TEDxRockford  ·  Fall 2026  ·  Rockford, Illinois

IDEAS
ARE BUILT
HERE.

In Rockford, ideas are not just imagined. They are built. This city has always understood how to create. Now its most powerful ideas take the stage.

Nominate a Speaker Become a Sponsor Join the Movement

About TEDxRockford

Where vision, leadership, innovation, and creativity take the stage.

TEDxRockford is an independently organized TED event, a platform for ideas worth spreading, emerging from the people and communities shaping the future of this city.

This is not a conference about Rockford. This is a movement assembled from within it. Every speaker, every idea, every story on this stage belongs to the fabric of this place.

TEDxRockford is operated under license from TED. Independently organized and produced.

"Every city has a signature. Ours is creation."

TEDxRockford, Fall 2026

The symbol of Rockford has never just been what we make, but the people bold enough to build what comes next.

Our Foundation

BUILT
HERE.

Rockford has a long legacy of building things with intention, from manufacturing and machinery to healthcare, education, entrepreneurship, and the arts. TEDxRockford exists to spotlight the ideas being built here every single day.

Manufacturing & Innovation

This city was engineered to build. Its legacy of craftsmanship and precision thinking is the blueprint for every bold idea that follows.

Healthcare & Science

From research labs to operating rooms, Rockford's healers are assembling the systems that keep communities whole.

Education & Leadership

The framework of tomorrow is built in classrooms, mentorships, and the quiet determination of those who teach what comes next.

Entrepreneurship

Built by makers. Driven by ideas. Rockford's entrepreneurs forge their futures from the ground up, one structure at a time.

Arts & Creativity

Creativity is its own kind of construction. Rockford's artists craft meaning from raw material, just like any great builder would.

Community & Belonging

The strongest structures are assembled together. This city knows that belonging is not found. It is forged.

BUILT BY
MAKERS.
DRIVEN BY
IDEAS.

TEDxRockford is where the city's most powerful thinkers, creators, and builders bring what they know to a stage that belongs to all of us.

Speakers

FALL 2026
LINEUP

Nominate a Speaker

Announcement Coming Soon

Speaker TBA

Ideas Worth Spreading

Announcement Coming Soon

Speaker TBA

Ideas Worth Spreading

Announcement Coming Soon

Speaker TBA

Ideas Worth Spreading

Announcement Coming Soon

Speaker TBA

Ideas Worth Spreading

Announcement Coming Soon

Speaker TBA

Ideas Worth Spreading

Announcement Coming Soon

Speaker TBA

Ideas Worth Spreading

Speaker Submissions

WHO
WE'RE
LOOKING
FOR.

We are not looking for polished speakers. We are looking for people with powerful ideas.

TEDxRockford is open to voices from across the Rockford region. You don't need a title. You don't need a book deal. You need one idea: specific, grounded, and real.

"The idea is the qualification. Not the resume."

Apply to Speak

Sponsors & Partners

BUILD
WITH
US.

TEDxRockford is a community-powered event. Our sponsors and partners are not just funders. They are co-builders of something the entire region will point to with pride.

Sponsoring TEDxRockford connects your organization to the most curious, engaged, and forward-thinking community in the region.

Become a Sponsor

Get Involved

JOIN THE MOVEMENT.

TEDxRockford is assembled by people who believe in this city. Every great structure needs great people at every level. This event belongs to Rockford.

Nominate a Speaker Become a Volunteer Become a Sponsor