Next spring marks the 30th anniversary of the groundbreaking TED conference, and Vancouver, British Columbia, has been selected to host the milestone occasion. Entitled “The Next Chapter,” TED2014 will be held March 17-21 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. (Vancouver is slated to host the conference again in 2015.) The spring conference is relocating from Long Beach, Calif., where it has been held for five years. “We’re incredibly excited it will take place in Vancouver,” says Dave Gazley, vice president of Tourism Vancouver. “It’s a great convention that fosters new ideas that can filter through the local crowd. We’re certainly hoping that will happen here.”
TED, an acronym for “technology, entertainment, design,” began in 1984 as an effort to circulate innovative and time-efficient talks given by notable people from around the globe. Topics from presenters of all ages have ranged from chemical engineering to bread making, and past speakers include Pulitzer Prize winner Sheryl WuDunn, film and television producer J.J. Abrams and Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert. TED2014’s roster will be announced later this year or early next.
TED and convention center staff are collaborating on a stage to be constructed specifically for the TED talks, although the designers are working on an arrangement to use it for other conferences, as well. It will be built in the center’s West Ballroom, which features an expansive glass wall with Vancouver Harbour and mountain views. Although attendance at TED2014 will be limited to 1,200, the convention center’s flexible function space can accommodate as many as 6,700 people.
While Vancouver hosts the main spring conference, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Resort will welcome attendees of TEDActive, who will view live simulcasts of TED2014 speakers. TEDActive, based last year in Palm Springs, is held annually in tandem with the springtime TED conference.
