Long Beach welcomes a new resident today, as the annual Technology Entertainment Design (TED) Conference brings its act to the newly-remodeled Long Beach Convention Center beginning today. The highly-exclusive conference brings the world’s greatest minds together and asks them to deliver the best speech they have ever given. Speakers range from Richard Branson to Bill Clinton to Bono and many more (click here for the full list). In four days, 50 speakers will address massive crowds.
This year’s conference is themed “The Great Unveiling,” and seems to mrk the beginning of a beautiful friendship. From TED’s conference description on their website:
It’s TED’s 25th anniversary. But Instead of looking back, we’re looking forward. Everyone on the program will be premiering something: a thrilling discovery, a revolutionary idea, a powerful invention, a spectacular piece of art, a first-time performance. We’ll share undiscovered talent, and shed new light on names you know. And then, of course, there’s another great unveiling: Our new home in Long Beach, California.
The conference had been held in Monterey, but outgrew the Northern California venue and makes its way to Long Beach this year for its 25th anniversary.
“They call themselves the TED Community, and we wanted to introduce them to the Long Beach Community,” said Bob Maguglin, Director of Public Relations for the Convention & Visitors Bureau. Maguglin and the CVB hope that a high-profile client such as TED will draw other organizations to the city.
“We’re working very hard to introduce people to the new Long Beach,” Maguglin says. “Before, either people didn’t know about Long Beach or thought that it was still an industrial Navy town.”
The Convention Center underwent millions of dollars in renovations to accommodate TED and its other clients. Updated decor, refurbished bathrooms and new seating make it as attractive as any venue in Southern California.
But while the world’s fascination with TED never ceases, the conference itself prefers to remain low-key. Tickets are invite-only, and then still cost about $6,000. A larger group is invited to view the conference from Palm Springs, but tickets are also very select and still run in the thousands. That aspect of the conference worked well with Monterey’s “hidden gem” quality, and it likely played a part in TED selecting Long Beach – allowing the conference to stay out of the spotlight that would be provided in Los Angeles or another larger city.
But while Long Beach will attempt to help TED stay out of the public eye, TED may do just the opposite for Long Beach. Landing such a high-profile client could do wonders for the city as they attempt to attract new conferences and conventions, raising tourism revenue and as a result, the city’s perception.
“Our hope is that people think that if TED chose Long Beach, it’s probably a pretty good place to have a conference,” says Maguglin.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor