Marriott Hotels and TED Expand Guest Experiences with Vancouver Conference Livestream, Masterclass and Intimate TED Fellows Salons in Third Year of Partnership

Marriott Hotels enhances its partnership with TED sparking creativity around the globe

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Apr 15, 2019, 09:00 ET

BETHESDA, Md., April 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Entering its third year of collaborations with TED, Marriott Hotels today announced new program extensions to further its impact on creative thinking worldwide. This year, for the first time, Marriott Hotels will livestream talks from the TED2019 conference to 12 properties around the world for an exclusive viewing for guests. The flagship hotel brand will also introduce a first-of-its kind TED Masterclass through Marriott Bonvoy Moments, a program which provides travelers new money-can't-buy experiences around the world. Both the livestream and Masterclass will be in addition to a calendar of exclusive TED Fellows Salons in 5 cities, inspiring new perspectives for guests worldwide.

Dr. Steven Boyes at Marriott TED Fellows Salon in Cape Town, courtesy of Marriott Hotels.

"The partnership between Marriott Hotels and TED has consistently provided a platform for innovation and insight that ignites creativity in guests and creative thinkers around the globe," Julius Robinson, Senior Vice President of Marriott International's Classic Premium brands said. "This year, we challenged each other to enhance the experiences and bring it to more travelers, elevating the series with extensions that will further that impact and allow people to share their own stories."

This year, TED2019 in Vancouver will be live streamed from locations around the hotel such as the M Club at 12 select Marriott Hotels around the world, including properties in Bangkok, Istanbul, London, Charlotte and more. This is the first time that Marriott Hotel guests outside of the conference walls will be able to tune-in to the thought-provoking conversations taking place.

Additionally, in October 2019, approximately 20 Marriott Bonvoy members will have the opportunity to participate in "The Art of Storytelling," a one-day interactive experience learning how to craft their own TED Talk. The workshop will be taught by Briar Goldberg, TED's Director of Speaker Coaching, and puts participants in the same proprietary training programming that TED's most brilliant minds completed. Marriott Hotels and TED will look to replicate the program as a consistent Marriott Moment, providing loyal consumers an opportunity to curate their own stories into a TED-worthy presentation.

"At TED, we're constantly ideating on the best way to bring our content to new audiences around the world," said Lisa Choi Owens, Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Global Partnerships for TED. "Our partnership with Marriott Hotels has allowed us to continually explore unique ways of reaching and engaging with their global and inventive audience. We're excited to see that reach amplified in this third year through the Masterclass Moment and livestream integration."

The first Marriott TED Fellows Salon of 2019 took place in Cape Town, South Africa in March, featuring South African conservation biologist Steve Boyes and Kenyan musician Bill Sellanga, who performed two songs for the audience. Upcoming salon locations include Costa Rica in June and three additional in North America, Asia and Europe. Discussion themes range from sustainability and design to culinary advancements, with the intimate salons offering guests an opportunity to further explore the destinations they visit and, ultimately, inspire new perspectives while traveling and beyond.

To learn more about the partnership, upcoming masterclass and TED Fellows Salons, check out #MarriottHotelsxTEDFellows.

About Marriott Hotels
With over 500 hotels and resorts in 65 countries and territories around the world, Marriott Hotels is evolving travel through every aspect of the guest's stay, enabling the next generation to Travel Brilliantly. Boldly transforming itself for mobile and global travelers who blend work and play, Marriott leads the industry with innovations, including the Greatroom lobby and Mobile Guest Services that elevates style & design and technology. To learn more, visit www.MarriottHotels.com. Stay connected to Marriott Hotels on Facebook, @marriott on Twitter and @marriotthotels on Instagram. Marriott Hotels is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the new name of Marriott's travel program replacing Marriott Rewards®, The Ritz- Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG). The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including earning points toward free hotel stays and nights toward Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit MarriottBonvoy.marriott.com.

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, often in the form of short talks delivered by leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED conferences, including our annual gathering in Vancouver, as well as TEDWomen, intimate TED Salons and thousands of independently organized TEDx events around the world. Videos of these talks are made available, free, on TED.com and other platforms. Audio versions of the talks from TED2019 will also be published to TED's podcast TED Talks Daily, available on Apple Podcasts and all other podcast platforms.

TED's open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; TEDx, which licenses thousands of individuals and groups to host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities; the Audacious Project, which surfaces and funds critical ideas that have the potential to impact millions of lives; TEDSummit, which gathers the most engaged members of the global TED community for brainstorms, discussions, performances, workshops and an eclectic program of mainstage talks; and the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED also has a library of original podcasts, including The TED Interview with Chris Anderson, Sincerely, X, and one of Apple Podcasts' most downloaded new shows of 2018, WorkLife with Adam Grant.