TedX: The Rise of Local TedX Events

One of the most amazing cyber-stories is the redevelopment of the elite TED – Technology, Entertainment and Design -conferences into a multi channel, multi city and multi country branded phenomenon. Since 2009, there have been 7,552 TED events in 151 different countries.

As Ann Wycoff writes in San Diego Magazine, Tedx San Diego is one event that has taken off. It started four years ago as a small book club a gathering and is now one of the top ten Tedx events in the world. This year, it is moving to Calit2, UC San Diego’s epicenter of innovation, along with hosting an interactive TEDx village on campus and multiple venues accommodating upwards of 500 people, including the new, tech savvy San Diego Public Library.

Wycoff was nice enough to talk to me about the phenomenon. The TED events “provide people just what they want — immediate gratification and inspiration,” I opined.

“One of the ironies of the internet era is it has reinforced how much people really want to get together to build community. People don’t just want to be cyber-relatives — they use that as a touching-off point for genuine relationships. This type of event phenomenon, both free and paid, is a major part of the next generation’s social life.”