We’ve been putting together an incredible annual event that’s all about executing on great ideas for six years running at 99U. And we’ve learned a lot in the process.

Learning #1 is: No matter how bootstrappy you get with it, producing a well-curated, well-designed, well-executed event costs a good deal of money.

Learning #2 is: As the price of the event goes up, the amount of people who can afford to attend the event goes down.

Every single year we’ve put together the conference, we’ve battled with how to balance these two learnings: how to produce a top-of-the-line creative conference, while also making it accessible to the broadest group of incredible idea executors.

As a new experiment in finding the right balance for 2015, we’re doing three new things:

1. Cutting the cost of a full conference pass from $1199 to $799. Now that we have the backing of Adobe, we have the flexibility to make a substantial investment each year to subsidize the ticket cost for every 99U attendee. We are thrilled to announce that this new approach will allow us to lower the price of a 99U pass more than 35 percent from last year. Our hope is that lowering ticket prices will open up 99U to an even more diverse audience of incredible creatives looking to make their ideas happen.

2. Adding a brief application to the registration process. We’re introducing an application for two reasons: First, because we’re drastically lowering the ticket price for 99U, we expect a significant uptick in demand. Second, we’ve noticed increased interest from recruiters and other creative companies in attending 99U purely to tap into our audience. To manage demand and ensure that 99U still draws an incredible cast of motivated makers and doers, we’re adding a very short application to the registration process.

The application should take you no more than two minutes to fill out. Our main goal is to confirm that you are an action-oriented person who is ready to come to 99u, soak up some knowledge, and then go make amazing ideas happen. If that sounds like you, and you fill out the application sincerely and thoughtfully, you can expect to be approved.

3. Asking you to apply as soon as possible for the best chance of getting a ticket. Because we're lowering the cost of attending 99U by more than a third, we expect a dramatically increased demand for tickets. And our ability to approve applications will be limited by the amount of seats that we have in Alice Tully Hall. So if you are really passionate about attending the 99U Conference next year, we strongly recommend you apply as soon as possible.

We will review all of the applications in the order they were received, releasing tickets on a first come, first served basis. Once your application is approved, we’ll email you an invitation to purchase your ticket. You will then have 48 hours to purchase your ticket or the invitation will expire.

99U has historically sold out very quickly. If you really want to attend in 2015, we highly recommend applying as soon as possible.

We put together an unparalleled experience in exploring the mechanics of making ideas happen at 99U—learn more about the program by scrolling down—and we’d love to have you join us.

APPLY for TICKETS NOW —>

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If you have questions about ticketing, please read our FAQ or email us at hello99@adobe.com.

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What Is the 99U Conference? Tell Me More.

The program for the 2015 99U Conference will be a full 2+ day experience, including:

• A series of incredible main stage talks that demystify the creative process and offer real-world insight on how to put your ideas into action.

• A multi-track block of interactive master classes that provide an intensive initiation into the best practices of making ideas happen.
• An awesome opening night reception on April 29^th that’s getting even bigger and better this year with interactive workshops, skill-building booths, creative demos, networking games, and free beer.
• Optional off-site studio sessions that will give you a behind-the-scenes look at leading creative companies in New York City.
• A complimentary networking cocktail reception on April 30th + an absolutely killer, open-bar afterparty at one of NYC’s premier cultural institutions on May 1st.
• The best-designed schwag bag you have ever received, packed with incredibly cool (and useful!) stuff.
• Amazing giveaways, art exhibitions, and other awesome surprises.

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The speakers will be announced in early 2015 when the lineup is complete. What we can tell you now is that we’re brewing up something truly special. Every year we strive to outdo the last. You can expect a lineup of the most productive creative visionaries from across industries, as well as leading researchers of the craft of creativity.

Past speakers have included Stefan Sagmeister, Jason Fried, Jack Dorsey, Paula Scher, John Maeda, Tina Roth Eisenberg, Baratunde Thurston, Brené Brown, Fred Wilson, Jonathan Adler, Susan Gregg-Koger, Jad Abumrad, Gretchen Rubin and many more. To get a sense of who we curate, you can view all of our past speakers here. 

For those unfamiliar with the conference, you can check out a selection of photos and quotables from our 2014 event below. You can also watch videos of all our past 99U Conference speaker talks here.

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A Look at the 99U Conference 2014

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“Starting something new is sexy, but maintaining it is the hard part, and that’s what’s interesting.” —Jason Fried // Basecamp
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“Not taking risks is the riskiest thing you can do today.” —Robert Brunner // Ammunition Group
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“If you don’t look back at old work and cringe, it means you’re not getting better.” —Susan Gregg-Koger // ModCloth
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“If you invest in your network, your network will invest in you.” —Joshua Klein // Hacker & Author
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“Putting something out into the world means a temporary removal from it.” —Sarah Lewis // Author, The Rise
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“Genius is related to one’s ability to manage the pain of the grind.” —Marc Ecko // Ecko Enterprises
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“If you complain about something long enough, you should do something about it, or let it go.” —Tina Roth Eisenberg // Tattly 
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“You will not be doing great work until you can say to some people: ‘It’s not for you.’” —Seth Godin // Author & Entrepreneur
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“Be okay with relentless iteration.” —Krista Donaldson // D-REV
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“Question life. Not the meaning, but why we do things a particular way.” —Shantanu Starick // Photographer
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“You do not have to feel like doing something in order to do it.” —Oliver Burkeman // Author & Journalist
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APPLY for TICKETS NOW —>