My Schedule at FreedomFest 2024

Dear freedom lovers from around the world,

Roberto Salinas says, “This is the best and most powerful line-up I’ve ever seen!”  He may be right.

Here is my own schedule, just to give you an idea how much fun is this Renaissance gathering on July 10-13, 2024, at the new Caesars Forum Convention Center.

For full details, go to www.freedomfest.com.  Hope to see you there.  We expect over 2,000 attendees this year, as well as over 200 speakers and exhibitors.  You can see why our staff has put in thousands of hours putting this program together.  When you see the full list of speakers, topics and events, you can sense the excitement.

 

Wednesday, July 10

11:45 am – 12:00 noon.  Rooms 110-112 (Anthem film festival room).  “An Insider’s Guide to This Year’s FreedomFest and Anthem Film Festival” with Mark & Jo Ann Skousen.

12:45 – 1:30 pm, Global Financial Summit (Rooms 124-127):  “My Most Successful Technique to Win the Minimum Wage Debate (How to Raise Wages Without Government Intervention and Labor Unions)”

1:45 – 2:30 pm. Global Financial Summit:
“Permanently Rising Prices:  What are the Best Inflation Hedges?” I moderate this panel with Rodolfo Milani (Briley Wealth), Alex Green (Oxford Club), and Nathan Lewis (co-author with Steve Forbes, “Inflation”).

2:45 – 3:30 pm. Room 130.
FreedomFest Book Club:  Discussion of “Brave New World” and Other Dystopian Novels, moderated by Gary Alexander.

4:00 – 6: 30 pm.
Opening ceremonies (Main Stage, rooms 134-136):
Welcome by emcee extraordinaire Kennedy (Fox News) and conference director Valerie Durham; Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, followed notable speakers Lord Matt Ridley, UK’s No. 1 public intellectual and author of “How Innovation Works”; actor/direct Rob Schneider on “Can the Comedians Save the World?”; and a panel sponsored by the Libertarian Party on “Defeating the Deep State.”

5:45 – 6:05 pm. (Main Stage, rooms 134-136).
I interview Lord Matt Ridley on his new book “How Innovation Works” and his classic work, “The Rational Optimist.”

6:30 – 8:00 pm.  Opening cocktail party (Exhibit Hall) in the “Trade Show for Liberty” exhibit hall.
Enjoy food and drink, and over 130 exhibitors/sponsors in the freedom and financial world, and be entertained by world famous libertarian magician Peter Studebaker, and music by Triple ALX band with Hayley and Pablo Aragona.  Plus get an autograph of your favorite authors at the FreedomFest bookstore.

Be sure to visit one of our coin dealers in the exhibit hall (such as Van Simmons at David Hall Rare Coins) and pick up a 2024 American eagle silver dollar, our symbol of liberty and sound money.

And don’t forget to check out my “White Mates in Two” chess problem that I offer every day – the first person to solve it each day wins a silver dollar!

 

Thursday, July 11 (7-11 in Vegas)

9:00 – 9:30 am. Main Stage (Rooms 134-136) Caesars Forum Convention Center:
Chapman dean Henrik Cronqvist interviews John Mackey, former CEO, Whole Foods Market, on his new book, “The Whole Story:  Adventures in Love, Life and Capitalism.” 

9:30 – 10:00 am.
Environmental expert Michael Shellenberger moderates a panel on “The Next Election: Will it be the ‘Green New Deal’ or ‘Drill Baby Drill’”?

10:00 – 10:30 am.  Exhibit coffee break.
C-SPAN BookTV will interview me and my wife on our new book “There Were Giants in the Land: Episodes in the Life of W. Cleon Skousen.”

10:30 – 11:00 am.
Global Economic Summit, where experts such as Steve Moore, Barbara Kolm, Rainer Zitelmann, and others will provide insights into the global hot spots.  Moderated by Roberto Salinas.

11:50 – 11:55 am (Main Stage, rooms 134-136).
Leonard E. “Read This Book” Award goes to…..TBA!

 12:15 – 1:30 pm.  Room 133.
Luncheon:  “Brain Food with Steven Pinker and Matt Ridley,” moderated by Skeptic magazine publisher Michael Shermer.  It will be educational and entertainment to hear the top two public intellectuals.

1:30 – 2:15 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136):
“Election Integrity: Mail In Voting, Ballot Harvesting, and the November Elections,” with Steve Moore, Grover Norquist, Chuck Muth, and Christina Tobin (Free & Equal Elections), moderated by John Fund.

 2:30 – 3:15 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
“Enlightenment or Enslavement?  Two Ais Debate the Impact of Colonialism.”  Richard Pockington (Emory University) pits Google’s Gemini against Anthropic’s Claude in this controversy.  Fun session!

3:15 – 3:45 pm. Coffee break, exhibit hall.
Autograph sessions.

3:45 – 4:10 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
Steven Pinker on his new book “Rationality.”

4:50 – 5:05 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
Robert Kiyosaki, author of the No. 1 financial bestseller, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” on “Creating Wealth in a High Inflation World.”

5:35 – 5:50 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
“Taking by the Senate,” by former Congressman Justin Amash (now running for the Senate).

5:50 – 6:30 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
Kennedy (Fox News) interview: “Just Watch What You Say: A Fireside Chat with Ice-T.”

8:00 – 10 pm.  Anthem Film Festival (rooms 110-112).
“Climate, the Movie,” followed by panel debate, “The Truth about Climate Change,” with Michael Shellenberger, Michael Shermer, and others.  Gary Alexander will moderate.  Response from Al Gore (just kidding).

 

Friday, July 12

9:05 – 9:25 am.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
“Educational Reform and School Choice” with Robert Enlow (EdChoice) and Kerry McDonald (Manhattan Institute).

9:40 – 10 am. Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
“The Age of Pandemics.” Panel discussion with Tom Woods, Congressman Thomas Massie, Lord Matt Ridley.  Moderated by Matt Kibbe.

11:30 – 11:50 am.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
“A Fireside Chat with Steve Forbes: The Fed, Inflation, Business…and the Yankees!”

11:50 am – 12 noon.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
Mike Turner on “Making Serious Money Without Guessing about the Future.”

12:00 pm – 12:15 pm. Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
Tom Woods on “Diary of a Psychosis:  How Public Health Disgraced Itself During COVID Mania.”

12:15 – 1:30 pm.
Luncheon with Steve Forbes on “Promoting Capitalism in the Classroom.”  Sponsored by Free to Choose Network. 

1:30 – 2:15 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
The Big Debate:  “Will this Bitcoin Bubble Ever Burst?”  John Mackey and Alex Green say “Yes,” while Joel Bomgar and Chris Hunter say “No.”  Moderated by Grover Norquist.

2:30 – 3:15 pm.  Global Financial Summit (rooms 124-127).
FreedomFest Pitch Tank Final Round, with Steve Forbes, John Mackey, Rob Arnott, and others. Moderated by Paul Wendee.

3:15 – 4:25
Extended coffee break.

4:25 – 4:50 pm.
Nick Gillespie (Reason):  “The Agony of Abundance”

5:00 – 7:00 pm.  The Presidential Debates, sponsored by “Free and Equal Elections”:
Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party), Jill Stein (Green Party), Randal Terry (Constitution Party), plus others TBA.  Hosted by Christina Tobin and Congressman Thomas Massie.

 

Saturday, July 13

7:30 – 8:30 am.  Room 133.
Breakfast with Mark Skousen.  Topic: “Five Easy Ways to Convert Students to Free-Market Capitalism.”

9:05 – 9:25 am. Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
“A Brave New Peace: Coexistence in the Middle East,” with Emily Compagno (Fox News “Outnumbered”), Emily Austin, and Preity Upala. 

 9:50 – 10:30 am.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136).
President Javier Milei of Argentina had agreed to speak on the subject, “Afuera!  Pushing the Statists OUT and Bringing Liberty IN,” but is no longer confirmed due to “scheduling issues.”  TBD.

11:00 – 11:45 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136) Breakout session.
“How the Revolution in Argentina Could Ignite the World,” with Roberto Salinas, Diogo Costa (new president of FEE), Isabela Patriota, and Rodolfo Milani (moderator).

12:00 – 12:25 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136)
“What Lies Ahead in the Brave New World of Politics” with Congressmen Warren Davidson and Thomas Massie, Emily Compagno (Fox News) and Matt Kibbe (Free the People).

12:25 – 12:40 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136)
FreedomFest Ambassadors Panel with Kennedy, John Mackey, Larry Sharpe, Maj Toure, and Spike Cowen. 

12:40 – 1:00 pm.  Main Stage (rooms 134-136)
FreedomFest closing panel with Jan Jekielek (Epoch Times), Wayne Allyn Root, and Mark Skousen (moderator).

After this panel and announcements about next year’s FreedomFest, we invite all those who have a silver dollar to come forward and have a photograph on the main stage.

2: 30 – 3:15 pm.  Global Financial Summit (Rooms 124-127).
Eagle editors Jim Woods, George Gilder, and Mark Skousen on “The New Roaring Twenties: Which Sector Will Outperform – Tech, Commodities, or Crypto?”  Moderated by Roger Michalski.

3: 30 – 4:15 pm.  Rooms 119/120.
German author Rainer Zitelmann on “How People Become Famous: The Art of Self-Marketing.” 
or
3: 30 – 4:15 pm Room 106.
Samuel T. Wilkinson, Yale professor of medicine, on his book, “PURPOSE:  What Evolution and Human Nature Imply about the Meaning of Our Existence.”  Great book – quite provocative.

6:00 – 7:00 pm. Rooms 110-112.
Anthem film festival Awards ceremonies.

7:00 – 10:00 pm.
Closing cocktail reception and gala Saturday night banquet and dance band.   It’s time to celebrate liberty!

 

To see the entire agenda, go to https://www.freedomfest.com/agenda/.  My schedule covers only a small portion of the great speakers, panels, debates, and breakout sessions.  If you have any questions about the program, special events, registration, hotels, etc. feel free to email Hayley at [email protected].

Hope to see you in Las Vegas July 10-13.  Fly there, drive there, bike there, be there!

In peace, prosperity, and liberty, AEIOU,

 

Mark Skousen

Producer, FreedomFest