Circuits are flipping on in the nation's attic. A couple of weeks ago, 31 "digerati" -- like Clay Shirky, Chris Anderson, and George Oates -- dropped in to the Smithsonian Institution for the invitation-only conference "Smithsonian 2.0: A Gathering to Re-imagine the Smithsonian in the Digital Age". Dan Cohen of the Center for History and New Media provides a great summary (and continues to pose provocative questions) on his own blog. Those whose invitations were somehow lost in the mail can play fly-on-the-wall by watching the keynotes, paging through the Flickr pool of envymaking glimpses of their behind-the-scenes lab and collections tours, reading the blog (where Bruce Wyman of the Denver Art Museum lays out a succinct road map for museums using social media), and poking around in the SI's website gallery. Want to cheer on the USA's favorite 163-year-old "Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge" without taking the trip to DC? Thanks to their recent efforts, you can now follow the SI on Twitter, listen to its podcasts, watch its YouTube channel, visit the Latino Virtual Museum in Second Life, or use the FaceBook gifts page to send your best friends their very own pair of Dorothy's ruby slippers, Hope diamond, Negro Leagues baseball, or coelocanth.
posted by Miko on Feb 27, 2009 - 13 comments

Rick Poynor asks - isn't it time we demanded more from design conferences?
posted by divabat on Apr 18, 2008 - 6 comments

Welcome to the BIL Conference Wish you could go to TED but don't have the money? Try BIL! As described on their site "an open, self-organizing, emergent, and anarchic science and technology conference. Nobody is in charge. If you want to come, just show up." With a number of talks in various categories, the most notable being Aubrey De Gray. The conference takes place in Monterey, CA on March 1st and 2nd.
posted by LoopyG on Feb 13, 2008 - 11 comments

Either yesterday was April 1 in Sweden, or northern officials have just given the go ahead to build a 6.5 million dollar, handicapped accessible moose. There's even a walkthrough video. [more inside]
posted by tkolar on Nov 27, 2007 - 27 comments

The inaugural New Yorker Conference, “2012: Stories From the Near Future,” took place on May 6 and 7, 2007. Here is an archive of videos from the event.
posted by parudox on Nov 12, 2007 - 10 comments

FEMA Press conference regarding the California fires has everything but reporters.
posted by landis on Oct 26, 2007 - 46 comments

I have been called a voluptuary, a sybarite, a hedonist, a creep. .. George Meyer's silly rhapsody on conferences, symposia, seminars, etc.: "The OFF-SITE is a born provocateur. She blends the dirty fun of a PowerPoint presentation with the raw danger of a Kaffeeklatsch. One minute she’s showing you charts and graphs, then up pops a “Far Side” cartoon. It’s high-stakes poker, and everything’s wild." from the New Yorker , May 2007.
posted by celerystick on Jun 13, 2007 - 10 comments

It's spring, and that means its convention time! In Las Vegas, tomorrow, don't miss the Virtual Air Traffic Convention in Las Vegas! Dusseldorf on Saturday? There's Top Hair 2007 wow! But wait there's more--- Perhaps you'd like to polish your skills in treating the multiple-disordered suicidal client! I know I would! Functional Foods? Learn why seawater has a salty taste at the Bagkok International Book Fair! Hot! Find your own convention.
posted by parmanparman on Mar 22, 2007 - 11 comments

Angela Merkel to fire organiser of Munich security conference over Iranian envoy's criticism of the U.S. policies in the Middle East, Der Spiegel reports. (Translated English version) Read the full speech of Ali Larijani, Iran's top nuclear negotioator at the conference.
posted by hoder on Feb 16, 2007 - 11 comments

TED talks is a collection of presentations given at the most recent installment of the annual convention of leading technologists, entertainers, and designers (previously). From the $100 laptop to the eradication of smallpoxto new ways of visualizing data and a charming and humorous look at education, there's a lot to chew on and more to come. Inspired yet? here's some more reading material. via
posted by sixacross on Aug 3, 2006 - 8 comments

Talk To Action and Mother Jones mag team up for e-conference tomorrow: ...a day of thoughtful reflections on, and vigorous discussion of the role of religion and government -- as intended by the framers of the constitution, and the situation we face today. (MoJo's December issue is all about the role of religion and government, including this on Reconstructionists: A Nation Under God.) New and old media officially collaborating to highlight specific issues and futher debate--a first?
posted by amberglow on Nov 28, 2005 - 15 comments

Wikimania begins on wednesday (in Germany). Unless you're there, you won't be able to hear the presentations on getting wikipedia into africa, a timeline with all of human history on it, or the intersect of art and science, but the media competion nominees are online. Check out the animations.
posted by Tlogmer on Aug 2, 2005 - 9 comments

TED UK
(click through to What is Ted : About Ted : Highlights. You'd think a conference with Freemon Dyson speaking could afford a decent web designer)
posted by Tlogmer on Jul 25, 2005 - 5 comments

We were invited, we didn't invade. Recent white house daily press release where Scott McClellan avoids answering direct questions. Is this history re-written before our eyes?
posted by Balisong on May 27, 2005 - 72 comments

The Conference Bike - It's not just a bike. It's a party on wheels.
posted by dobbs on Sep 24, 2004 - 16 comments

The World Social Forum, the grassroots answer to the World Economic Forum, just ended in Mumbai, India. Speakers included Nobel laureates Shirin Ebadi and Joseph Stiglitz (who got the most applause), and the always provocative writer Arundhati Roy. [More Inside.]
posted by homunculus on Jan 24, 2004 - 9 comments

Like most Nigerians, you're probably finding that it's increasingly difficult to earn a decent living from email. That's why you need to attend the 3rd Annual Nigerian EMail Conference.
posted by Wet Spot on Jun 12, 2003 - 6 comments

The first blog conference? BlogTalk May 23-24, Vienna.
posted by yoga on May 13, 2003 - 13 comments

The 2003 Winter Music Conference is now one month away. During the conference you will be able to attend the main conference, the 2003 DanceStar USA awards show, the huge ULTRA 5 Music Festival, and countless other parties during the week. Everyone influential having anything to do with dance music will be there for 5 days of endless pool parties, late night clubbing, networking, and general debauchery. If you need to know what will be going on, you should already be on the Miami Master List, the definitive guide.
posted by cmicali on Feb 17, 2003 - 12 comments

A follow-up to last week's post about the racism conference at which all non-blacks were expelled, the sponsoring organisation of that event is now asking the white community to pay off its $200,000 debt from the conference. And it gets worse.
posted by swank6 on Oct 11, 2002 - 32 comments

Non-blacks expelled from anti-racism conference. Delegates at an anti-racism conference voted last Wednesday to expel non-blacks from the meeting, saying it was too traumatic to discuss slavery in front of them. Ironic? Hypocritical? Justified?
posted by swank6 on Oct 7, 2002 - 39 comments

The Underground Publishing Conference . June 22-23, Bowling Green, OH, is for Zinesters, Activists, Comic Artists, Hackers, Low Power FM Broadcasters, Librarians, Web Designers, Filmmakers, Musicians, Artists, Academics, Street Theorists, Readers and Writers. In other words, YOU! - (via Clamor Magazine and the crew at Counterpoise)
posted by sheauga on Jun 21, 2002 - 4 comments

Make World event in October, Germany - about borderless digital culture, no doubt curated long before The Current Situation, but I'm sure will be rendered far more relevant as a result.
posted by blackbeltjones on Sep 26, 2001 - 0 comments

Any fellow mefi'ers at FlashForward2001 in NYC right now?
posted by Taken Outtacontext on Jul 12, 2001 - 7 comments

Internet Community Conference Started by Rusty from Kuro5hin, I nominate matthowie since he's so keen on neat speeches as of late
posted by owillis on May 2, 2001 - 9 comments