Ed. Note: Seven Days intern Sarah Williamson attended the TEDx event in Manchester Village last Saturday and posted this report on the Tech Jam blog.
Technology and creativity were the focus of a sold-out TEDx event in Manchester Village last Saturday. The day-long conference — the first of its kind in the Southern Vermont town — took place at the Riley Center for the Arts at Burr and Burton Academy. It featured 10 speakers with backgrounds in education, economics, business, social science and the arts, all of whom spoke for 18 minutes about “The Future of Creativity”.
The nonprofit TED Talks started 26 years ago as a conference for professionals involved in Technology, Entertainment and Design. Now, all of the talks are accessible online. Some highly polished TED presentations have been viewed millions of times.
TED has also leant its name to “TEDx” talks — the “x” indicates that the talk has been independently organized. TED reports that more than 5000 of these gathering have been convened across the globe. Anyone can put together a TEDx event — at least, anyone who follows the guidelines, comes up with an exceptional theme, gets approval from TED, knows enough people with “Ideas Worth Spreading” and has the space to host them. “Think of TEDx as hosting an awesome dinner party, with great food, inspirational videos, brilliant speakers and mind-blowing conversation,” suggests the TED website.
But TEDx talks, while similar in scope to the original series, are not always of quite the same caliber. I found that to be the case in Manchester. I was inspired by the majority of the speakers, though a couple left me scratching my head.
Read the rest on the Tech Jam blog.
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The event was first rate, with a great reception at the end of the day. Did not mention great presentation by video game icon,Tommy Tallarico. Speakers approached creativity from 10 different angles. Videos are being edited and will be uploaded to TED.com and TED YOUTUBE channel in four weeks to be viewed.
Those familiar with Manchester’s community demographic can really appreciate the overwhelming success of an event like TEDx. A locale that developed through Vermont’s famous hospitality, recreation and retail avenues is currently embracing a very 21st century mission to revitalize its infrastructure, become a sustainable community and capitalize on its creative assets. The forward-thinking commentary presented by the 10 TEDx speakers was incredibly relevant and provided a strong platform to connect the ‘Future of Creativity” theme with Manchester 20/20 and the umbrella initiative of Creative Economy. Personally, as a 30-something entrepreneur, parent and artist grappling with the challenges of how to define success, community and contribution, I found the breadth of topics totally inspiring. Looking forward to the next TEDx event in our region!
TEDx in Manchester Village was solid – I’m so happy to have taken part in such a phenomenal occasion. Shortly after the first speaker took the stage that oh-so-TED-y feeling of wonder, inspiration and hope creeped up – I was definitely not disappointed.
Thank you to the organizers who made it all happen, to the speakers for showcasing some fantastic ideas and new perspectives, and to the Manchester 2020 and Creative Economies folk who joined the TEDx audience and speakers and continued the enthralling conversation at the Reception!
So…when’s the next one?
What impressed me most about the TEDx Manchester Village event was how every talk was of such a high caliber. The event was beyond my expectations, and I very much enjoyed the experience!
So proud to see Vermont showcase its tech/innovation stories, so many free thinkers in the Green Mountain State were present on and off the stage. Thank-you Mark and the rest of the TEDx Manchester Village crew for an inspiring day!