“Live events are so important to branding,” McKown said. “Having an in-person experience in the biggest city in America is very important for our brand.”
Moving the festival to New York
This year marks the first time the Festival will be held in New York City, a shift designed to tap into the city’s density of subscribers, sponsors, and media influence, McKown said. It was previously held in Washington D.C.
In events occurring in venues across the city, more than 50 Atlantic journalists will appear on stage, across sessions spanning politics, culture, health, and technology, many of which feature celebrities.
Sessions include programming like Tastes of Tomorrow: What’s Next in Food and Beverage, as well as a panel on women’s sports featuring a mix of Atlantic writers like Jemele Hill and luminaries in the space like Clara Wu Tsai.
“New York offers access to a bigger audience,” said Justin Eisenband, managing director at FTI Consulting. “While likely slightly costlier, it may be able to attract more attendees, especially current and potential subscribers, as well as sponsorship dollars.”
The Atlantic Festival also strikes an unusual middle ground in its structure. It nominally attracts a general interest audience, precluding it from the commercial benefits of a business-to-business event.
But its higher price point and brand reputation also keep the number of potential attendees smaller than many standard consumer-targeted events, which often make up for their lack of targeted audience with scale. Much of its programming also occurs during workdays, on Thursday and Friday.
Still, the concentration of affluent subscribers The Atlantic has in New York—along with the affordable options made available through its Out and About evening events—have enabled it to enjoy the best of both strategies.
According to McKown, 29% of overall in-person attendees were C-suite executives, with directors and vice presidents pushing the share of director-level or higher participants to 56%. For premium pass holders, that figure rose to 74%.
“Close to 30% of our ticket buyers are C-suite,” McKown said. “People are saying, ‘This morning session is critical to my work’—that is a lot of our attendee base.”
