Internal event

Internal TEDx events are for nonprofits, government entities and hospitals looking to create a TEDx event with a co-branded name. The license is granted for free, at TED’s discretion. Hosting an Internal event can inject excitement and innovation into organizational culture. TEDx Internal events also promote idea sharing and cross-departmental collaboration.

Applying on behalf of a for-profit organization? Learn about our TEDx Business License.

About this event type

Internal event licenses are granted to organizations for private, employee-only events. These events allow organizations to incorporate the spirit of TED and TEDx into their community culture and are intended to be marketed and shared only within the organization hosting the event.

All TEDx rules apply to an internal TEDx event license, but with a few very important exceptions:

Your audience must be employees only.
They can only be marketed and promoted internally; fliers, websites, interviews, photos, videos or any form of promotional or advertising materials visible to the public are never permitted.
Video recorded at Internal events is for internal use only and can’t be released publicly.
The licensee must be an employee of the organization.

The following also applies to internal events:

Naming your event

Organizers of internal events should name their event based on the institution that they’re holding their event, followed by the city or neighborhood, like: TEDx(InstitutionName). If your institution is in multiple cities, any of which also host TEDx events, the name should be distinguished from those other TEDx events by adding the name of your city at the end, like: TEDx(InstitutionName)(city name).

Audience

Your audience will be the employees and staff of your organization. Unfortunately, you can’t invite anyone outside of your organization, even special “members” who are associated with the clients or partnering organizations.

Size

Like standard TEDx events, Internal events can have up to 100 guests. Only individuals who have attended an official TED conference can organize an event with more than 100 attendees.

Theme

An internal event is often themed around the industry your institution is a part of, but it should still be multidisciplinary and broad, and address a variety of topics. You’ll want to feature a diversity of speakers from across several disciplines. Learn more about themes to get an idea of what you want the focus of your event to be.

Duration

Like standard TEDx events, your internal event can be as brief as a couple of hours, and as long as one full day.

If you’re interested in organizing an internal event, we have a dedicated page just for organizers, to guide you through the planning process.