About TED
TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.
TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, thousands of independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze more than $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future, and in 2023 TED launched TED Democracy to spark a new kind of conversation focused on realistic pathways towards a more vibrant and equitable future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.
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In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.
As you spend time on our site, you’ll notice references and crossover content from TEDxCreative Coast. The team at The Creative Coast helped turn the idea of a local TEDx event almost seven years ago into a sellout event year after year. With a strong foundation in place, organizers agreed 2016 was an ideal time to rebrand the event as TEDxSavannah. Some of the original members are on a new board, Inspire Savannah, which has the sole purpose of promoting and organizing our local TEDx event.
TEDxSavannah more closely links our event with the historic city we call home, and the new identity shows the world that our city and its residents embrace the ideals of the TED community.
We’re looking to the future, but we would never forget our past. That’s why some of the valuable content first developed as TEDxCreative Coast is still displayed here.
In the fall of 2015, a group of local TEDx supporters and community action heroes renamed the event “TEDxSavannah,” building on a successful legacy and years of forward thinking ideas. This all-volunteer group currently includes Cecilia Arango, Kelley Boyd, Clinton Edminster, Ravi Gondaliya, Allison Hersh, Karla Jennings, Suzanne Kirk, Francesca Macchiaverna, Jessica McBride and Mickie McNamara.
