TEDx Illustrates How Conferences Are Shifting From Event to Media Platforms


Skift Take

TED and TEDx are redefining conference design by marrying the signature live physical event with a grassroots, co-branded virtual network supplying video content in 170 countries.

Over 18,000 speakers presented at TEDx events last year in venues ranging from large formal auditoriums to pop-up stages under expressway bridges. A grassroots offshoot of the annual TED conference in Vancouver, the one-day TEDx events are organized by independent local community organizers in 170 countries to create a live and virtual forum for “Ideas Worth Sharing.” Launched in 2009, TEDxUSC was the first TEDx event, with the added "x" implying "Ted to the power of x." Perhaps more than any other conference, the TED organization's programming and digital distribution of TED Talks videos illustrates the potential of online content to drive audience exposure and brand reach globally. It also emphasizes the shift in the very definition of what a conference is today, evolving from a live solitary event to the physical hub of a virtual media ecosystem. There’s a long list of strict requirements for TEDx organizers to adhere to if they want to use the TEDx logo.