How Vox’s first conference will be different

When Vox set out to design its first conference, taking place September 21 and 22, we wanted to do something different. So we’ve combined the best attributes of conferences and un-conferences into something that we hope will allow real conversations about the ideas that should shape our future.

The concept of this conference is to get a diverse group of 150 people into a room and then let the conversations follow their own momentum. Any participant can put any topic on the agenda at any time. We want to hear your points of view.

What if instead of talking about next year's appropriations, we talked about a universal basic income? What if instead of relitigating Obamacare, we asked what the government could actually do to make people live longer? And what if rather than bemoaning the state of politics today, we started from scratch on the question of what changes are needed to make our government work in this age of polarization?

Or maybe we should be talking about something else altogether.

To that end, we're gathering a broad range of thinkers from a variety of backgrounds. To apply for an invitation, use the form below:

Some featured participants will also give short talks to set the stage, including:

• Natalie Foster, co-founder, Peers
• Jennifer Lawless, director, Women & Politics Institute
• Rebecca Onie, co-founder and CEO, Health Leads
• Andy Stern, president, Service Employees International Union
• Ron Wyden, US senator, Oregon

For more information, or to share the event with colleagues and friends, please go to the Vox Conversations site. We look forward to hearing from you.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.

So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)

If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.

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