Sports industry to take center stage during new TEDSports event in Indy

An international two-day series of sports-focused seminars and workshops is set to converge on the Old National Centre in downtown Indianapolis later this year.

TEDSports, a first-of-its-kind event centered on the sports industry, is slated for Sept. 9-11 as part of a collaboration between the TED organization, the Indiana Sports Corp. and Carmel-based business strategic planning firm Next Practice Partners. (TED is an acronym for technology, entertainment and design.)

The event is expected to feature panels, curated dinners, workshops and several TED Talks centered on the evolving role of sports in society and how the industry is embracing scientific and technological advancements.

“Sports have always been about more than physical excellence—they embody strategy, innovation and human potential,” Monique Ruff-Bell, chief program and strategy officer for TED, said in written comments. “This inaugural event in Indianapolis will explore the powerful intersection of athletics, science, technology, and social impact, bringing together thought leaders who are revolutionizing how we think about sports and sparking conversations that extend far beyond the playing field into our daily lives. We’re excited to add this important new platform and meaningful conversations to the TED ecosystem.”

The event will feature numerous speakers that TED is billing as “the world’s boldest thinkers and changemakers,” with a focus on sharing ideas that set a course for the industry’s future. In 2024, TED held a similar event in San Francisco that focused on artificial intelligence.

The TEDSports event will open for registration on April 1, the same day organization and local officials plan to share initial details about some of the conference’s speakers.

While TED began in 1984 as an annual conference focused on the convergence of technology, entertainment and design, the organization’s signature TED Talks became a stronger part of the programming in 2006, when the first talks were posted online. The TED YouTube channel has 25.9 million subscribers, placing it among the 400 largest of the platform’s 51 million channels.

TED also licenses out rights for other organizations to host events using the TEDx moniker, but the organization itself is not involved in the planning or curation of those events. The TEDx YouTube channel, which shows presentations from its licensed events, has 42.6 million subscribers, making it one of the top 150 channels.

The Indianapolis event will see TED work directly with the Indiana Sports Corp. and Next Practice Partners to select speakers that fit the bill for the sports-centric gathering. Local officials have also established a local organizing committee for the event, which will be co-chaired by Patrick Talty, president of Indiana Sports Corp., and Next Practice Partners founder and CEO Neelay Bhatt.