Renaissance Weekend


Renaissance Weekend is an invite-only American retreat for leaders in business and finance, government, the media, religion, medicine, science, technology and the arts. Conversations are off-the-record and subject matter ranges widely, tending to focus heavily on policy and business issues.

History

Founded in 1980 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina by Linda LeSourd Lader and her husband Philip Lader, the former U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, Renaissance Weekends, now held in several locations each year, are structured to encourage the transcendence of political, economic, and religious differences by bringing together distinguished participants from a wide range of fields, including CEOs, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer Prize-winners, artists and scientists, astronauts and Olympians, judges, diplomats and Presidents, Prime Ministers, professors and priests, Republicans, Democrats and Independents. The Weekends are geared towards the establishment of an environment free of partisanship and commercialism, where "civility prevails." Membership is by invitation only.
Sixty families pioneered the Lader's 1980 New Year's house party. The result has been a cross-generational "continuing conversation" of individuals with broadly divergent perspectives, no political agenda, but a legacy of ideas and friendships.

Objectives

The mission is "To build bridges among innovative leaders with exceptionally diverse perspectives." Each Renaissance Weekend seeks to build bridges across traditional divides of professions, politics, geography, age, religions, philosophies, religion, and race. For over 25 years, these family retreats' objective has been to encourage personal and national renewal.
Through hundreds of panels, seminars and workshops each Weekend, participants themselves address such public policy and personal concerns as "America's Responsibility to the World," "Investment Perspectives," "How the Media has Covered the War Against Terrorism," "Corporate Governance After Enron," "Beating Cancer," "My Family's Legacies for Life," and "Christianity, Judaism & Islam - Eternal Truths & Current Myths."

Attendees

"More than 1,000 participants will take part in 500 lectures, seminars, discussions and performances during the four-day event." The Clinton family attended Renaissance Weekend for 13 years. Some former attendees of Renaissance Weekend, listed by the year of attendance have included;

Politicians