Animated Discussion

For The Economist's first debate series in the U.S., the London-based weekly magazine took over Gotham Hall on Saturday afternoon and utilized a couple of key elements to engage the audience and add a little branding. With the tagline "Where do you sit?" the event involved two Oxford-style debates—on the topics of wealth and happiness, and religion and politics—and eight experts. A total of 705 people attended the first session, and 573 were present at the second. Justin Alan Hendrix, The Economist's brand and public relations manager for the Americas, worked with Tentpole NY to produce the event.

To introduce each debate, The Economist brought in its political cartoonist, Kevin Kallaugher (also known as Kal), to entertain the audience as well as teach them to draw a caricature of George W. Bush. On the main stage, with a large screen showing his every move, Kallaugher provided a step-by-step lesson for the audience, who used the pencils and paper provided in their information kits.The stage itself was a simple but very visual set (designed by Mark Stephen Enterprises) that made use of the magazine's signature colors (red and white) and reflected the design of the invitation and program. Four large fabric panels (two marked with the name of the magazine) acted as the backdrop, and the moderators sat at a red table in the center of the stage, with the affirmative and the negative at white tables on either side.