Chicago Ideas Announces Flagship Festival, Chicago Ideas Week, Expanding to Virtual in 2020
10th anniversary of the annual ideas festival will be virtual for the first time, offering a new model of on-demand and live experiences for viewers everywhere.
CHICAGO, June 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago Ideas, a nonprofit platform that inspires, connects and empowers curious people to transform ideas into action, announced that its flagship festival—Chicago Ideas Week—is going virtual for its 10-year anniversary. The festival, which has hosted such speakers as George Lucas, Taraji P. Henson, General Colin Powell, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Lena Waithe, Ronan Farrow, Alec Baldwin, and many others will take place online from October 26 – 30, 2020, delivering rich and engaging virtual experiences as the culmination of a decade of accessible, dynamic, and inspiring programming.
"We're excited to evolve our format this year to meet our current needs, but also achieve a goal we've been working towards these past 10 years of expanding our reach to truly be an ideas platform for everyone," said Brad Keywell, founder of Chicago Ideas and CEO of Uptake. "Ideas are meant to travel. By going virtual, we're propelling the innovative thinking, empowering conversations, and personal connections well beyond our city to reach more curious people than we ever have before."
Chicago Ideas Week 2020 will include live programs that are streamed in real-time to subscribers and on-demand programs that will be filmed in advance and released on the first day of the festival. Attendees will further have the opportunity to interact with each other in through virtual breakout rooms, where compelling speakers and experts will guide the conversation, fostering new and unexpected connections while engaging deeply in the festival content. The festival will continue to address a broad range of topics, bringing back popular favorites such as the state of our union, life's big questions, and social taboos, while featuring some of the most important minds of our time.
This year's new accessibility model will include affordable annual content access as well as Chicago Ideas Week day passes, with existing membership transforming into year-round, multi-format access. To keep with its mission of making ideas accessible for everyone, Chicago Ideas will provide free access to individuals from low socio-economic households through their vast community partner network, ensuring that cost will not be a barrier for attendance.
"For a decade, we've created big experiences that have fostered small connections with the power to change your life, and now—with a fully virtual festival—the world," added Keywell.
The official Chicago Ideas Week 2020 schedule and additional details on the access model will be released this fall. But you can always discover new ideas through Chicago Ideas original, thought-provoking content that's available online, on-demand, and ongoing all year long. To stay up-to-date on the latest updates and subscription information, visit ChicagoIdeas.com and subscribe to their newsletter, follow @ChicagoIdeas on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more information about becoming a member, visit ChicagoIdeas.com/membership.
About Chicago Ideas
Chicago Ideas is a nonprofit platform built on one core belief: When audiences of every background have access to thought leaders and innovative ideas, people have the power to spark change in the world. Chicago Ideas is the host of Chicago Ideas Week, the largest, most affordable ideas festival in the world, which will be going virtual in its 10th year from October 26-30, 2020. In addition to connecting attendees to world-renowned speakers, Chicago Ideas' Youth Program promotes leadership and personal development among under-represented Chicago high school students, its digital content platform highlights innovative people and organizations, and its corporate partnerships help make visionary ideas accessible to everyone. Chicago Ideas is a 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at Chicagoideas.com.
SOURCE Chicago Ideas
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