From October 20-21, 2025, a new Aspen Ideas event in Newark, New Jersey will gather leaders and innovators to explore timely questions and timeless tensions about our global economy and who it serves.
Newark, NJ & Washington, D.C., May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Aspen Institute is proud to announce Aspen Ideas: Economy, a two-day event taking place in Newark, New Jersey, from October 20-21, 2025. Held during the Aspen Institute’s 75th anniversary year, hundreds of speakers and attendees will converge at the newest iteration of “Aspen Ideas,” the organization’s signature events brand that brings leading voices together to address the most pressing challenges in our society.
With Prudential Financial as the title sponsor, Aspen Ideas: Economy will anchor the rapidly evolving story of the global economy in real people, places, and dialogue. Programming will focus on understanding the forces of change in the economy amidst shifts in technology, trade, and politics. Recognizing that productive conversations happen when tensions are acknowledged rather than ignored, the event will convene leaders from across geographies, generations, and viewpoints to explore their shared aspirations for improving economic outcomes.
Through the unlikely main-stage pairings, signature roundtables, and immersive programming that define the Aspen Ideas experience, Aspen Ideas: Economy will zero in on vital but underexplored questions: what is the best way to grow an economy? Who has a stake and an opportunity to contribute to that growth? How do we measure progress? And what is the relationship between economic systems and broader social outcomes?
“Aspen Ideas: Economy will provide a distinctive and impactful forum for dialogue on how we can build a global economy that works for everyone,” said Dan Porterfield, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute. “We could not be more excited to join our partners in Newark to hold this new convening, through which we hope to create new possibilities for economic opportunity around the world.”
“As a company deeply committed to Newark for 150 years, Prudential is proud to welcome Aspen Ideas: Economy to our hometown,” said Lata Reddy, senior vice president of Inclusive Solutions at Prudential Financial, “Bringing the Aspen Institute’s distinctive approach to meaningful dialogue and convening to Newark furthers our goal as an anchor institution to promote proven practices that drive inclusive growth. We look forward to fostering conversations that lead to real impact in communities.”
Newark’s selection as host city reflects the Aspen Institute’s commitment to partnering with local leaders and grounding economic conversations in community contexts. With its strategic location in the Northeast corridor, ongoing urban revitalization, diverse population, and rich cultural heritage, Newark serves as an ideal backdrop for examining the real-world impacts of economic policies and innovations. The city’s own story—marked by historic economic challenges and subsequent revitalization driven by successful public-private partnerships—will inform many stage discussions. Attendees will directly engage with local leaders, explore neighborhoods, and experience firsthand Newark’s role as a vital hub for sectors spanning insurance, technology, and shipping.
“We are creating Aspen Ideas: Economy in response to growing demand from business, community, and government leaders who want to engage in deeper, more substantive ways with each other and with ideas that can simultaneously improve economic performance and economic opportunity for communities, customers and constituents,” said Ida Rademacher, Aspen Institute Vice President and Co-Chair of the Partnership for an Inclusive Economy. “Newark is one of the truly vibrant places in the U.S. where global companies are embedded and invested in the local community, and we are excited about how this allows us to explore questions about economic growth in their most tangible and human terms.”
Attendees at Aspen Ideas: Economy will engage with established experts and rising stars across business, policy, sports, art, and culture—all while exploring how the economy touches and shapes every aspect of our lives. In addition to mainstage discussions, the first day of the event will facilitate participatory deep dives into three core themes—the ownership economy, the longevity economy, and the creative economy.
Members of the media who are interested in attending should contact Lizette Olmos Godfrey at Lizette.Olmosgodfrey@aspeninstitute.org. Organizers will share regular updates on speakers, programming, and registration in the coming months. More information can be found online at www.aspenideaseconomy.org.
As the Aspen Institute commemorates its 75th anniversary, Aspen Ideas: Economy marks a pivotal moment in reflecting on decades of transformative dialogue and forward-looking solutions. Founded in the aftermath of World War II, the Institute has consistently served as a trusted convener, fostering thoughtful exchanges among leaders, scholars, artists, and policymakers committed to addressing humanity’s greatest challenges. Aspen Ideas: Economy continues this proud tradition, harnessing the Institute’s enduring spirit of intellectual rigor, openness, and collaborative problem-solving to navigate the complex economic questions of our time and inspire solutions that prioritize human flourishing and societal progress.
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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
The Aspen Ideas Festival is the preeminent public gathering of the Aspen Institute. Hosted on the Institute’s art-filled, 40-acre Aspen Meadows campus nestled in the Rocky Mountains every summer, the annual event attracts leaders in business, public policy, media, arts, and philanthropy as speakers, attendees, and underwriter partners. Led by Executive Director and Producer Graham Veysey, the festival will enjoy its 21st year this summer with themes that reflect on our past and fuel our future. Explore our 2025 program tracks to learn more.
CONTACT: Lizette Olmos Godfrey The Aspen Institute Lizette.Olmosgodfrey@aspeninstitute.org
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