A Conversation with President Barack Obama
Date/Time: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 6:30-8:30PM
Location: Erie Insurance Arena - 809 French St, Erie, PA 16501
Parking: Parking is available at all local city garages, Erie Insurance garage, and limited metered street parking is available.
NEED TO KNOW INFO:
- Arrive early, pack light: Doors open at 4:00 p.m., please be patient with our volunteers and staff as we all make sure the event is enjoyed by all.
- Event Location: Erie Insurance Arena, 809 French St., Erie PA 16501. Please use the main entrance on French Street.
- All guests are subject to security screening, including walk-through magnetometers and/or handheld wands as a condition of admission (Give yourself plenty of time to go through security; the more you bring, the slower your processing will take.).
- Bring: Your ticket, your official government-issued ID, only what you absolutely need, and your patience (this event is at-capacity).
- Entrance to the event is conditional upon bringing your ticket and official government ID. Guests under the age of 18 are not required to bring an ID.
- Parking: Any parking garages in the downtown area and on-street parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Shuttle Service: Two shuttle locations are available in partnership with the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority (EMTA) for this event. As many guests who are attending via I-79, we suggest arriving early to use these services. Further information about the shuttles can be found by clicking the 'Shuttle Services' button below.
- Doors open at 4:00 p.m.
- Once inside the facility, there will be no reentry.
- For the safety of all attendees, please refrain from entering if you are feeling unwell, have recently tested positive for COVID-19, or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Thank you for helping us maintain a healthy environment.
- Concession stands will be open until 6:40 p.m.
- Photography and video recordingof the event is strictly prohibited.
Due to the scale of this event, the JES may not be able to answer or return any phone calls and emails sent on the day of the event.
If you have questions about the security protocols of Erie Events facilities, we direct you to their website, https://www.erieevents.com/safety-and-security/, or to call their box office at 814.452.4857.
BAG POLICY
All patrons are limited to: one (1) 12"x12"x6" clear bag or one (1) 1 gallon/3.7L plastic freezer bag or one (1) small clutch/bag no larger than 5"x8"x2". Bags that do not fit these descriptions will not be allowed in the venue. An exception will be made for medically necessary items and diaper bags after proper inspection at the venue entrance. All patrons are subject to a security screening. Metal detectors are used for all ticketed events. Bags & purses are subject to additional screening slowing entry process, so please bring only essential items.
PROHIBITED ITEMS
Weapons of any kind: In accordance with Pennsylvania's "concealed carry" law and the right for private entities to ban handguns on their premises, firearms and other weapons of any kind are strictly forbidden on the premises of the Erie Insurance Arena, Warner Theatre, Bayfront Convention Center and UPMC Park.
- All purses, bags or containers larger than a small clutch bag of 5"x8"x2", computer bags, backpacks, camera bags, coolers, cinch bags, luggage or any kind, and briefcases
- Pepper Spray & Mace
- Pocket Knives
- Illegal Drugs
- Fireworks, Flares or Explosives
- Wallet chains, boot chains, studded jewelry, etc.
- Drones
- Audio/Video recording equipment: The use of audio, video, or digital recording devices is prohibited.
- Tripods, monopods and selfie sticks
- Outside food & beverages
No Smoking
No Re-Entry
No Third-Party Tickets
Barack H. Obama is the 44th President of the United States.
Few presidents have walked a more improbable path to the White House. Born in Hawaii to a mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya, Obama was raised with help from his grandparents, whose generosity of spirit reflected their Midwestern roots. The homespun values they instilled in him, paired with his innate sense of optimism, compelled Obama to devote his life to giving every child, regardless of his or her background, the same chance America gave him.
After working his way through college with the help of scholarships and student loans, Obama moved to Chicago, where he worked with a group of churches to help rebuild communities devastated by the closure of local steel plants. That experience honed his belief in the power of uniting ordinary people around a politics of purpose, in the hard work of citizenship, to bring about positive change. In law school, he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, then he returned to Illinois to teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago and begin a career in public service, winning seats in the Illinois State Senate and the United States Senate.
On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States, winning more votes than any candidate in history. He took office at a moment of crisis unlike any America had seen in decades – a nation at war, a planet in peril, the American Dream itself threatened by the worst economic calamity since the Great Depression. And yet, despite all manner of political obstruction, Obama’s leadership helped rescue the economy, revitalize the American auto industry, reform the health care system to cover another twenty million Americans, and put the country on a firm course to a clean energy future – all while overseeing the longest stretch of job creation in American history. On the world stage, Obama’s belief in America’s indispensable leadership and strong, principled diplomacy helped wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, decimate al Qaeda and eliminate the world’s most wanted terrorists, shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program, open up a new chapter with the people of Cuba, and unite humanity in coordinated action to combat a changing climate.
In times of great challenge and change, President Obama’s leadership ushered in a stronger economy, a more equal society, a nation more secure at home and more respected around the world. The Obama years were ones in which more people not only began to see themselves in the changing face of America, but to see America the way he always has – as the only place on Earth where so many of our stories could even be possible.
Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, are the proud parents of two daughters – Malia and Sasha.
