What it’s like to attend the TED talks, where attendees pay $10,000 to learn the next big ideas

TED Conference/Flickr

In some ways, attending the TED conference in person is exactly what you’d expect from watching TED talks online. It’s an overwhelming experience, jam-packed with scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who all have their One Big Idea to share.

Many of the big-name speakers — in 2017, they include Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn, Serena Williams, and Elon Musk — stick around for the whole event, and it’s not unusual to see them roaming the halls. There are also lots of well-known attendees who never hit the stage (the press isn’t allowed to name names, but you can figure it out with a little Twitter digging).

The conference costs $10,000 to attend, and in addition to the talks there are all sorts of indulgent experiences, buffets, and workshops to keep attendees occupied. I showed up at the 2017 TED conference to check it all out. Here’s what it’s like.