TEDGlobal Returns to Oxford in 2009

Oxford, England (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Conference to Become Annual International Event Featuring the
World's Leading Thinkers and Doers

Four years after its first European gathering, TED organizers
today announced the return of the TEDGlobal Conference to Oxford, UK,
on an annual basis.

TEDGlobal 2009, the inaugural annual conference, is titled "The
Substance of Things Not Seen," and will feature more than 40
remarkable speakers presenting over the course of four days, from
July 21-24, in Oxford.

"TEDGlobal is TED's twin conference, with the same focus on
identifying novel voices and bringing to the stage inspired ideas,
experiences, technologies, and performances -- with an even stronger
international perspective," says Bruno Giussani, European Director of
the TED Conferences.

The TEDGlobal 2009 program is designed to explore and make
visible the substance of things that run unseen through our lives.
These hidden forces -- social conventions, biological links, cultural
frameworks, coded meanings, complex processes, creative impulses,
scientific speculations, software, networks -- are the connective
tissue that binds societies together and the engines that propel
organizations forward. When illuminated, they offer vital insights
into our relationship with each other and our world.

Some of the questions that the conference will address:

- What makes big cities function?
- What is an accomplished life?
- Which universe do we live in?
- Is life a mathematical equation?
- Where does motivation come from?
- Who's defining the new geopolitical map?
- Can robots think?
- Can we design the air we breathe?
- What's the economic impact of terrorism?
- Is modern art relevant?
- Should we fear faith?
- What do top-secret places look like?
- What's the true nature of modern crime?
- Can a solar-powered plane fly?

Confirmed speakers include: two of the world's most celebrated
writers; a scholar with a radically new idea about development; a
mathematician and a neuroscientist who are redefining the way we see
the world; a visionary aviator; a Capuchin monk; a former child
soldier; a groundbreaking choreographer; a designer who creates out
of thin air; a leading global business thinker; one of the biggest
names in contemporary art; a photographer of the invisible; plus many
other leaders in business, science, technology, entertainment and the
arts. The full program will be unveiled about two months before the
event.

About the location: Oxford is a one-of-a-kind environment that
for centuries has championed the power of reason, fostered
open-minded discussions and forged new directions in the search for
understanding. TEDGlobal will be finely woven into the Oxford
landscape. Most sessions will take place at the Oxford Playhouse,
with special events at the distinctive Sheldonian Theatre, historic
Keble College, the Museum of Natural History, and the Malmaison Hotel
-- the newly renovated hotel that was once a Victorian prison.

About the event: TEDGlobal 2009 will include four full days of
programming on a single stage, during which more than 40
international speakers will have 18 minutes each to give the talk of
their lives. Meals, coffee breaks and evening special events give
speakers and attendees time to meet, collaborate and explore ideas.

Before and after the conference, attendees will be offered a
series of visits, discoveries and special programs, including a tour
of Bletchley Park and punting on the river Cherwell. The conference
will also feature a half-day TED University, where attendees have the
opportunity to give short lectures on their areas of expertise.

Interested parties may register for TEDGlobal 2009 by visiting
www.ted.com/conferences

About 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, Jill Bolte
Taylor, 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 TED
Talks and TED.com; and the TED Prize, an annual award granting three
individuals "one wish to change the world." TED2009, "The Great
Unveiling," will be held Feb 3-8, 2009, in Long Beach, California,
with a simulcast event in Palm Springs, California.

For more information, please visit www.ted.com.

Web site: http://www.ted.com/conferences
http://www.TED.com

ots Originaltext: TED Conferences
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Contact:
Laura Galloway, +1-212-260-3708, laura@gallowaymediagroup.com, of
Galloway Media Group for TED Conferences