I am honored to write to you as President of The Philadelphia Society for this next important year in the life of the Society – the commemoration of our sixtieth anniversary.

Since our Society was founded in 1964, we have become known as a place for thoughtful conservatives of all ages and stripes to come together to deepen our understanding of the intellectual foundations of a free and ordered society.

In the six decades since our founding, we have seen that as the debates over culture, economics, politics, and history become more heated and more divisive, the business of our society, the spirit that animates our meetings, and the networks formed between the thinkers and doers on the right have become even more valued.

The Society’s efforts to encourage young scholars and bring together academics, lawyers, executives, and practitioners of the political arts has built our reputation. Our discussions provide perspective and context. We are a place to sound the alarm, test ideas, debate, and build understanding. When we gather, we find encouragement, stimulation, and true fellowship.

It is in that spirit that we look ahead to our 2023 Fall Meeting and the celebration of our 60th Anniversary in Spring 2024.

Milton Friedman, a Distinguished and Founding Member of the Society, observed that turning the intellectual tide away from the romance with Marxism is the “essential element in strengthening and preserving a free society.” He argued that creating the intellectual foundations for a free and ordered society would require contributions not only from economists but also from “sociologists, historians, novelists, playwrights, and others.”

We have seen that the contest between the New Left and the increasingly politically-oriented conservative movement in the U.S. has left us with hollowed-out institutions and unmoored individuals.

In fact, the recent Wall Street Journal-NORC poll, headlined: “America’s Once-Defining Values Are in Retreat,” was an alarming confirmation of this unmooring. There are lots of reasons for this collapse, but members of this society are likely not surprised by the results of the survey. Our meetings have been filled with panels and late-night conversations exploring the causes.

Our 2023 Fall Meeting will dig into this topic with a focus on “Countering the Left’s Long March.” We will meet at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown, September 22–23, and ask: Can we turn the tide in this long battle of ideas? Can we restore or re-imagine the institutions that will best protect and promote human flourishing?

Our 2024 Spring Meeting – “The Philadelphia Society at 60: A Movement United” – will be a celebration of the Society’s Diamond Jubilee. We’ll meet April 19-21 in Tampa, Florida, at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. We’ll return to the big question, “What is Conservatism?” and our program will reexamine topics and insights from our rich history. Our Sunday brunch will tackle, “The Way Forward.”

We plan to include fresh takes and a few of the younger voices of the Society, including some of the impressive fellows we have had at our meetings in recent years.

Please put these dates on your calendar and stay tuned for more information on how we plan to mark this special occasion!

I look forward to seeing you in Cleveland this fall and to celebrating our 60th with you in Tampa in 2024!

Sincerely,

Bridgett Wagner
President, 2023-24

60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee

Continuing the Legacy
2024 Spring Meeting
April 19-21, 2024 | Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay

Sponsorship Opportunities

The Philadelphia Society will celebrate its 60th Anniversary at our 2024 Spring Meeting. We invite you to sponsor our Diamond Jubilee as we look back at the Society’s role over six decades in the conservative movement and engage future generations in continuing the legacy of vigorous debate. 

Download Sponsorship Sheet >>

Please contact Charissa Reul for more information or to reserve a sponsorship package. 

The following policy covers all meetings and events organized by The Philadelphia Society and applies to all circumstances. Please carefully review the following when booking.

By registering to attend a meeting or event of The Philadelphia Society, you understand that The Philadelphia Society works diligently to use resources efficiently and that changes, substitutions, and cancellations incur expenses; you agree to the following:

Registration and Attendance
Event attendance is open only to members and their invited guests and so are non-transferrable. Your registration is not complete until full payment is received. If you cannot attend the event, please contact us.

Cancellation
If you must cancel your registration for a meeting or event, please notify The Philadelphia Society via email or by calling our office. If we receive a cancellation request, we will process as below:

• All refunds are subject to a USD$50.00 administrative fee.
• If cancelled up to 7 days prior to event start, 100% of the registration fee (less the administrative fee) will be refunded.
• If cancellation is received less than 7 days of the event start, no refunds will be issued but registration fee will be converted to a donation to The Philadelphia Society.

For All Events
This policy applies to all circumstances including any Covid-19 or other pandemic related reasons. Covid-19 and its consequences are no longer unforeseen thus our extended support has ended and our cancellation policy will apply as usual.

All participants acknowledge that changes in itinerary, location, content, host or other arrangements may happen with little or no notice before the event date, in response to reasons including but not limited to: weather events, security events, closed borders, public health scares, host or team sickness or injury. The Philadelphia Society reserves the right to do so at any time, although we will make every attempt to make decisions jointly with the participants.

It may be necessary to cancel an event for reasons beyond our reasonable control. If The Philadelphia Society is required to cancel an event, we will offer you the choice of either: (a) a refund for the paid amount minus a 10% administrative charge; or (b) credit for a future event of your choice subject to availability, to be used within 12 months from the notice, up to the original registration value; or (c) conversion of registration fee to a tax-deductible donation to The Philadelphia Society.

In such cases, our liability is limited to refunding the fees according to the policy above for the affected event. Beyond that, we shall not be liable for any costs or loss resulting from changes or cancellation as a result of an event outside our reasonable control.

We reserve the right to return the payment and refuse acceptance of the booking at any time, for any reason, at no penalty to us.

Any refund due, once approved, will be issued within 30 days of receipt of the cancellation notice to your original payment method.

Our contact details can be found in each booking confirmation email and on our website www.phillysoc.org. If you have any other questions, please contact us.

Updated 03/22/2023

Download the PDF Policy: Event Cancellation-Refund Policy