OUR STORY
Today, when increasingly there is an inclination to oversimplify complex questions, the Camden Conference is proudest of its steadfast commitment to nonpartisan and in-depth discussion of the critical global challenges facing the world. We know we reach an audience hungry for a clearer understanding of the most important issues of our times. With a vibrant 34-year tradition, the Conference has never veered from its most basic mission and dedication to “Foster informed discourse on world issues.” Our attendees are presented the most current thinking from policy makers, scholars, journalists, and whoever else we believe can illuminate the annual topic we select and focus on. We provide extensive question and-answer opportunities for our audience—a hallmark of the Camden Conference for three decades.
- 33rd Annual Conference
- 11 Reknowned Speakers
- 4 Venues + Online
World Class Speakers
For over 30 years the Camden Conference has been inviting the best and the brightest minds to Maine to share their perspectives with an engaged and enthusiastic audience. To date, nearly 500 speakers from five continents have participated in our Conferences. Many have also been our best ambassadors, praising the high quality of our programs as well as the warm hospitality they have experienced here in Camden, Maine.
More than Just a Weekend
Beyond Camden, ME
Since the Conference’s beginning, its organizers have been confronted with a call to expand the event’s valuable content beyond Camden. With the advent of the Internet, we have been able to make that possible. In addition to our Camden Opera House audience, we have been streaming the Conference live to other venues, including Rockland, Belfast, Portland and Hanover NH and to people’s living rooms as well — increasing our weekend attendance to over 1200. The little forum that began in 1988 with a few dozen participants gathered in the Camden Public Library has now evolved into one that reaches the entire world.
Student Education
Students in particular benefit from their Conference experiences. Our Student Education Fund makes it possible for hundreds of students from Maine colleges and high schools to attend the Conference annually. Our contribution to helping prepare tomorrow’s citizens for the world they will inherit is an important component of what we do.
CAMDEN CONFERENCE
Testimonials
The weekend couldn't have been better planned or managed. What a rich and charming experience it was.
….the speakers were all first-rate and were all lovely individuals, and Indira Lakshmanan was everything you could ask for in a moderator. The venue, the peripheral events, the flow of the programming, the questions we got from the audience – all of it was a delight. I think the format, especially, is something I might want to draw on for other conferences I'm involved in… In short, I've been to many, many conferences as this certainly rates as among the very best.
….the speakers were all first-rate and were all lovely individuals, and Indira Lakshmanan was everything you could ask for in a moderator. The venue, the peripheral events, the flow of the programming, the questions we got from the audience – all of it was a delight. I think the format, especially, is something I might want to draw on for other conferences I'm involved in… In short, I've been to many, many conferences as this certainly rates as among the very best.
What a phenomenal and timely program. Every speaker and every panel hit it out of the park. While we were reviewing how much my wife and I learned over the weekend, I realized that the speakers themselves very likely learned or developed new ideas themselves. And since they have a far larger impact on the events of the day, their experience from the weekend may have even more value than ours. Thank you to the Camden Conference. Five stars to the Camden Conference organization.
I was impressed by the skills, background and range of speakers … I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend such a conference.
I found this year’s Camden Conference to be absolutely amazing. For me, it was … one continuous increasingly gratifying experience from beginning to end. The panel members were all extremely knowledgeable in their areas of expertise. They were articulate and they all were extremely insightful. They truly were committed to helping all of us become better informed about this chaotic world we live in. The panel represented such a wonderful degree of diversity. More importantly is the fact that such diversity could have differing opinions and find common ground.
I found this the most relevant and meaningful Conference I’ve attended (and I’ve attended a lot). A wonderful, stimulating event in mid-winter Maine. I plan to attend the Conference annually.” Conference attendee
“The audience was very engaged, the questions were excellent, and it was very stimulating to hear people with diverse opinions debate with each other.
Camden is the next Davos!
Thank you again for inviting me to the Camden Conference, which was truly a wonderful experience. As I have told colleagues and friends everywhere, it was one of the best organized and best attended conferences I have ever spoken at. It was also, even more importantly, one of the most interesting. What a great cast of speakers. Please call upon me again if you think I will fit the topic of a future conference.
The conference, in my opinion was as good as I could hope for. It was wonderful. Such a terrific and credentialed and scholarly faculty. It was tremendous. And I learned a huge amount. I might not be so stupid when I hear talk about immigration and consider inserting my “two cents worth” - Thank you for a wonderful educational experience. Learning never hurts
…The Camden Conference just might be the best conference of its type in the United States.
eUROPE: CHALLENGED AT HOME AND ABROAD
(Feb 25-27, 2022)
The 2022 Camden Conference theme will be Europe today – what is happening and what we can anticipate. Europe’s leaders and citizens are facing pervasive economic, political and social challenges, some exacerbated by the global pandemic. How cohesive is the European Union? Where are populist movements headed, and where are democratic institutions under threat? What will happen to the European-United States bond as a new generation of leaders pursue their own agendas with Russia, China, and other countries? When can we rely on Europe, and can Europeans rely on us?
On December 30, the Camden Conference Board of Directors decided that the 35th annual conference, Europe: Challenged at Home and Abroad, will be an entirely virtual, live-streamed event. We had high hopes for coming together at the Strom Auditorium on the weekend of February 25-27, but the current COVID-19 pandemic conditions have made this decision necessary and prudent. Among the factors leading the Board to this decision were the sudden rise of the Omicron variant, continuing spikes in the Delta variant, and the chaos in air travel. So, we are going all-virtual in 2022 but look forward to getting back together in Camden in 2023.
We hope you will enjoy participating in the virtual conference from the safety and comfort of your home.
- 33rd Annual Conference
- 11 Reknowned Speakers
- 4 Venues + Online