TEDxPark City was founded in 2007. Teri Orr helped launch the effort after learning about TED at an event in Aspen, Colorado.
“It was like a PhD in all the things that there really aren't PhDs in,” Orr said. “And it was learning what was cutting edge in technology, entertainment and design, and it was doing so with the very people who were making those changes and making those discoveries.”
Park City holds one of the original 100 TEDx licenses. There are now more than 5,000 TEDx gatherings all over the world.
TEDxPark City had local events every year until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Orr said the organization tried to continue TEDx events through the pandemic but logistics became a challenge.
“We realized it was just getting harder and harder to do the kind of event we wanted to do given the restrictions of COVID,” she said.
Orr said its last event was in the winter of 2022. Now the organization is partnering with the Utah Film Center to relaunch programming this fall. Orr said it’s still in the planning stages. The organization is working out details for a mix of day-long conferences, evening TED Talk showcases and pop-up dinners.
Attendees can expect a twist on the TED conference recap called “Back-to-TED.” It will feature curated talks from a TED Conference this April and other surprises reintroducing Park City to the TED universe.
Two headline events will also return: one for women in early December and featuring local youth.
“It is remarkable to see the metamorphosis that those kids go through from start to finish, and when they're done, they have this asset to take with them,” Orr said. “They have their own TED Talk that's been professionally filmed and has been uploaded to the big TED site. And those students have used those TED Talks to gain entry into colleges and universities.”
The organization still needs to secure venues for the events. Dates and locations will be released in the next two weeks.
