Netroots Nation is a political convention for American progressive political activists. Originally organized by readers and writers of Daily Kos, a liberal political blog, it was previously called YearlyKos and rebranded as Netroots Nation in 2007. The new name to reflects participation of a broader audience of grassroots activists, campaign workers and volunteers, thought leaders, messaging technology innovators and local, state, and national elected officials. The convention offers three days of programming: panel discussions on emerging issues in politics and society; training sessions to support more effective activism; keynote addresses from speakers of national stature; an exhibit hall; networking and social events. The event draws roughly 3000 attendees. Upcoming conference Netroots Nation 2023 will be held July 13-15, 2023 at the Hilton Chicago, downtown at 720 S. Michigan Ave. Past conferences 2006 The first YearlyKos was held in Las Vegas, from June 8–11, 2006. It was held at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. There were 1,200 attendees, and featured prominent Democrats such as Harry Reid, Howard Dean, and Barbara Boxer, as well as three possible contenders in the 2008 Democratic primary: retired General Wesley Clark, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, and former Virginia governor Mark Warner. The convention hosted panels, roundtable discussion groups, and other gatherings of activists, members of the media and elected officials. Democracy for America and the Center for American Progress were among the groups offering training sessions. Many of the panels were broadcast on C-SPAN. The convention received a significant amount of coverage in the traditional media, including a write-up in the New York Times that said this event “seems on its way to becoming as much a part of the Democratic political circuit as the Iowa State Fair.” Gina Cooper served as the Founder and first Director of YearlyKos, later to be Netroots Nation. 2007 The 2007 YearlyKos was held at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois from August 2–5. Seven of the eight major Democratic Presidential candidates attended the Convention and participated in a forum moderated by bloggers. The candidates were Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson. Notably, it was at this event that Hillary Clinton refused to join John Edwards and Barack Obama in a pledge to stop taking money from Washington lobbyists. Before and after the debate the candidates held individual break-out sessions. Media coverage called out the emergence of the Netroots