'Economist' Gets a Festival of Its Own

A smart weekly magazine is hosting a three-day program of cultural events in New York City featuring its own talent and various bold-faced guests. Sound familiar?

No, it's not The New Yorker Festival, but Off The Page, The Economist's new events series. The program kicks off Oct. 31 and will feature two debates (on "Brand America" and corporate responsibility), a discussion about "The Art of the Obituary" and a performance by Second City as part of a presentation on "The Art of Political Satire."

Paul Rossi, the Economist Group's managing director for the Americas, says the series is aimed at avid readers -- like The Economist's 42,000 Facebook friends -- who crave more interaction with the minds behind the magazine. "We are an anonymous magazine in the true sense of the word and I think there are a lot of our readers who enjoy seeing the faces of The Economist," he says. Tickets will cost from $50 to $500; this year's series won't involve sponsors, but future editions most likely will. "It's not something we're doing out of charity," says Rossi.

And no, he says, it's not consciously modeled on The New Yorker Festival, which takes place this weekend, but rather it's a consolidation and amplification of various events The Economist (which has nearly doubled its U.S. circulation, now at 750,000, in the past eight years) has been hosting around the country.

Anyway, New Yorker publisher Drew Schutte says he doesn't mind the competition. "The Economist is a quality publication, and I am sure whatever they do will represent that. If Off The Page is inspired by The New Yorker Festival, hey, you know what they say about imitation."

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