Prepares to Celebrate TED’s 30th anniversary in two 604 cities!
TED, the nonprofit known for “Ideas Worth Spreading,” announced it will celebrate its 30th anniversary by holding its annual North American conference in Vancouver, Canada, in 2014, moving from the current Long Beach, California, venue. TEDActive, a parallel event featuring the full conference simulcast, will be held in Whistler, our renowned mountain resort, moving from Palm Springs, California. Both conferences will take place simultaneously March 17-21, 2014.
Vancouver was chosen for several reasons:
- It is one of the world’s great cities, recognized for its livability, walkability, sustainability, innovation – and stunning natural beauty.
- Its new, state-of-the-art Vancouver Convention Centre is built on the harbor with spectacular views of water and mountains. The center has a space in which TED can custom-design its own theater.
- Immediately next to the convention center are world-class hotels, restaurants and event spaces.
- TED’s remit is now global, not just American – yet the move preserves the conference’s west coast roots. Meanwhile the proximity of Whistler offers a perfect setting for TEDActive.
- The Vancouver Convention Centre is LEED-Platinum certified and features floor to ceiling glass walls looking out onto the harbor, plus a six-acre “living roof” of indigenous plants. The venue allows for creative versatility and a bold rethinking of the conference experience: at its heart is a large, unbroken 55-ft-high space where TED’s stage and venue designers are dreaming up something brand-new – a custom theater designed to maximize the impact of talks, permitting multiple configurations for sitting, listening and connecting with audience members, speakers, and performers.
TEDActive will take place in Whistler at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Resort. The event, which runs during the same week as the TED Conference, brings together 700 of the most engaged members of the global TED community for the full TED2014 program simulcast from Vancouver, plus its own live speakers and immersive events.
The TED2014 experience includes:
- A stage program featuring TED’s famous 18-minute talks, plus music, comedy, dance, short talks, video and other surprises.
- TED Fellows Talk on Mondays, where you’ll hear about projects and visions of the next generation of world-changers.
- TED University, where TEDsters share their own expertise, from “How to negotiate a term sheet” to “How to break a board with your bare hands.”
- Evening events, art exhibits, tech demos and other immersive experiences
- Caffeine-fueled conversation breaks between sessions
- Spaces to watch TED in an informal setting — on couches, beds, beanbag chairs; while blogging, tweeting, eating, networking …
- The TED Gift Bag. Online tools for connecting with other attendees, before and after the conference & the TED Book Club mailings
