The Aspen Institute

Thanks for your interest in the 2017 Project Play Summit. The Summit is sold out. If you have other questions, please read below for answers to those most frequently asked. If you don’t find here what you need, email summit event director Risa Isard .

What is Project Play?

The flagship initiative of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, Project Play is a multi-stage effort to provide stakeholders with the thought leadership to help sport build healthy communities, starting with access to quality sport activity for all children–regardless of zip code or ability. Project Play’s seminal report, Sport for All, Play for Life: A Playbook to Get Every Kid in the Game was released in 2015 with the support of US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Since then, more than 100 organizations have used the report to introduce programs or shape youth strategies, and it has been recognized as a key resource by the US and International Olympic Committees.

So what’s the Project Play Summit?

The Summit is Project Play’s annual convening, and the Aspen Institute’s largest Washington, DC-based event. It’s where the nation’s leaders gather to measure progress, share learnings, and discover new opportunities to build healthy communities through sport.

Who attends the Summit?

The Project Play Summit is the nation’s premier gathering of leaders at the intersection of youth, sport, and health. The 350+ attendees come from across the country, representing all eight sectors that Project Play recognizes as touching the lives of children: Community Recreation Groups, National Sport Organizations, Policymakers & Civic Leaders, Education, Parents, Public Health, Business & Industry, and Tech & Media. Attendees tend to be director-level and higher at their respective organizations.

What’s the Summit cost to attend?

The Summit offers rates for nonprofit organizations/government agencies (for which a limited number of reduced price spaces area available) and for general attendees (for which an early-bird rate is available). The fee schedule is below:

2017 Project Play Summit:
Nonprofit/government: $249
General (early bird, through 7/15): $299
General (after 7/15, until sold out): $399

Workshop Day:
All attendees: $149

What does my registration for the 2017 Summit include?

Participants at the 2017 Summit will be treated to a full day of programming. A make-your-own day kind of event, more than 20 sessions will be offered between 8:30am and 4:30pm. They include plenary sessions featuring diverse voices, small breakout conversations, opportunities to hear directly from youth, and a keynote address by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. Sports demos and other participatory experiences are peppered throughout, including the opportunity to vote on the grades featured in the annual State of Play report (2016 report here). Breakfast, lunch, snacks throughout the day, and a reception are also all included. Note that registration for Workshop day is supplemental, and is not included in the registration fee for the 2017 Summit.

Can I register just for workshop day?

The content from the 2017 Summit is foundational to the conversations that will happen the following day at workshop day, so unfortunately, registration for this optional second day is only available to those also attending the full Summit. But we assure you, you wouldn’t want to miss the Summit anyway. See above for more about what you can expect.

When does registration close?

The Summit has sold out more than a month in advance each of the past two years. We expect 2017 to again reach capacity well in advance of the event. We encourage you to register early, lest you find yourself on the waitlist.

What makes the Summit different from other conferences?

For one, our dress code is sneaker business casual. So, be sure to wear your best sneakers with your best business casual attire. We promise, it’s a good look. It’s also the secret to success at Project Play. We believe in bringing the best minds together and getting real work done on September 6th, but we also believe in having some fun and being active while we do it. Sport demos and other participatory experiences are available throughout the day for those who want to embody Project Play. For those who want to stick to the more traditional content, we promise you also won’t be disappointed with our lineup of speakers, ranging from elite sport executives, to innovative grassroots leaders, to youth who tell it like it is. Simply, it’s the nation’s premier gathering at the intersection of youth, sport, and health.

Where is the 2017 Summit? I keep reading about two different places.

For the first time, the Project Play Summit is hosting two days of programming. The first day, on September 6th, is at the Newseum’s Knight Conference Center (555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20001). The Summit’s workshop day, on September 7th, is at the Aspen Institute’s headquarters (1 Dupont Circle NW, Washington, DC, 20036).

Who is speaking at this year’s Summit?

The most up to date information on the Summit is available on the above Summit Agenda + Details page. The most up to date information on workshop day is available here.

What’s your hashtag? What else can I use on social media to stay engaged?

On Twitter, we’re @AspenInstSports. On Facebook, we’re Aspen Institute Project Play. Give us a follow or like, and we’ll give you exclusive content between now and the Summit (and all year long). Follow the broader conversation, meet others, and talk about us using #ProjectPlay.

Is there a hotel I should stay at? How do I get to the Newseum and where can I park? What about workshop day at the Aspen Institute? What’s the weather supposed to be like?

Information about local hotels is available here. For the Summit, transportation options and logistics are available on the Newseum website. For workshop day, we recommend taking the metro and getting off at Dupont Circle (red line). Parking is also available across the street from the Institute at 1333 New Hampshire Ave NW.  DC’s weather forecast can be found here.

What if I have another question?

Our summit event director, Risa Isard, is more than happy to answer it for you. Shoot her an email: risa.isard@aspeninstitute.org.

The Summit is sold out. 

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