It's February again and time for the annual TED Conference. This year the event is in a brand new venue - Long Beach, California. Already, people are starting to arrive and the air is practically crackling with anticipation.
With the change in location the conference organizers seem to have made a special effort to make everyone feel welcome. In addition to TED banners along the streets this year introduces the TED Host program through which about 100 long-term TEDsters will have dinner tonight with TED organizer Chris Anderson and take a tour tomorrow of all the facilities, preparing them to welcome new TEDsters into the community. It's a great idea - although about a third of the audience is new every year, it can seem to a newcomer like everyone knows everyone else, and that with so many accomplished people on stage and in the audience that it might be difficult to start a conversation. In reality, TED is a large and welcoming community and by the end of the week even the newest members have made new friends. It's good to see the conference make a conscious effort to encourage this process and I look forward to participating.
Some photos of pre-TED Long Beach here.
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