Dewar’s announces partnership with TED2012

Dewar’s to launch revolutionary digital installation at TED Long Beach

(February 2012, London) DEWAR’S® Scotch Whisky has today announced a partnership with TED, the non-profit dedicated to Ideas Worth Spreading, at their 2012 conference in Long Beach, USA.

The conference from 27th February – 2nd March will bring together a diverse group of speakers from the fields of technology, entertainment and design to deliver exciting multisensory talks in less than 18 minutes. Speakers include Reid Hoffman, co-founder of Linked In and Andrew Stanton, writer of the Toy Story movies.

Founded in 1984, the TED conference draws a global audience to attend the four day event, which features TED’s famous talks, plus music, comedy, dance, short talks, video (the video will be live later in the day on the 24th – WI) and other surprises.

At TED2012, Dewar’s will capture the buzz around the talks through the “Dewar’s Hub”, a revolutionary interactive experience that distils and visualises real time conversations from Twitter. Attendees will be able to explore different themes and conversation strands by tweeting to the installation or, alternatively, navigate, filter and influence the visualisation using motion detection. People around the world can also tweet requests to receive automated Twitpics displaying the discussions generated around their chosen topic.

The top selling Scotch Whisky in the USA, Dewar’s will be served during the week at hosted events such as the TED Fellows Reception. Eighty delegates will also get the chance to take part in a special evening whisky Masterclass with Dewar’s Senior Global Brand Ambassador, Stephen Marshall. Dewar’s fans across the globe will also be able to enjoy the session in their home or office through a video Masterclass.

“TED has had the pleasure of collaborating with many of the world’s most groundbreaking brands. Our partnerships allow us to encourage and expand the dialogue of innovation,” said Ronda Carnegie, Head of Global Partnerships at TED. “The Dewar’s Hub is an exciting addition to TED2012, bringing together all of the ideas generated from the TEDtalks as they happen.”

Tom Swift, Global Marketing Manager, Dewar’s, said: “‘We are very proud to have formed this partnership. DEWAR’S shares TED’s commitment to the spread of great ideas and their positive outcome. It fits perfectly with DEWAR’S own view of life that some things are just Worth Doing.”

About DEWAR’S Blended Scotch Whisky

Founded in 1846 by John Dewar, DEWAR’S has grown from a small wine and spirits merchant shop in Scotland, to one of the largest Scotch whisky brands in the world. Best known for its iconic DEWAR’S White Label, the top selling Blended Scotch Whisky in the USA, it has expanded its family to create a portfolio of premium and super premium whiskies including DEWAR’S 12 Years Old, DEWAR’S 18 Years Old & the exclusive DEWAR’S Signature. These whiskies are crafted using the DEWAR’S double-ageing process. Pioneered by DEWAR’S in 1899, it involves returning the hand-crafted blend to vintage oak casks for further maturation. The result is a smoother taste with a long, lingering finish; an extra step that is simply worth doing. A taste that wins medals and applause, making DEWAR’S one of Scotland’s most awarded whiskies.

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Long Beach, California, along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs; the annual TEDGlobal conference is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide, and TEDBooks, short e-books by speakers that elaborate on a single idea originally presented on TED’s stage. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.