This Atlanta TED conference is nixed, organizers say
A short-lived TED conference that made Atlanta its home is “no more,” according to organizers.
TEDNext, a three-day conference scheduled for November 2027 at downtown’s Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel, is no longer happening, according to an email sent last week by Helen Walters, TED’s head of media and curation.
TED, which stands for technology, entertainment and design, is a global family of conferences and educational content.
While the flagship TED conference focuses on the future of the world, TEDNext was focused on helping attendees look inward at their own future. Past speakers included record producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri and ballerina Misty Copeland.
“We loved bringing TEDNext to Atlanta and are incredibly proud of what we achieved there, and the community that came together,” Walters told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an email. “As we look ahead, we’re making strategic decisions about where to focus our nonprofit’s resources.”
Walters added that TED is moving its flagship conference from Vancouver to San Diego in 2027 and holding its Countdown Summit in Hong Kong and mainland China next year.
“We made the difficult decision to focus on these events to ensure we continue to deliver the exceptional experiences the TED community expects,” she said.
The last TEDNext conference was held in 2025 at the Signia hotel, and the year prior, at Pullman Yards. TEDNext didn’t happen this year in Atlanta because “the timing on venues did not line up,” Walters said.
TEDNext was a reimagined version of a former international conference called TEDWomen, which was geared toward female leaders.
But one year after TEDWomen made Atlanta and Woodruff Arts Center its home, organizers in 2024 announced the conference would change its name, focus and venue.
There remain related events in Atlanta under the affiliate TEDx, which operates under a license from TED.
“Atlanta has an incredible community of ideas and innovators, and TED will remain a presence in the city via the stellar work of Jacqui Chew and TEDxAtlanta,” Walters said. Chew is the organizer of TEDxAtlanta. “While we don’t have plans to bring TEDNext back to Atlanta at this time, we wouldn’t rule it out in the future.”
More than 4,000 TEDx events are held annually around the world, according to TED’s website.
— Staff writer Mirtha Donastorg contributed to this report.