From left: Carolyn Porco at TED2007; Don Norman at TED2003; attendees at TED2006
Each year, the world's leading thinkers and doers gather in for an event many describe as the highlight of their year. Attendees have called it "The ultimate brain spa," "Davos for optimists" and "A four-day journey into the future, in the company of those creating it." This event is called TED, and it's truly a conference like no other.
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"It was incredible." Malcolm Gladwell
"A mind-opening experience." Amy Tan
"One of the highlights of my entire life." Billy Graham
"I've never experienced anything remotely like it." Jeffrey Katzenberg
"The combined IQ of the attendees is incredible." Bill Gates
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design -- three broad subject areas that are, collectively, shaping our future. And in fact, the event is broader still, showcasing ideas that matter in any discipline. The format is fast paced: 50+ talks over the course of four days (to say nothing of the morning and evening events). This immersive environment allows attendees and speakers from vastly different fields to cross-fertilize and draw inspiration from unlikely places. This is the magic of TED.
Attendance at TED is by invitation only, and the attendees -- CEOs, scientists, designers, intellectuals -- are as extraordinary as the speakers, who in 2007 included former US President Bill Clinton, author Isabel Allende, legendary biologist EO Wilson, designer Phillipe Starck, and Virgin CEO Richard Branson; in 2008, speakers included brain expert Jill Bolte Taylor, physicist Stephen Hawking and undersea explorer Robert Ballard. Indeed, TED's success is based on the extraordinary effect of bringing together 1,000 of the world's most remarkable people. The result? Unexpected connections. Extraordinary insights. Powerful inspiration.
TED was first held in 1984, and featured early demos of the Macintosh computer and the Sony compact disc. Twenty years later, this legacy of innovation and influence continues. In 2001, Chris Anderson's foundation acquired TED from its founder Richard Saul Wurman. Chris Anderson became TED's curator, and the conference has continued to grow in both scope and global impact. No longer just an annual event, TED now encompasses a sister conference, TEDGlobal, held biannually in different cities around the world, and a simulcast event, which allows even more people to enjoy the TED Conference's content and connections.
