Whistler is the perfect locale for the movers and shakers of TEDActive 2014.

TED is ready to learn every word to “O Canada.” For TED2014 — our 30th anniversary spectacular themed “The Next Chapter” — we are moving our annual West Coast conference to Vancouver, Canada. There, we’ll enjoy sweeping views of the harbor and North Shore Mountains, a theater custom-built to maximize the impact of talks and the return of 100 beloved TED speakers from the past. While TED2014 takes place in this spectacular city, TEDActive 2014 will be just 90 minutes away in the gorgeous ski resort of Whistler, pictured above.

With registration just opened for TED2014 and TEDActive 2014, here are some fun facts about Vancouver and Whistler to get you in the British Columbian spirit.

Vancouver is Canada’s third largest metropolitan area, with a population of 2.3 million. It is also one of Canada’s most diverse cities — 53% of residents do not speak English as their first language. [StatCan]

Originally known as Gastown, Vancouver sprouted up around the Hastings Mill sawmill and tavern, established in 1867. Twenty years later, the city was incorporated and named after Captain George Vancouver, of the British Royal Navy, who explored the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii and Australia. [Wikipedia]

Some bands and musicians who’ve called Vancouver home: The New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara, Kid Koala, Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Heart and Michael Bublé. [Wikipedia]

Stanley Park, Vancouver’s largest, is 1001 acres—making it 10% bigger than New York City’s Central Park. [Canadian Geographic]

Vancouver is sometimes referred to as Hollywood North. It is second to Los Angeles in television production and third behind New York and Los Angeles in film production. 21 Jump Street, Fringe, The L Word, Smallville, Hellcats, Battlestar Gallactica, MacGyver, and The X-Files were all filmed there. [Wikipedia]

In 1971, Greenpeace was established in Vancouver, and the city has its sights set on becoming the world’s greenest city by 2020. [Vancouver.ca]

Whistler Mountain was once known as London Mountain because of the fog at its base. The name Whistler was inspired by the unique noises made by the hoary marmot, which make their home there. [Whistler’s Base]

Now visited by more than 2 million annually, Whistler was basically undeveloped until the 1960s. Whistler Mountain opened in 1966 with an eye toward a bid for the 1968 Winter Olympic Games. [Wikipedia]

Currently, Whistler gets an average of 469 inches of snow a year. [Whistler.com]

When Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics in 2010, more than 2,800 athletes were housed at the Olympic Village at Whistler. In that Olympics, Canada set the record for most gold medals won by a country in a single Winter Olympic games — an honor held by the Soviet Union since 1976 and only matched by Norway in 2002. [Wikipedia]

The view from the roof of the Vancouver Convention Centre, where TED2014 will be held.

We’re thrilled to announce the opening of registration for TED2014: The Next Chapter. It’s TED’s 30th anniversary, and we’ll be seeking to understand the most significant developments of the past 30 years … and applying that knowledge to understand what’s ahead. The theme makes it easy for us to reach out to the world’s greatest minds and challenge them to help shape a program better than any in our history — in an unforgettable custom theater designed for talks. Come to Vancouver to help celebrate “The Next Chapter.”

TED2014 happens March 17-21, 2014, in Vancouver, Canada, with TEDActive at the same time in nearby Whistler, BC, Canada. A pass to TED2014 is $7,500, and TEDActive is $3,750. Learn more about additional membership levels.

How do you attend a TED? It starts here: Apply to attend. For both TED in Vancouver and TEDActive in Whistler, we’re assembling an audience that is engaged, passionate and diverse. All applications to attend received by March 1, 2013, will be evaluated with equal consideration. (We expect to be oversubscribed for Standard registrations for Vancouver.)

Learn more about TED2014: The Next Chapter »

In 2014, TED will celebrate our 30th anniversary. And to mark this spectacular event, we’re planning something very special. We are moving our annual West Coast conference from Long Beach, California, to Vancouver, Canada. From March 17 to March 21, 2014, TED will be held in this great city, which boasts a thriving spirit of innovation as well as stunning views — the harbor and mountains in the same scenic vistas.

TED2014 will be held at the world’s most eco-friendly meeting venue — a convention center positioned directly on Burrard Inlet, which took our breath away upon first seeing it. The Vancouver Convention Centre is connected to three incredible hotels and features a sprawling, six-acre living roof. Inside this center, we’ll be building a new kind of TED theater — one designed to maximize the impact of talks while also taking advantage of the panoramic views of the North Shore Mountains. Our stage designers are dreaming up what this new space will look like as we speak.

If you look hard enough from the theater, you may be able to see the new home of TEDActive 2014 — the gorgeous ski resort of Whistler. Just 90 minutes outside Vancouver, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler will host this conference for movers and shakers, which features a full simulcast of TED, its own unique programming and a slew of field trips for adults, all designed to inspire conversation.

TED2014 will be a time to look forward as well as back. We have decided to hold our base-level pricing to the same as it’s been the past three years. Meanwhile, we’ve opted to scale back our audience size from 1400 to 1200 paid attendees, to strike the right balance of scale and intimacy and allow for more in-depth human connection. Alongside attendees, we’ll also be inviting one hundred of the best TED speakers of all time — to be selected by you. Some will speak on the main stage again, while others will mingle in break-out groups, lunches and dinners. It’s a chance to reflect on the most significant developments of the last 30 years, and to inspire innovation in the next 30.

Registration for both TED2014 and TEDActive 2014 will open on Monday, February 11, 2013. The theme: “The Next Chapter.” We want you to be a part of it »

Will this be a next chapter for TED? Quite possibly. From 1984 to 2008, TED was based in Monterey, Calif., before moving to Long Beach with TEDActive nearby in Palm Springs. While we have absolutely loved the past five years there, but as TED has crossed major milestones — our billionth video view last fall and our 6,000th TEDx event last month — we feel ready for a new adventure. Our staff is pumped for TED2013, our grand finale year in Long Beach, and are thrilled to be able to go exploring in 2014.