Photo Credit: San Diego Tourism Authority
Following a rigorous, two-year review process, TED has announced that its annual flagship conference will migrate south to San Diego, beginning in 2027. The event, which was founded in California in 1984, has been held in Vancouver, B.C., for the past 12 years. TED2026, to be held April 13-17, will be its final year in Vancouver.
The review process looked at infrastructure, community and the ability to scale TED's mission. According to a blog post, San Diego was chosen for a variety of reasons, including its proximity to both Latin America and the Pacific Rim, its cross-border collaboration, the convenience of the convention center district, and the innovation and breakthroughs being developed there in biotech, entertainment and media.
"After 12 remarkable years in Vancouver, we are extremely grateful for the partnership and warmth that made TED thrive in Canada," chief program and strategy officer Monique Ruff-Bell wrote on LinkedIn. "Vancouver has been an exceptional and wonderful partner and will always hold a special place in TED's story, and we continue to look forward to celebrating that legacy this spring at TED2026."
The conference will have an expanded footprint in San Diego, anchored in the waterfront district around the convention center while taking advantage of other iconic venues throughout the city. The TED team believes this will create even more community engagement and grow programming and content while adhering to the curatorial standards of the event.
"TED has always been about bringing unlikely voices together," said Ruff-Bell. "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."
Over the past two years, TED's Vancouver events produced a regional economic impact of more than $16 million annually. San Diego now stands to benefit from the organization's community ties.
To date, the organization has held more than 13,000 TEDx events across 150 countries.