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Aspen Ideas Festival cancels 2020 event because of coronavirus

Aspen Times staff reports
The 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival gathered speakers and attendees from around the world during a weeklong event presented by the Aspen Institute and The Atlantic magazine. The goal is to discuss relevant topics to today’s society, including politics, economy, technology, science, health, and more.
Natuza Olen / Post Independent

The Aspen Institute announced Wednesday it is canceling the 2020 Aspen Ideas Festival and Aspen Ideas: Health because of the impact of COVID-19.

The annual event, which is held in partnership with The Atlantic, had been scheduled to take place June 24-July 3 in Aspen.

“The Aspen Institute is prioritizing the health and safety of attendees, speakers, staff, and volunteers, and this decision was made with their wellbeing in mind. While organizers are hopeful that the current situation will have stabilized by the summer, the Institute does not want to ask participants to plan on visiting Aspen before it is considered safe to travel,” the release states.



“Although these events will not take place as originally planned, programming teams are actively considering alternative ways to elevate the most diverse, substantive, and expert thinkers and leaders to illuminate the challenges we face as a society,” Festival officials said Wednesday. “The Aspen Institute is committed to addressing and putting forward solutions to critical issues, which are now more important than ever.”

Organizers will announce plans to share ideas in innovative new ways in the coming months, according to the release. There are also many ways to experience existing Aspen Ideas and other Institute content online. 



This is a developing story that will be updated.


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