Technology-focused TED Conferences will move its flagship event to San Diego in 2027 after over a decade in Vancouver.
“In 1984, TED emerged in California with a radical proposition: that technology, entertainment and design were converging in ways that could change how we see the world,” the organization announced this week. “That idea became a global movement, and four decades later, we’re returning to our roots to begin a new chapter.”
TED said the choice of San Diego is “as symbolic as it is strategic.”
“San Diego positions us at the literal and cultural crossroads of innovation: a city where biotech breakthroughs happen alongside innovations in entertainment and media, where the Pacific Rim meets Latin America, and where some of the world’s most urgent challenges are already being tackled.”
The 2027 conference will be held in the spring at the San Diego Convention Center, which the organizers said offers an expanded footprint with new opportunities for community engagement.
The annual Vancouver conference typically attracted 2,000 attendees and reportedly resulted in a $16 million economic impact for the Canadian city.
In addition to the flagship event, there are hundreds of TED talks held worldwide from Europe and Africa to Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
“TED has always been about bringing unlikely voices together,” said Monique Ruff-Bell, TED’s chief program and strategy officer.
“San Diego represents where we’re heading next — a community built on collaboration, a city tackling the challenges that matter most, and a place where the future is already being imagined,” she said. “This is where global meets local, where innovation meets impact.”
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