TED conference to move from Long Beach to Vancouver, Canada

By Chris O’Brien

Feb. 5, 2013 12 AM PT

Attention, TED obsessives. The conference that started out as a cult event but has exploded into a global phenomenon is relocating next year.

After years of being held in Long Beach, the main TED conference will be held in Vancouver, Canada, in 2014. TED organizers announced the move in a blog post Tuesday.

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“We have absolutely loved the past five years there, but as TED has crossed major milestones — our billionth video view last fall and our 6,000th TEDx event last month — we feel ready for a new adventure. Our staff is pumped for TED2013, our grand finale year in Long Beach, and are thrilled to be able to go exploring in 2014,” organizers wrote.

TED, which once stood for Technology, Entertainment and Design, began in 1984 and was held in Monterey, Calif., for many years before moving to Long Beach for the last five years.

While once an obscure gathering of people discussing big ideas, TED has exploded in popularity since offering its videos for free online starting in 2006. Indeed, the main TED Conference is now one of many such events the organization holds around the world each year. In addition, hundreds of unofficial TED conferences are held each year by outside groups who are allowed to use the TED name if they meet certain criteria.

The main conference only allows for 1,400 attendees, and organizers plan to reduce that number to 1,200 next year to make the event more intimate.

If you want to get a feel for the TED vibe, check out this classic talk by statistician and TED celebrity Hans Rosling: