The End of In-Person Think Tank Events?

The era of in-person think tank events may be over, or at least paused for a very long time.  That lovely shrimp buffet at American Enterprise Institute (AEI) or swanky cocktail reception at the Brookings Institution?  Sorry, not happening anytime soon.

Every major US think tank has halted public, in-person think tank events, which often draw dozens and sometimes even hundreds of people.  Instead, think tanks have moved events almost entirely online, leaving those who depend on think tank lunches for sustenance in a very dire place.

Right now, think tanks are drawing up plans for how they can eventually return to normal, but it is still too early for most think tanks to even begin to plan when they'll hold their next public event.  Instead, most think tanks continue to grapple with how and when to bring their own employees back to work.

In the meantime, think tanks are struggling with how to attract and maintain audiences.  With everyone doing online conferences (corporations, universities, consulting firms, trade associations, embassies, think tanks, etc.), supply may be outpacing demand.  Moreover, "Zoom fatigue" appears to be another problem facing think tank events, as the relative novelty of online video conferencing fades with the increased use of such tools and services.

It is one thing to attend a think tank event in person and meet the speakers and guests and network (and dine on filet mignon and crab cakes), but it is another to sit inside your house and watch speakers drone on for hours and hours, particularly now that the competition for content and interesting speakers is so robust.

The new normal raises a number of questions.  Have think tanks become less important or influential in the coronavirus-era?  Will the crowds that once thronged think tank conference rooms ever return to their pre-coronavirus levels?  Does it make sense for think tanks to even have a physical presence, or can they exist solely online? Will any major think tank collapse due to the global economic crisis?  Will any think tanks think outside the box and do some type of unique pivot to become a dominant force?

While Think Tank Watch continues to ponder these questions and many others, we really are only sure of one thing right now: that lovely lobster dinner on Think Tank Row will instead be taking place in pajamas on a sofa for the foreseeable future.

Heritage Foundation to Host "Death of Think Tanks" Event

The conservative think tank Heritage Foundation will soon be holding an event on the hottest think tank topic of 2017: the death of think tanks.  Here is a description of the event:

The role of think tanks has risen significantly over the past half century. Increasingly, Washington, D.C.-based think tanks have served as a resource for newly elected politicians, including presidential administrations. These "newcomers" draw on think tanks for potential staff members and policy support.

As President Trump continues to fill his administration with successful businesspeople and military leaders, it seems he is determined to change that narrative. The think tank community must now ask itself what its role will be in this new era. Is this the death of think tanks as we have come to know them? Join us for a discussion on the evolution and future of think tanks in the era of the Trump Administration.

The event, entitled "The Death of Think Tanks in the Trump Era," will take place on February 7.  Speakers include:

• Andrew Selee, Executive Vice President of the Wilson Center
• Josh Rogin, Columnist at The Washington Post
• Rebeccah Heinrichs, National Security Policy Analyst at the Hudson Institute

The event will be hosted by James Jay Carafano, Vice President and Fellow at the Heritage Foundation who served on Donald Trump's transition team.  His recent piece entitled "Think Tanks Aren't Going Extinct.  But They Have to Evolve," can be found here.

Here is some required reading before you attend, including Josh Rogin's recent piece on the death of think tanks.

As Think Tank Watch has just reported, the Trump White House is forming its own internal think tank as it works to bypass the role of traditional think tanks.

Stay tuned for another Think Tank Watch piece tomorrow on how the Washington think tank landscape is quickly changing...