SAN DIEGO (CNS) — Beginning in 2027, the annual flagship TED conference will be held in San Diego, it was announced this week.
The nonprofit media organization was founded in California in 1984 under the premise "that technology, entertainment and design were converging in ways that could change how we see the world," according to TED.
By coming to San Diego, the company is "returning to our roots." San Diego was selected for the organization's annual conference following a two-year process looking at infrastructure, community and the room to scale as needed.
"TED has always been about bringing unlikely voices together,'' says 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. This is where global meets local, where innovation meets impact.''
The annual conference will be centered around the San Diego Convention Center, but will spill over to other venues in the region. 2026's conference in Vancouver will be the company's 12th and final one in Canada. By bringing the conference to San Diego, TED leaders said economic benefits will come with it. Over the last two years, TED's Vancouver operations produced a total regional economic impact of more than $16 million each year.
"In San Diego, we're committed to deepening connections and contributing to a community already shaping tomorrow's breakthroughs," a post on TED's website read. "The Tijuana-San Diego corridor embodies a binational identity where ideas, talent and cultures move freely. For TED, an organization built on the belief that ideas transcend boundaries, the choice is as symbolic as it is strategic."
