Registration Policies

Several registration policies apply to all TED conferences and levels of membership. These general policies are listed in this section while policies specific to certain conferences and membership levels can be found in the relevant section.

Criteria for acceptance

Before an application for a membership can be accepted, it must meet the following criteria.

• Availability: There must be availability in the membership level you're applying for.
• Community fit: TED aims to build an inclusive conference community representing a broad range of expertise, organizations, projects, perspectives and geographies. You must be likely, in our judgment, to be a good addition to the TED community -- someone who can contribute to the conversations and connections at the conference, and the projects that may come out of it.

TED Conferences code of conduct

Those attending TED events understand that they do so in a spirit of curiosity, open-mindedness, respect and tolerance. TED does not tolerate harassment in any form. Participants agree to respect confidentiality, and understand that the atmosphere at TED is appropriate for high-level relationship building, not salesmanship. TED reserves the right to sanction or expel conference participants who violate these rules. For more information, see the full code of conduct.

Any incidents regarding attendee behavior should be reported by filling out TED's confidential code of conduct report. Please include all details so that we can respond accordingly.

Membership term

Membership starts from your registration date until the last day of the conference. Prior to the commencement of their membership, a member is not entitled to any benefits.

Refunds

Conference membership fees take the form of a tax-deductible charitable contribution connected to TED’s nonprofit status, and are unable to be refunded. Your philanthropic donation fuels TED’s many programs and initiatives to share the power of ideas with the world.

All membership payments are binding and non-refundable. If for any reason you cannot attend the conference, please see conference-specific policies to understand what options are available to you. All decisions regarding membership changes are final.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your options, please reach out to the team at conferences@ted.com.

TED's right to terminate memberships

We reserve the right to terminate any membership at any stage without explanation by notifying the individual concerned by email, and delivering a refund. Single year memberships will receive 100% of fee paid; multi-year memberships will receive a prorated portion of the fee paid (note that refunds are only available in cases where TED chooses to terminate conference membership).

Tax deductibility

Payments for TED memberships take the form of a charitable contribution to the TED Foundation, a private 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation.

We will email you a receipt acknowledging the contribution after the fiscal year-end (December 31) for the year in which payment was received. A portion of your membership is not tax-deductible (value of services received, also known as the fair market value). The amount the member pays in excess of the value of services received may be tax-deductible for US taxpayers as a philanthropic contribution, although you should consult your own advisers as individual situations may differ.

Complete information on specific conferences' fair market value -- including figures for potential tax-deductibility -- are available below.

Please consult your tax advisor before paying from a Private Foundation – goods and services are a portion of your membership fee.

TED cannot accept payments from Donor Advised Funds for conference memberships.

Babies and children (under 18 years)

For the optimum experience of all, everyone at the event needs to be a registered conference attendee. TED supports nursing mothers and parents by providing lounges for pumping and nursing. Children under 18 (including babies) are not allowed in the conference venue for the duration of the event.

Reduced-price registration policies

No refunds, carryovers or transfers are allowed.

A fee is charged for attendance to the TED Conference. TED reserves the right to reject applications to attend the TED Conference. In addition to the general policies listed above, once TED Conference attendance has been agreed and payment processed, the following terms apply:

Tax deductibility

TED is owned by the TED Foundation, a private 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation registered in the state of New York. A portion of your membership fee may be eligible for a tax deduction as a charitable donation.

• Patron: US $225,000 of the TED Patron fee may be tax-deductible; fair market value is US $25,000.
• Donor: US $20,000 of the TED Donor fee may be tax-deductible; fair market value is US $5,000.
• Standard: US $7,500 of the TED Standard fee may be tax-deductible; fair market value is US $5,000.
• Vanguard: US $1,250 of the TED Vanguard fee may be tax-deductible; fair market value is US $5,000.

Please consult your tax professional. We issue tax receipts after the end of each calendar year.

Note: fair market value was US $3,000 for TED2024

Corporations + organizations

For a corporation or organization, there is a limit of four memberships -- except in the case of major corporate partners and sponsors.

Transfers

If you can’t make it to the conference, you may submit a request to transfer your Standard, Donor or Patron membership to someone who is equally able to contribute to the community, provided:

• We receive full details of the proposed transfer via email at conferences@ted.com.
• Your transfer request is submitted 3 or more weeks before the conference starts.
• The proposed Transferee completes an online membership application which is subject to TED’s approval.

Your transfer is not confirmed until you have received written confirmation from us and the associated administrative fees listed have been paid.

Once a transfer is confirmed, the following terms also apply:

• Standard transferees will receive a Standard conference membership.
• Donor and Patron transferees will receive a Donor conference membership.
• The Transferee will need to pay relevant fees to receive your full conference membership.
• Access to the TED Live conference video archive will be given to the Transferee.

Note: Vanguard memberships are approved for specific individuals and may not be transferred.

TED reserves the right to refuse transfer requests and instead offer alternative arrangements for your membership.

Transfer fees

• 6+ weeks before TED: $500 admin fee
• 3 to 6 weeks before TED: $1000 admin fee
• Transfer fees are waived for Donor and Patron memberships

Carryovers for extenuating circumstances

If you are unable to attend the conference due to extenuating circumstances (ie. medical reasons, family emergency, etc), you may be entitled to attend the following year's conference, provided we receive the carryover request via email at conferences@ted.com with supporting documentation.

Your registration for the following year’s conference is not confirmed until you have received written confirmation from us and paid the associated administrative fees listed.

Once a carryover request is confirmed, the following conditions apply:

• Memberships cannot be carried over for more than one consecutive year.
• Carryovers are only allowed to the same conference the next year.
• Should the conference membership rate change for the following event, you are responsible for any incremental cost. If you do not pay the increment within 30 days of being notified, your conference pass will be canceled.

Carryover fees

• 6+ weeks before TED: $500 admin fee
• Less than 6 weeks before TED: $1000 admin fee
• Carryover fees are waived for Donor and Patrons

Carryovers and any administrative fees are at the discretion of TED and will not be offered for situations outside of those outlined above. TED reserves the right to refuse even those carryover requests that meet the above terms, and instead allow transfers.

Carryovers for Patrons

If you are unable to attend the conference due to extenuating circumstances (ie. medical reasons, family emergencies, etc), you may carry forward your membership one year by giving written notice prior to the start of the conference.

Health and safety

You'll need to follow TED's health and safety rules. If needed, we'll set these guidelines in accordance with expert recommendations and legislation closer to the event.

A fee is charged for attendance to TEDNext; (for information about pricing and tax deductibility, see levels of conference membership). TED reserves the right to reject applications to attend TEDNext. Once TEDNext attendance has been agreed and payment processed, the following terms apply:

Tax deductibility

TED is owned by the TED Foundation, a private 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation registered in the state of New York. Any amount over $1,500 paid for the TEDNext membership fee may be eligible for tax deduction as a charitable donation. Please consult your tax professional. We issue tax receipts at the end of each calendar year.

Transfers

If you can’t make it to the conference, you may submit a request to transfer your membership to someone who is equally able to contribute to the community, provided we receive the transfer request in writing at conferences@ted.com a minimum of 3 weeks before the conference.

Transferees will need to complete an online transfer application which is subject to TED’s approval. If approved, the Transferee will need to pay relevant fees to receive your full conference membership and associated benefits including the TED Live conference video archive.

‍Transfer fees for Standard memberships

• 6+ weeks before TEDNext: $250 admin fee
• 3 to 6 weeks before TEDNext: $500 admin fee
• Within 3 weeks of TEDNext: Transfers are not available

Transfer fees are waived for Donor memberships.

Carryovers

For TEDNext, we will not accept carryover requests and instead allow transfers.

Refunds

If you test positive for COVID-19 anytime within 14 days prior to the event, we ask that you provide medically verified test results in order to qualify for a full refund of your membership fee. Otherwise, TED memberships are non-refundable.

Group rate

Those attending in a group of five or more are eligible for $150 off their Standard or early supporter membership. All five members must be approved by TED and are subject to our standard conference registration policies. If all members of your group are not approved by TED, the discount will not be applied.

Note: Early supporter timeline applies, anyone submitting after the early supporter pricing expires will receive the $150 discount off the standard membership rate.

Group rate expires September 6, 2024.

Health and safety

You'll need to follow TED's health and safety rules. If needed, we'll set these guidelines in accordance with expert recommendations and legislation closer to the event.

A note for parents + guardians

TEDNext is an 18+ event, and as such, children, including babies, are not permitted within the conference areas. We'll support parents by providing a space to pump and/or, nurse. For more information, email conferences@ted.com.

A fee is charged for attendance to the Countdown Summit. TED reserves the right to reject applications to attend the Countdown Summit. In addition to the general policies listed above, once Countdown Summit attendance has been agreed and payment processed, the following terms apply:

Tax deductibility

TED is owned by the TED Foundation, a private 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation registered in the state of New York. A portion of your membership fee may be eligible for a tax deduction as a charitable donation.

• Sponsorship rate (US $10,000): US $7,000 may be tax-deductible; the fair market value is US $3,000.
• Full rate (US $5,000): US $2,000 may be tax-deductible; the fair market value is US $3,000.

Please consult your tax professional. We issue tax receipts after the end of each calendar year.

Health and safety

You'll need to follow TED's health and safety rules. If needed, we'll set those guidelines in accordance with expert recommendations and legislation closer to the event.

Transfers/ carryovers

For the TED Countdown Summit, no refunds, carryovers or transfers are allowed.

Transfers

We will allow a transfer of a TED Live purchase to another individual if we receive full details in writing at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the conference (email us at Live@ted.com).

Carryovers

TED Live purchases are non-refundable and cannot be carried over to a different conference or year other than those specified under your purchase.