What is TED?

TED is an annual event where some of the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to share what they are most passionate about.

"TED" stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design - three broad subject areas that are, collectively, shaping our future. And in fact, the event is broader still, showcasing ideas that matter in any discipline.

Attendees have called it "the ultimate brain spa" and "a four-day journey into the future."

The diverse audience - CEOs, scientists, creatives, philanthropists - is almost as extraordinary as the speakers, who have included Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Frank Gehry, Paul Simon, Sir Richard Branson, Philippe Starck and Bono.

Today, TED is best thought of as a global community. It's a community welcoming people from every discipline and culture who have just two things in common: they seek a deeper understanding of the world, and they hope to turn that understanding into a better future for us all.