Desert Town Hall - Indian Wells
The Desert Town Hall of Indian Wells and Youth Town Hall Lecture Series are among the desert's most thought-provoking events. Held each winter, the 2008 season featured Tony Blair, former prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Island (January 15), former Whitehouse Press Secretary Tony Snow (February 10), financial expert Jane Bryant Quinn (March 18), and columnists Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel (April 4).
This is the 16th season for the series (the 12th as a nonprofit corporation) which has included world leaders and other notables such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, William Cohen, John Walsh, Bernard Shaw, Prime Minister John Major, James A. Baker, III, David and Julie Eisenhower, Dr. Robert Ballard, Helen Thomas and Mike McCurry, HM Queen Noor of Jordan, Senator Bob Dole, President George Bush, Lady Margaret Thatcher, Vice President Dick Cheney, Cokie Roberts, Henry Kissinger, Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Beverly Sills, Stuart Varney, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf (Ret.), Vince Bugliosi and William F. Buckley, Jr., the McLaughlin Group, Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Presidential Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Former CIA Director George Tenet, Benazir Bhutto, Ken Burns, General Richard Meyers, Ret., Bob Dole, Tom Daschle, Carly Fiorina, Tom Friedman, Malcolm Gladwell, and General Colin Powell, Ret..
The lecture series is sponsored by a number of local companies, organizations and philanthropic individuals. Sponsors include: City of Indian Wells, Ace Direct, The H.N & Frances C. Berger Foundation, CBS 2, The Desert Sun, El Paseo Bank, Miles Crossing Retail Center & the Fogelson Foundation, Lois Unger Horvitz, Leeds & Son Fine Jewelers, Tom & Rita Martin, Palm Desert National Bank, RR Broadcasting, NewsTalk 920/KDES 104.7 & The Camelot Theatres, The Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Sunrise Company, UCR Riverside Palm Desert Graduate Center, and West Coast Turf.
The Board of Directors includes: Bill Evans, CBS 2– President, Jerry Fogelson, Miles Crossing Retail Center – Vice President, Bill Powers, Pacific Western Bank – Secretary Treasurer, Rob Bernheimer, City of Indian Wells, Lois Unger Horvitz, Founding President, Michelle Krans, The Desert Sun, Tom Martin, Past President, Randal D. Miller, Palm Desert National Bank, Ed Monarch, City of Indian Wells, Phillip K. Smith, Jr., Sunrise Company, Carolyn Stark, UCR Palm Desert Campus, Ric Supple, RR Broadcasting (News Talk KPSI/KDES) & Camelot Theatres, Bob Walsh, Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Terry Weiner, Leeds & Son
Desert Town Hall Indian Wells is produced by Desert Forum, Inc. a nonprofit corporation 501 (c)(3).
As part of its philanthropic mission, Desert Forum, Inc. invites 150 local high school and college students to attend each lecture. The students participate in a pre-lecture reception with food and beverages where the speaker visits with the group.
Staff for the series includes Tim Parrott, Executive Director; Jorge Martinez, General Manager; Larry Birkett, Guest Services Director; and Callie Chastain, Program Assistant. Some 35 individuals also volunteer at each lecture. Many have been with the series since its inception in 1993.
For details on the series contact the Desert Town Hall Indian Wells office at
760-416-3400 (800).224.4991 outside the Coachella Valley) or click www.deserttownhall.org.
Each of the speaker programs is held at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Indian Wells. The lectures start promptly at 6 p.m. Tickets to individual lectures are available now and are priced at $285 for the Dinner package
for Blair ONLY; and $125 for Reserved seating at the lectures. (Snow, Quinn & Common Ground ONLY)
Series Ticket Prices were priced as follows (series tickets are SOLD OUT):
Dinner Seating - $1,000 per person. Included preferred seating in the front half of the lecture hall for all four lectures, hosted cocktail reception and sumptuous dinner with Q&A to follow.
Reserved Seating - $375 per person. Included reserved seating in the auditorium for all four lectures.
Unreserved Seating - $200 per person. Included seating in a specified area in the rear half of the auditorium.