UPDATE: Unrig Summit is now the American Democracy Summit.
Unrig Summit 2019 is just around the corner! Soon, you’ll join almost 2,000 other activists, politicians, students, democracy reform heroes, and everyday people from around the country and across the political spectrum in Nashville, TN for a weekend of movement-building, hands-on learning, and fun.
Want to get the most out of Unrig Summit? For everything from session details and timing to fun activities, food options and more, check out our attendee guide below. We'll cover:
- The App
- The Summit Schedule
- The Programming
- The Space: Music City Center
- The Fun Stuff: Unrig Moments
- The Food
- The Logistics (transportation, registration, and all those exciting details!)
The App
Plan your summit schedule on the go with the Unrig Summit app, an interactive way to track events and learn about speakers at Unrig Summit.
Installing the app is the best way to view and manage your own agenda for the Summit. With more than 80 sessions, 30+ Spark! presentations, interactive programming, entertainment, and more, you're going to want to dig in and get organized right away. Times, session locations and descriptions, speaker bios, and more are all available right now in the Unrig Summit app.
With the app, you can take notes during sessions to export later, bookmark other attendees to help you build your network, message fellow attendees, and more. Check out our user guide for more tips!
Don’t have a smartphone or want to keep it old school? Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you get all the right information. Changes to any session locations or times will be printed and distributed each morning at information desks.
The Summit Schedule
A full schedule is available now on our website. Did you know that Nashville is in in the CDT (Central Daylight Time)? One hour behind ET, two hours ahead of PT.
Friday
- 12:00pm: Registration opens
- 1:00 - 2:00 pm: Opening Plenary
- 2:15 - 5:45 pm: Sessions
- 6:00 pm: After hours activities begin! Join us in Nashville for fun, food, and more. Check the App or the Programming section below for more details!
Saturday
- 8:30 am: Doors open
- 9:00 - 10:30 am: Morning Plenary
- 10:45 am - 6:45 pm: Sessions
- 12:00 - 2:00 pm: Lunch will be available to Unrig attendees. We’ll be serving up boxed lunches with options for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free diets.
- 6:30 - 8:00 pm: Happy Hour and Caucuses
- 8:00 - 10:30 pm: Unrigged Live! Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8:00. Join Unrigged Live! for music, comedy, a cash bar, and amazing emcees—what more could you want??
Sunday
- 8:30 am: Doors open. Note, a coat check will be available from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm
- 9:00 am - 12:30 pm: Sessions including the Unrig Unconference
- 12:45 pm - 2:00 pm: Unrig Summit closing plenary
What's in the Program
Summit sessions are first come, first served, and very likely to fill up—so make sure to arrive early for programming you don’t want to miss!
We’re offering a number of different kinds of programming at Unrig Summit:
Build Your Skills
This programming includes workshops and trainings that engage attendees in active learning and skill-building. Build Your Skills programming covers major skills you need to know to start and win democracy reform campaigns, from volunteer recruitment to canvassing to media strategies and more.
Whether you’re getting involved for the first time or you're an experienced advocate, Build Your Skills sessions will give you hands-on learning from experienced trainers and practitioners.
Learn the Issues
These sessions are panel discussions that feature a moderator and three to four panelists. In addition to conversation between panelists, sessions will include time for audience Q&A at the end of the panels.
Learn the Issues programming focuses on key democracy reform issue areas (like voting rights and money in politics) as well as the connection between democracy reform and pressing social concerns (like healthcare costs and criminal justice reform).
Connect with Peers
Connect with Peers sessions engage attendees in connection with other Unrig attendees. They range from workshops to meetups and are a great way to expand your summit network!
We’ll also be offering a number of informal meetups, including:
- Issue Area Meetups: Come meet other activists and practitioners working on the issues you care about most. Download the app to see which issue area you want to attend.
- American Promise’s Amendment Party: Join American Promise at the City Tap Sobro Nashville for free drinks and hors d’oeuvres with business, advocacy, and citizen leaders from across the country. Don’t forget to RSVP!
- Regional Lunch Meetups: Come meet peers in your area, or connect with people in different regions.
- Caucus Meetups: Come connect and discuss issues facing specific communities you’re a part of, including LGBTQIA+, people of color, under 25, Independents, Locals, and Veterans.
Masterclasses
Unrig Masterclasses are workshops that focus specifically on teaching best practices for advocacy on a specific democracy reform issue. These masterclasses purposefully follow a companion Learn About the Issues panel. For those who want to dive deep on a democracy reform topic!
Spark Stage
Every good idea begins with a spark. The Spark Stage is a place where democracy reform leaders from across America will deliver 5 minute, TED-style presentations to share inspiration and insights from their bold work making change. Spark Talks will be collected in this YouTube playlist.
Unconference
The Unrig Unconference is a pop-up summit within the Summit on Sunday morning. Up until Saturday at 2:00 pm, any Unrig attendee can propose a session. By Sunday morning, and after a round of voting, the Unconference agenda is finalized and the winning presenters will lead trainings, talks, and activities that have emerged directly from the Unrig community. Learn more and sign up here!
Film Screenings
Unrig Summit offers two exciting film events:
- Join us for a screening and discussion of the documentary Dark Money on Friday from 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm. After the film, stay for a discussion moderated by director Jon Turteltaub, featuring Dark Money director Kimberly Reed, Federal Election Commission Chair Ellen Weintraub, and Congressperson John Sarbanes (D-M 03).
- Film buffs will also want to check out our Unrig Summit Video Showcase from 12:15 pm - 1:45 pm on Saturday for short videos and clips from a number of documentaries about anti-corruption issues.
Unrigged Live!
Unrigged Live! is the marquee event of the Summit: an inspiring evening of live music, stand-up comedy, and short speeches. Hosted by Jennifer Lawrence and Ed Helms, Unrigged Live! features a Nashville musical showcase with Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Katie Pruitt, and a huge finale from soon-to-be-announced special guests (get ready to have your mind blown). The event will also be live-streamed, so if you can't make it, you can still tune in!
Other highlights include comedy from SNL alum Sasheer Zamata, Oscar-winner Adam McKay, and inspiration from UN Deputy High Commissioner of Human Rights Kate Gilmore, March For Our Lives' Emma González and RepresentUs co-founder Josh Silver, plus the winners of the 2019 Courage Awards.
The best part? It’s all included when you attend Unrig Summit. Our cash bar begins at 6:30 pm, and an All-Star jam from even more of the area's top musicians will start at 7:00 pm—show begins at 8.
Bring the family! We will be selling tickets to Unrigged Live! for people who are not otherwise attending the conference. Tickets will be sold on site outside the ballroom on the 4th floor for a suggested donation of $5-10, and are available for purchase on our website now.
The Space
Music City Center
All Summit panels and workshops will take place at the Music City Center, Nashville’s state-of-the-art convention center located in the heart of downtown at 201 Fifth Avenue South. Attendees are encouraged to enter at the Demonbreun & 6th Avenue entrance adjacent to the UPS store.
The majority of the Summit will take place on the 2nd floor, while our Saturday night event will take place at Karl F. Dean Grand Ballroom, on the 4th floor of the Music City Center.
Help Desk
The main help desk is located by registration, with a smaller satellite desk in the front hall.
Charge and Recharge Lounge (209)
The Charge and Recharge Lounge is a mixed-use space available to attendees throughout the conference. Come in to relax and recharge with coffee, dining and lounge areas, our Spark! Stage, charging stations, and bookable tables for partners to exhibit their organizations/companies.
Program Rooms
The majority of the conference will take place on the second floor of the Music City Center. Programming will be in rooms 201 - 209.
Unrigged Live!
All of our Saturday night programming, including Unrigged Live!, our Happy Hour, Caucus Meetups, and Unrig Bingo Raffle drawing will all take place in the 4th-floor ballroom. Tell your friends who haven’t bought tickets to the conference to grab tickets to the Saturday night events outside the ballroom starting at 7:30 pm.
The Fun Stuff: Unrig Moments
Unrig Summit is more than a conference—it's an opportunity to share experiences that grow your connection to the movement and the people in it. Unrig Moments are activities at the summit designed to do just that.
Whether it's participating in the summit-wide game of Unrig Bingo for cool prizes, taking a photo in the photo booth, simulating a money-fueled run for Congress, or being interviewed by the roving video crew, Unrig Moments will enrich your experience at the summit. Be sure to find a staff member in an orange shirt to help you navigate Unrig Moments and complete your bingo card!
The Food
Saving democracy requires fuel. Fuel up all weekend long with these food options!
- Saturday lunch is provided: A boxed lunch will be provided to all attendees on Saturday (gluten free and vegetarian options will be available)
- Coffee, tea, and water will be available throughout the conference
- A cash bar will be available before and during Unrigged Live! on Saturday evening
- Additional food options on-site: Music City Center has multiple food vendors and concession stands on site throughout the conference. Check out their website for details.
- Plenty of options just outside the door: You’ll be in the heart of Nashville! If you’re still feeling snackish, treat yourself to some hot wings and BBQ!
The Logistics
Transportation
Nashville’s Music City Center is located in the heart of downtown and can be easily accessed by foot, car, or by the Music City Circuit, a free shuttle bus serving downtown Nashville. For route maps and more information about the Music City Circuit, please visit the Metro Transit Authority page. For other transportation options, please refer to the Nashville Travel & Transportation Information page.
Nashville International Airport is a 20-minute drive from downtown. Travel to and from the airport via car (by taxi, Uber/Lyft, or rental car) or Nashville’s “WeGo Public Transit” bus system. For details on airport ground transportation, click here. For information on Nashville’s bus line, click here. Bus 18 runs from the airport to the Music City Center (at the 8th Ave. & Demonbreun St. stop).
Lyft
Unrig Summit has partnered with Lyft to offer exclusive ride discounts to the Unrig Summit! For new Lyft users, the code UNRIG5 will get you $5 off 2 rides. Download the app or head to Lyft to redeem! For existing users, you can save 10% off 2 rides to or from Unrig Summit with the code UNRIG.
Parking
There is a parking garage in the Music City Center and more affordable public city parking all around the venue.
Registration
You’ll receive your badge when you check in at the registration desk on the first day of the conference. Registration opens at 12:00 pm. Attendees are required to wear their badges for the duration of the conference. Lose yours or have a problem? Head over to the Help Desk and we can get your sorted out.
Internet
Guest Music City Center wifi is open to all attendees and available for the entire conference. There is no password needed to join.
Lost & Found
Materials left behind in meeting rooms or lounges can be turned in to the help desk located at the end of the pre-function hallway. Summit attendees can claim their items there during open summit hours daily by providing a description of the missing item. Unrig is not responsible for unclaimed items left in the Lost & Found overnight.
Coat Check
A fully serviced coat and bag check will be available in the registration area on Sunday from 8:30 pm to 3:00 pm. Unrig is not responsible for any baggage left behind after the baggage check closes.
Code of Conduct
We have crafted participant guidelines to foster a productive conversation that we encourage all attendees to read. Please also review the code of conduct that incorporates relevant Music City Center rules and regulations.
Accessibility
Unrig Summit and the Music City Center are committed to creating an experience that is open and accessible to everyone.
- Restrooms: All public restrooms in the MCC are accessible per Federal ADA requirements. Family restrooms are also located throughout the facility.
- Seating: All seating within the MCC is temporary and therefore can be arranged for special accommodation with advance notice.
- Sight Impaired Information: Braille instructions can be found on the elevators, restrooms and emergency exit signs throughout the building. Some MCC literature can be made available in braille upon request and with advanced notice.
- Wheelchairs: Automated doors for wheelchair accessibility are located at our entrances on 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue. MCC staff can assist with information regarding wheelchair usage.
- Parking: There are 29 ADA accessible parking spots located within our on-site parking garage. A curbside drop-off for wheelchairs and sidewalk curb cut-outs is located on Demonbreun between 5th and 6th Ave.
- ASL Interpretation: Sign language interpretation will be provided for all Unrig plenary sessions and for Unrigged Live! Reserved seats will be available for attendees in need of assistance in close proximity to the interpreter.
- Nursing Mother’s Lounge: There are two Nursing Mother’s Lounges in MCC, one on Level 1 and another on Level 3 near Exhibit Hall D. The closest Nursing Mother’s Lounge is on Level 1, just downstairs from the Unrig Summit Zone.
As always, email unrig@represent.us with any outstanding questions. We can’t wait to see you there!