually set at 1:4. Although the instructors are unpaid their travel, meals and accommodation for the course are provided. In addition there is the cost of the manual and AAFP licence fee, as well as the costs of the office and its administrator. 

Overall ALSO (NZ) Ltd aims to make a small operating surplus each year, which is essential to pay for replacement of the equipment. 

To enable it to fit into a weekend. This enables the instructors to be available, and keeps the costs down as conference venues are much more expensive during the week (see below).

Venues are more available, and cheaper, at weekends. In addition it is easier for many of the (unpaid) instructors to be available at weekends.

The course is didactic, and based around the evidence-based content of the manual. To improve the learning environment and allow time for discussion, since the 2005 timetable most of the lectures have been replaced with interactive case scenarios. In addition there is time during the refreshment breaks for any specific questions to be addressed to the instructors.

The manual is one of the core components of the course, and was originally produced by the American Faculty of Family Practitioners.  Although local modifications have been made regarding language and drugs, the licence agreement does not permit more major alterations.  However, as it is an evidence-based text, its origins make little difference to the information contained within it.