30 years of TED Talks

2014 marks 30 years of TED Talks. The conference was founded in 1984 – initially as a one off – looking at the convergence of technology, education and design. It wasn’t until the conference shifted to an annual event in 1990 where the sense of shared discovery helped launch their main agenda;

to make great ideas accessible and spark conversation.

It all changed in 2006 when the organization posted six videos on their website and things took off. Four months after these first posts, TED Talks hit the 1-million views mark and momentum only grew from there. Over 1,600 TED Talks have now been viewed over 2-billion times, with TEDx events being held in over 150 countries. In the age of an increasingly cluttered media landscape, the TED platform has revealed the public appetite for presentations. The TED brand helped propel insightful speakers into the mainstream consciousness in the digital age. Content is becoming more readily available to the masses and hence the sharability of these short, powerful talks, has only multiplied. As a speakers bureau, TED provides us with the opportunity to gain familiarity with fresh and innovative speakers who we feel could bring great value to our clients. Maestro Fresh Wes TEDx Toronto

This 30-year milestone also marks a geographic change for the event. TED has packed up from the sunny-coast of California and headed north of the border to beautiful British Columbia. TED will be held in the sleek and modern Vancouver Convention Centre while TEDActive has found it’s new home in Whistler. The change gives presentations a more intimate feel with a slightly smaller audience size. It also marks the start of the TED All-Star sessions, where some of the most most renowned TED speakers return to update and expand on their ideas. The five sessions cover: Planet Death; Beauty and the Brain; Where Are We Now?; I heart Design; and The Future is Ours. Global Speakers Agency represents over 40 speakers who have taken the stage for TED/TEDx talks in recent years. Our speaker profiles, wherever possible, include video links to their TED/TEDx presentations, so be sure to click through and explore their content. Be sure to check in on our Global Speakers Agency blog throughout the week of March 17-21 as we reflect back on some of our favourite TED talks.