Boston's House of Blues will host the sixth annual Globe Summit on Nov. 17 and 18, bringing together politicians, business executives, academics and artists for two days of panels built around the theme “Built to Last.” The Fenway neighborhood venue will welcome a lineup that includes U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss, Airbnb cofounder Nathan Blecharczyk, restaurateur Danny Meyer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad and human rights advocate Kerry Kennedy, with programming spanning healthcare, technology, education, government and culture.
According to The Boston Globe, this year's theme is meant to explore the people, ideas and institutions building toward an ambitious and enduring future. Globe editor Brian McGrory has said Globe journalists bring reporting and expertise to conversations with regional leaders. Per the official Globe Summit event page, attendees can register for either day or both, with in-person and virtual options including one-day, two-day and VIP experiences, and free virtual registration, as detailed by Boston Globe Media's summit announcement.
Maternal Health on the Program
The summit's programming includes a maternal-health panel, as part of its broader focus on health and leadership.
The focus on maternal health arrives amid ongoing scrutiny of outcomes in Massachusetts. State data compiled by KFF tracks preterm births, low birthweight and cesarean deliveries by race for 2024.
Workplace Burnout
A 2026 NAMI-Ipsos poll found burnout widespread: 53 percent of full-time employees at companies with at least 100 workers reported feeling burned out because of their jobs, according to NAMI's 2026 workplace mental health poll.
The same survey found that 39 percent of employees felt so overwhelmed by work it was difficult to do their jobs, and that while 78 percent of employees said their managers cared about them, only 54 percent felt their company as a whole prioritized mental health. NAMI also reported that managers at companies with adequate mental-health resources experienced far less burnout — 45 percent — compared with 73 percent of managers without those resources.
Auchincloss, Higher Ed Leaders and a Fireside With a Nobel Laureate
Day one will close with a fireside chat between Globe senior staff writer Janelle Nanos and Nadia Murad, discussing Murad's book I Choose My Beginning, which traces her journey from surviving the Yazidi genocide in Iraq to becoming a global human rights advocate. Earlier in the day, Representative Jake Auchincloss, the Democratic congressman from Newton, will sit for a fireside chat moderated by the Globe's health and medical editor Anna Kuchment, discussing how federal support for scientific research is reshaping universities and biotech companies.
Globe opinion writer and higher education reporter Hilary Burns will lead a panel on universities facing pressure to reinvent themselves, featuring Harvard University professor Danielle Allen, Roxbury Community College president Jonathan Jefferson and Brandeis University president Arthur Levine. The panel reflects the broader education thread woven through day one's health-and-leadership programming.
Day Two Turns to Innovation, AI and Culture
Day two turns to innovation and culture, with artificial intelligence among the topics.
Globe business columnist Shirley Leung will host a live taping of her Say More podcast with Blecharczyk, discussing Airbnb's growth and recovery after the pandemic. Drag entertainer and actress Jujubee, also known as Airline Inthyrath, will join Globe audio editor Anna Kusmer for a separate live Say More taping to discuss the struggle to find success in performance art.
More Summit Speakers
Restaurateur Danny Meyer and Globe business reporter Alexa Gagosz are among the summit's speakers.
Elsewhere on day two, Emily Schario, Head of Content at The B-Side, will lead a conversation. Globe Washington bureau chief Jackie Kucinich and Kerry Kennedy are also among the summit's speakers.
Organizers note that additional panels will be announced in the coming weeks. Last year's fifth annual summit, themed “Revolutionary Ideas,” was held Nov. 18 and 19 at the same House of Blues venue and featured speakers including Governor Maura Healey, author Elin Hilderbrand and Celtics executive Allison Feaster, according to Boston Globe Media's recap of the 2025 event, which also noted that in-person tickets that year ran $249 for a single day and $399 for both days, with virtual access offered free.
