TED Conference Offers Affordable Associate Membership for TEDGlobal

NEW YORK -

- Members Given Access to Live Web Stream of TEDGlobal 2009 Conference

The TED Conference is again making available its popular Associate Memberships, which will provide a virtual front-row seat at the upcoming TEDGlobal 2009 conference via a private, live web stream of all its main stage events.

The TEDGlobal 2009 conference will explore “The Substance of Things Not Seen.” Speakers this year include world-renowned philosophers, scientists, religious leaders, entertainers, artists, musicians and technologists. The event will take place July 21-24 in Oxford, U.K.

TED Associate Members will be offered a password-protected, single-computer, live web stream of TEDGlobal 2009 as it unfolds in Oxford — weeks or months before the world-renowned 18-minute talks are made available to the world on TED.com. Members will be able to watch the full main stage sessions, including introductions, short talks, musical performances, video interstitials and audience interactions that are not shown on the website.

Associate Members will be issued a non-commercial license that allows them to share their webcast with up to 10 viewers in the same room. The speaker lineup is available at conferences.ted.com/TEDGlobal2009/.

“The TED Associate Membership program has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from early participants. Now you can join and watch TEDGlobal 2009 live with a group of your friends, family or colleagues from your home, school or office, a social experience like no other. Plus, you will enjoy many other benefits throughout the year,” says Tom Rielly, TED’s Community Director.

Previous Associate Members are enthusiastic about the benefits of the program:

“TED2009 was a life-changing experience for me,” says one happy member. “I watched nearly all the live streams. Because of the time difference with our country, this meant staying up until 5 AM to see it all, getting a short nap and going back to work.”

Another member says, “The Associates program is a fantastic way to experience TED. A group of five friends and colleagues gathered at my house this year to watch, tweet, and discuss the conference. We got to know each other better while engaging deeply with the content. I couldn’t be more pleased.”

One member is looking far ahead: “Heck, if there were a lifetime membership I would sign up right now. Thank you for this wonderful extension of TED-in-person.”

TED’s Associate Membership costs US$995 annually. For U.S. residents, US$500 may be tax deductible. Membership provides individuals and organizations - including businesses, libraries and universities - the opportunity to join TED at an affordable price while still receiving many of the unique benefits of a full-price TED membership.

Members can join any day of the year and will receive twelve continuous months of benefits, including TED boxed set of DVDs from the current year’s TED conference, shot by award-winning Hollywood directors of photography. These archival DVDs are not available anywhere else, and contain all of the content from the conference, including introductions, short talks and other TED moments not found on TED.com.

Members are also enrolled in the TED Book Club, which sends members inspired media packages five times per year, starting with the first mailing following the date of registration. A typical mailing might include two or three books, CDs or DVDs specifically chosen for TEDsters. They also receive the exclusive TED Associate Membership welcome kit, including the TEDTalks viewing diary, welcome DVD, poster, postcards, bag emblem and several surprises.

All Associate Members receive special “Associate” status on TED.com’s social networking system, as well as early notification of conference registration — in advance of general public — to attend TED in person. (Note: Applications to attend TED in person are subject to approval by TED.)

TED Associate Memberships can be given as a gift. For more information about the program, or to sign up, please visit TED.com/associates or email associates [at] ted [dot] com.

About TED

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then, its scope has broadened to include science, business, the arts, and the global issues facing our world. The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives -in 18 minutes. Attendees have called it “the ultimate brain spa” and “a four-day journey into the future.” The diverse audience - CEOs, scientists, creatives, and philanthropists - is almost as extraordinary as the speakers, who have included Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Nandan Nilekani, Jane Goodall, Vilayanur Ramachandran, Sir Richard Branson, Philippe Starck and Bono.

TED was first held in Monterey, California, in 1984. In 2001, Chris Anderson’s Sapling Foundation acquired TED from its founder, Richard Saul Wurman. In recent years, TED has expanded to include an international conference, TEDGlobal; media initiatives, including TEDTalks and TED.com; and the TED Prize. TEDGlobal 2009, “The Substance of Things Not Seen,” will be held July 21-24, 2009, in Oxford, UK. TEDIndia will be held in Mysore, India, November 1-4, 2009. TED2010, “What the World Needs Now,” will be held February 9-13, 2010, in Long Beach, California, with a simulcast event in Palm Springs, California.

For details on all upcoming conferences and events, visit www.TED.com.

Laura Galloway Galloway Media Group 12 Desbrosses St., 3rd Floor New York, New York 10013-1704 t: +1-212-260-3708 c: +1-213-948-3100 skype: lauragmg laura@gallowaymediagroup.com

Source: TED Conferences

Laura Galloway of Galloway Media Group, t: +1-212-260-3708, c: +1-213-948-3100, or laura at gallowaymediagroup.com, for TED Conferences