ALLEN & COMPANY (OR ASPEN)

I must register a complaint with the USPS. I have never received my invitations to Aspen from Mr. Isaacson this year, which really puts a serious crimp in my usual Summer plans to mingle with his compatriots and guests at the Aspen Institute..

Therefore, but only as a back-up, I am applying to Allen & Company to attend their Sun Valley affair. It, perhaps is a bit down market of Aspen, given the commercial bent of the Allen "A" list, but nonetheless -- things may be learned -- so I am available.

Following, courtesy of the DEALBOOK.

The high-level schmoozing and, if tradition holds, deal-making officially began late Tuesday as a caravan of mogul-bearing sport utility vehicles rolled through Sun Valley, Idaho. The occasion, as many DealBook readers will know, is the annual conference held by investment bank Allen & Company which brings together a constellation of top media executives and other financial and corporate power brokers.
DealBook is here on the ground to observe the dynamics of this rarified crowd and report on what — or who — they are talking about.
The A-List began arriving Tuesday night for a pre-conference barbecue. Among those we spotted: Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett (who is giving a speech on Saturday), Ebay chief executive Meg Whitman (who, in contrast to the parade of luxury vehicles before her, pulled up in the passenger seat of a rented Ford Taurus, driven by her husband), Disney chief Bob Iger and his predecessor, Michael Eisner.
On Friday, Mr. Eisner will be reprising his role of talk-show host — his latest gig on CNBC — to moderate a media panel. A regular attendee at the conference, Mr. Eisner seems a bit more relaxed now that he is no longer a Fortune 500 chief: He had time to walk the grounds Tuesday and carry back his own groceries after picking up some snacks Tuesday afternoon.
On the agenda for Wednesday morning is a talk called “The 10 Commandments for Business Failure” by Don Keough, the former chairman of Coca-Cola. And Ms. Whitman is scheduled to speak about Ebay. (Will she give some insight into her company’s new relationship with Yahoo? The speculation is that the Internet companies’ recent rapprochement is a try-it-before-you-buy-it deal.)
In the afternoon, the moguls are off to whitewater rafting — or to some private deal-making meetings, for those who don’t want to get soaked. At least, not in the literal sense.