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Plan Your TED

Whether you're attending TED for the first time or returning for your 10th: An insider's guide to getting the most out of TEDWomen 2010 …

Questions?

Logistical question? Last-minute crisis? We're here to help. Pre-conference, contact us via email. On-site, visit our concierge at the registration desk.

  1. 1. Clear your calendar. No, really. In order to get the most out of TEDWomen, you have to lend us your brain. Ignore your email. Switch off your phone. Don’t take meetings. Breathe away your worries. TEDWomen 2010 is an immersive experience, and you won’t want to miss a moment. Let your mind absorb completely what happens on stage and around you. (Afterwards, it will thank you nicely.)
  2. 2. Leave your laptop in your room. Cell phone, too. At minimum, keep them in your bag. The speakers at TEDWomen 2010 merit your full attention, and laptops and cell phones are a big distraction -- not just for you, but for everyone around you. To preserve an immersive experience during the speaker sessions, we don’t allow cell phone or laptop use in the theater except in the last rows. You're welcome to use your laptop anywhere in the Simulcas area.
  3. 3. Eat. Drink. Sleep. TEDWomen 2010 runs full throttle. You’ll enjoy it more if you pace yourself: drink plenty of water, grab light healthy snacks, go easy on alcohol, and get as much sleep as is humanly possible.
  4. 4. Don't miss a thing. Watch every session. Go to every event. The best TED moments happen when you least expect them. It’s often the unknown speakers who wow the crowd. Watching every session helps you avoid disappointment, and ensures you take in each key moment as it happens. Social events, too, are there for a reason. So resist the temptation to sneak back to your room, and give yourself a complete TEDWomen 2010 experience.
  5. 5. Talk to strangers. TED's greatest natural resource is people. Most speakers stay for the whole conference, and the attendees are every bit as extraordinary. As a result, chance encounters often lead to new ideas, projects, perspectives, companies. They're as essential to the experience as the stage program itself. So don't limit your experience by hiding with your friends. Talking to strangers is encouraged. (That said, blatant "networking" is not.)
  6. 6. Devour the program guide. Our schedule is so crammed, we simply don’t have time for long speaker introductions. Browse the printed guide onsite, and follow up on the speakers who capture your imagination. Gathering some background on a speaker will help you better get the power and the context of what they will be saying.
  7. 7. Experience the exhibits. Check out the amazing things we have on show in Washington, DC.
  8. 8. Let us help you. Our staff will do their best to answer any questions and solve any problems, from logistics queries to laptop breakdowns. Pre-conference, reach us via email at registration@ted.com or ping us via Twitter at @TEDWomen. On-site, visit our concierge at the registration desk, or ask anyone wearing a Staff badge.
  9. 9. Blog with us. Or … not. If you plan to blog, take photos, or Twitter, use these tags: #TED, TEDWomen. But do not feel obligated to live-blog or lifecast from TEDWomen. TED is best experienced in the moment (see Item 1).
  10. 10. Plan for next year. Mark your calendar and protect the dates. Though TED in Long Beach is sold out, places are available at TEDActive, February 27-March 3, 2011. TEDGlobal in Edinburgh, UK, is set for July 2011.