Conference move sees city jumping into bed with Ted

Published on Thursday 14 April 2011 16:42

A HIGH-powered brainstorming session that has attracted the likes Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former US president Bill Clinton is to be staged in Edinburgh for the first time.

The European meeting of Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) - a US-based organisation that hosts invitation-only conferences on "ideas worth spreading" - is being switched from Oxford, where it has been based since 2005.

This year the conference takes the theme "the stuff of life", where more than 50 speakers have up to 18 minutes to discuss topics such as 'what is it like to be a baby?' and 'can humans and computers be friends?'

Tickets for the 800-strong delegate event cost as much as 3700, although the guest list has not yet been revealed.

Ted's European director, Bruno Giussani, has cited Oxford's lack of infrastructure as the main reason to shift the event to Edinburgh.

He said: "We were originally planning to hold the 2011 edition (in Oxford] too, however the lack of infrastructure in Oxford was increasingly limiting our intentions to develop Ted Global.

"After extensive analysis, we have found the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. We believe it will be a superb home."

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ron Hewitt said it was a great accolade for the city.

He said: "It sits at the heart of the next sunlight industry for the Capital - life sciences.

"We're going to see a lot more focus on Edinburgh life sciences and emerging technologies generally."

He added: "(The delegates] are looking for more than just sitting in a conference all day, they also want to make the most of their evenings and weekends as well, and that's what makes this city attractive to them."

Edinburgh Napier University's director for the centre for social informatics, Professor Hazel Hall, said Edinburgh lent itself well to hosting such an event. She said: "It has a reputation as one of nine UK regional 'creative clusters'.

"Edinburgh has been identified as a hot spot where creative businesses are promoting innovation and economic growth across the region.

"It also has a long tradition as a centre of intellectual excellence and innovation dating back to the Enlightenment."

Ted Global will take place between July 11 and 15, and organisers are due to release a list of speakers next month.