Overview Meridian International Center has spent more than 65 years connecting leaders across government, academia and industry to work on global challenges. The Meridian Ball and Meridian Summit compress that mission into a single day, opening with the Summit's policy program and closing with the Ball, a black-tie gathering of the diplomatic, business, government, culture and philanthropic communities. 2026 marks the 58th Ball and the 15th Summit, held as the United States marks its 250th anniversary. On site More than 30 Ambassadors open their residences to host intimate dinners, alongside a larger dinner at the White-Meyer House. From there, guests converge on the historic Meridian House for an evening of dessert, dancing and dialogue. Audience The Summit draws diplomats, business leaders and government officials into panel and roundtable discussion, while the Ball that evening brings together the diplomatic corps, business, government, culture and philanthropy for a night built around the Ambassador-hosted dinners. Track record 2025 coverage included The New York Times, Financial Times, POLITICO, CNN, C-SPAN, Bloomberg, PBS, Reuters, Fox Business, NBCUniversal Telemundo, Forbes and 60 Minutes, with post-event features in Washingtonian, The Washington Diplomat, Axios, Playbook and Punchbowl News. Brand presence Pernod Ricard North America serves as the 2026 Corporate Chair, the lead private-sector partner in shaping the Summit program, with ServiceNow named Global Engagement Chair.