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Program overview

The Rediscovery of Wonder

At TEDActive, you experience TED in the company of fellow doers, makers and thinkers from all walks of life -- scientists, bloggers, chefs, artists, educators, entrepreneurs, designers, humanitarians, technologists and more ...

TEDActive is an opportunity to let your mind travel the world of ideas while watching the live-hosted TED2011 program in a comfortable, customizable space. When the talks are over, your conversations with other passionate people begin -- a chance to engage in inspiring discussions and projects.

What sets TEDActive apart is that it’s not a pre-set conference. Think of it as open-source TED, where you get to shape the program and get involved. This means that in addition to the dynamic experiences built into the conference schedule, attendees can:

  • give their own talks at TEDYou
  • host workshops
  • lead and propose inventive activities
  • participate in projects to create action around ideas
  • or just sit back, relax and absorb

Included in the TEDActive mix are TED leaders from around the world who are helping to foster TED's mission of spreading ideas: Volunteer translators, independent TEDx event organizers, top commenters, rock-star TED Prize wish contributors and spectacular past TED Fellows. Special workshops create opportunities for these community members to meet face-to-face and exchange best practices.

A pass to TEDActive costs $3,750.

What attendees say

Personally, TEDActive inspires and connects to me on a deep level ... it enables me to affect positive change in ways that I never before could have imagined.
– Rafe Furst, Poker champion and angel investor

I attended the TEDActive event and it blew my mind. It is much more than asimulcast of the "Big TED." We have local speakers of very high caliber and the community feeling is incredible. The smaller sizecreates a very tight family atmosphere ... Long breaks and events like a Friday night party in the desert, cycling, a flash mob in the middle of busy Palm Springs, all combine to create an incredible experience that is about ideas and people. I HIGHLY recommend it.
– Allan Isfan, co-founder of FaveQuest

I've dubbed TEDActive "summer camp for the accidental polymath."
– RossEvans, social renaissentrepreneur

The TEDActive 2011 experience:

  • A four-day program featuring TED's famous 18-minute talks, plus music, comedy, dance, short talks, video and other surprises
  • Pre-conference workshops for TEDx hosts, TEDTalks translators and other TED heroes
  • TEDYou: Where TEDsters share their own expertise, from "How to negotiate a term sheet" to "How to break a board with your bare hands"
  • Evening events, art exhibits, tech demos, test drives, late-nights, and other immersive on-site experience
  • Caffeine-fueled conversation breaks between sessions
  • The TED Gift Bag
  • Online tools for connecting with other attendees, before and after the conference
  • TED Book Club mailings

TEDActive links

Photos from TEDActive 2010 »
TEDActive 2010 music video »