By Jeff Jacobson
Earlier this month, the TED conference took place here in Vancouver BC.
For 5 days, the likes of Bill and Melinda Gates, Sergey Brin and Page, Jeff Bezos and others convened on the Vancouver Convention Centre for a week of enlightenment and idea sharing, watching talks by everyone from Ray Kurzweil to Simon Sinek to Gabby Giffords.
Some accuse TED of being elitist, “evangelical infotainment.” Others complain about the conference’s lack of accessibility and $7,500 pricetag. I think TED Talks have brought attention to many issues that otherwise wouldn’t have spotlight, and done so in a format that caters to an A.D.D. generation.
From a business perspective, TED has intensified the spotlight on the industry I work in, making stars out of some of my clients overnight. And in regards to accessibility, I agree that there is work to be done, but the conference did introduce more public viewing locations than ever before this year.
At the end of the day, TED’s biggest impact should be judged during the 360 days of the year when the conference isn’t in town.
These big challenges that TED seeks to discuss and foster solutions for are mostly going to be solved at the local level. Bill and Melinda Gates will only be in Vancouver for a few days but we are stuck with our communities every day.
The discussions sparked at TED will continue at local speakers series here in Vancouver like Sam Sullivan’s Public Salon, Pecha Kucha, and Creative Mornings. They are inexpensive to attend and more than worth your time– it is where I spend mine scouting future speakers. Every city has similar events – they are the Triple A baseball, the breeding ground for mega conferences like TED.
TED gets a lot of press. Yet when the dust settles, it is up to residents to make their communities better. We can’t only pay attention to lectures that advocate new ideas when celebrities and CEOs come to town.
I would love to know what you think – feel free to e-mail me by writing jeff@jeffjacobsonagency.com.
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