After more than a decade calling Vancouver home, TED Conference announced it will relocate its annual flagship event to San Diego, California, beginning in 2027 – a homecoming of sorts for the organisation that first launched in the Golden State over 40 years ago.
The decision concludes a two-year selection process that evaluated infrastructure capabilities, community alignment, and scalability potential across multiple markets. For TED’s leadership, San Diego emerged as both a practical and philosophical choice.
“TED has always been about bringing unlikely voices together,” said Monique Ruff-Bell, TED’s chief programme and strategy officer. “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.”
Founded in 1984 on the premise that technology, entertainment, and design were converging in transformative ways, TED has evolved from a California conference into a global platform. The San Diego relocation positions the organisation at what executives describe as a literal and cultural intersection of innovation – where biotech advances alongside media development, and where the Pacific Rim meets Latin America.
The conference will anchor in San Diego’s waterfront district, utilising the San Diego Convention Centre and other venues throughout the city. The expanded footprint promises new programming formats and participation models whilst maintaining what TED calls the “intimacy and curation” that define its events. Specific details on 2027 programming structures, pass types, and pricing will be announced following TED2026, the organisation’s final conference in Vancouver.
TED’s presence represents more than symbolic significance. The organisation’s Vancouver operations generated over $16 million in regional economic impact annually over the past two years, supporting local suppliers and creating employment opportunities. San Diego offers an additional dimension: the Tijuana-San Diego corridor represents one of North America’s most dynamic binational regions, where cross-border collaboration in innovation and culture already thrives. For an organisation built on the principle that ideas transcend boundaries, the geographic positioning carries strategic weight.
The move concludes a 12-year relationship with Vancouver that TED describes as transformative. The organisation expressed “profound gratitude” for the partnership that helped define what it calls “a generation of TED moments.” TED2026, titled “All of Us,” will serve as both celebration and transition, marking the final flagship conference in the Canadian city this spring.
The shift to San Diego continues TED’s commitment to its global community, which includes more than 13,000 independently organised TEDx events across 150 countries. Whilst the flagship returns to California soil, the organisation emphasises its mission remains international in scope and ambition.