Seeking to redefine its place in a changing media landscape, TED \u2014 the New York-based nonprofit behind the globally recognized TED Talks \u2014 is moving its flagship event to San Diego, potentially creating dozens of new jobs.<\/p>\n
After a decade in Vancouver, Canada, the five-day speaking series will debut in San Diego in 2027. TED is moving beyond just cities; it\u2019s also considering moving the stage outside the convention center, around San Diego, and maybe even out to sea.<\/p>\n
The idea incubator has gathered a global following by giving a platform to leaders in technology, entertainment and design. The world\u2019s most influential innovators are invited to the annual flagship event to share grandiose visions or critiques of the world as it stands.<\/p>\n
Last year, Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI \u2014 better known as the guy who introduced ChatGPT to the public \u2014 was the keynote speaker.<\/p>\n
In recent years the high-profile media organization has been operating on the margins. Since 2019, TED\u2019s expenses have outpaced its revenue for four out of the past six years, according to IRS filings.<\/a> In an effort to refresh the brand, TED is coming to San Diego to grow programing and attendance, according to its executives, who spoke to the U-T earlier this week about the move.<\/p>\n Two years ago, TED started searching for a new venue, said Monique Ruff-Bell, chief program and strategy officer at TED.<\/p>\n About six months into that search, Mark Cafferty, CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, remembers learning about an anonymous, but \u201cvery prominent organization\u201d looking to put on a new conference in San Diego.<\/p>\n Cafferty met with executives from the San Diego Tourism Authority, San Diego Conference Center Corporation and TED in a suite atop the Manchester Grand Hyatt.<\/p>\n They discussed the history of the city as they sat high above the people and places that built San Diego.<\/p>\n Pointing at the USS Midway below, Cafferty explained how biotech was born from military money. Fishing boats floated by as they chatted about San Diego\u2019s tuna industry. To the north they saw Coronado. To the south, Tijuana.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were like \u2018Oh my gosh, that\u2019s Mexico right there,\u2019\u201d Cafferty said, recalling the TED team\u2019s surprise when they saw San Diego\u2019s proximity to the border.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s the point.<\/p>\n \u201cSan Diego uniquely positioned us to scale our mission. Here\u2019s a city where biotech, media and cross-border innovation are already happening at the highest levels, and we want to be part of that,\u201d said Ruff-Bell.<\/p>\n TED plans to hire locally to create its next chapter. It has more than 200 employees, IRS records show,<\/a><\/p>\n The flagship conference will be based in San Diego\u2019s Convention Center for the next 10 years, Cafferty said, but will also include new venues.\u00a0<\/p>\n Millions of people watch and share TED Talks, but very few actually know where the stage is, Cafferty explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n TED\u2019s vision isn\u2019t unlike what Austin has done with its South by Southwest conference \u2014 they want to make the event \u201csynonymous with the place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could go out on the USS Midway, which is docked in San Diego, for an event, but we could actually work to go out on a carrier,\u201d Cafferty said. Some of the stages could take place on a Torrey Pines trail. Some speakers could travel to local campuses, such as UC San Diego or San Diego State University. There were conversations about having programs on the border.<\/p>\n People could even do events at The Salk Institute. Cafferty described a scene out of 1950s San Diego when Jonas Salk invented the polio vaccine at the campus built by famed architect Louis Kahn. \u201cMinds of science would come together and hopefully solve the world\u2019s greatest problems,\u201d Cafferty said.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what he wants to do again.<\/p>\n Last year, TED brought in over a thousand guests and 80 speakers to the Vancouver Convention Centre. Tickets started at $12,500 for the five-day series. Donors paid double for tickets that included opportunities to meet the speakers.<\/p>\n But even with big names like Serena Williams, Bill Gates, Gayle King and Elon Musk headlining the annual conferences, TED won\u2019t be the San Diego Convention Center\u2019s biggest client.<\/p>\n TED brought in $16 million in economic impact to Vancouver last year<\/a>. That\u2019s pocket change compared to San Diego\u2019s largest events at the convention center. Comic-Con alone brought in over $160 million<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n TED also won\u2019t come close to San Diego\u2019s top 10 highest-generating conferences. Biotech events dominate the list for largest economic impact, with $40 million to $60 million per conference, <\/a>according to the convention center\u2019s annual report.<\/p>\n