TEDx organizers board a cable car to take them to Grouse Mountain for the TEDx Workshop. Photo: Bret Hartman

For TEDx organizers, the TEDx Workshop held each year at TED and TEDActive is a way to experience the behind-the-scenes action at what organizers affectionately call “the mothership.”

To date, more than 9,000 TEDx events have taken place in 157 countries. At the heart of every TEDx event is an organizer, which is why events are licensed to a person. Last Sunday, nearly 400 TEDx organizers from 57 countries descended on the Vancouver Convention Centre. They got a sneak peek at the David Rockwell-designed theater, sat in on speaker rehearsals and toured the media cave (the dark room where the TED crew processes and rush-edits the conference’s many terabytes of footage and photos). After a short bus ride north of the city, we then headed up to Grouse Mountain for workshops held in yurts and cabins. Up for discussion: best practices, community projects and the future of TEDx. Here are some of the highlights.

Well, people do say TEDx is a close-knit community. Here, organizers squished into a cable ride to take a Skyride up Grouse Mountain. Photo: Bret Hartman.

Attendees arrived at workshop locations by snowshoe. Photo: Bret Hartman.

The global nature of TEDx events means that each event necessarily has its own flavor. Having an opportunity to bring organizers together from all around the world gave a chance for people to share tips for planning, curating and engaging. Photo: Bret Hartman.

This was the first day of TED and TEDActive for many TEDx event organizers; the long, fascinating day ended with a dinner party. Many people were meeting for the first time; we’re pretty sure it won’t be the last. Photo: Bret Hartman.