TEDxCincy

TEDxCincy's inaugural event was successful in sharing big ideas, 21 of them in fact, from national and local leaders across multiple disciplines. Soapbox Managing Editor Sean Rhiney debriefed afterwards with organizers Michael Bergman, David Voelker, Mary Riffe, and Emily Venter about what they learned and the possibility of TEDxCincy returning in 2011.

***

Q: By all accounts, a sold-out crowd, a seemingly flawless production from my view in front of the curtain - congrats to you all. So when's the next one?!   Is the structure set up with TED to make this an annual event, or is it a one-off opportunity subject to approval each year?

A: Thanks for the accolades. It took a lot of hard work and late night meetings, but we think it was a pretty special day. We have reapplied for the TEDx license in hopes of producing TEDxCincy in 2011. Of course, the challenge will be to better our program every year after, since for all intensive purposes, our first stab was so successful. 

Q: Your attendees really seemed to encompass a wide spectrum of Cincinnatians, young and old, professionals, artists, scientists, venture capitalists, etc. I even met a number of people who traveled for the day. Could you give us a snapshot of who attended?

A: That, for us, was one of the special parts of the day; the crowd was so diverse and so ready for inspiration from others whom they might never have had contact with before. Our goal was to give the speakers a platform to spread their ideas and share their thoughts with the hope of stimulating dialogue that will cause change and action. Perhaps one of the most rewarding outcomes of the day was that we heard so many different speakers mentioned as people's favorites. Honestly, every speaker was likely someone's favorite, which means we did our job right. 

Q: Hopefully you've had a chance to actually watch some of the day's talks. Any specific talks that just completely surprised you or affected you deeply?

A: Wow, we don't even know where to start. These events are really all about those folks we invite on stage, and I can't say anyone disappointed. From Claire Thompson's inspiring journey to the mind-bending futurescaping of Dr. Herman Mays' genome studies, there was something for everyone. I will say from backstage, hearing Ben Nicholson lead the crowd in song was very unexpected and moving. If you'll indulge me, I have to mention all of our speakers. TEDx is really all about the collective and not the individual. So, from Dr. Victor Garcia's eye-opening statistics, to Dr. Adrian Parr's environmental foresight, Carlton Farmer's worldly vision, Brad King's domain of storytelling, Jeff Edmondson's educational data, Margy Waller's serendipitous dancing, Mary Pierce Brosmer's eloquent mission, Willie Carden Jr.'s spirited (and colorful!) passion for our parks, Grant McCracken's vision for corporate restructuring, Dr. Ben Passty's call for behavioral change, John Eckberg's dramatic metaphor, Shasta Bray's personal vigor for an experiential animal world, Joe Riggoti's all around infectious energy, Patricia Van Skaik's utterly fascinating view into our city's past, Peter Chamberlain's fervent curiosity about transportation, Dave Knox's eye-opening entrepreneurial fire, Mark Jeffry's task to make us healthier, or Dhani Jones' bowtie parable, we all were moved in different ways.     

Q: Mary, you've attended TED talks in Long Beach. How did your experience in Cincinnati differ, or how did it compare?

A: (Riffe)The TED experience is overwhelming positive. You leave inspired by the thoughtfulness, passion and genius of the talks throughout the day, and you cannot help take some kind of action or create some kind of change.  Considering this was the first TEDxCincy and our focus was on Cincinnati, I think we mirrored this feeling for the attendees as best we could.I was really impressed and proud to see the world-class intellect, innovation and creativity happening right here in our community. I heard several people comment that our pacing felt comfortable, a tip of our hat to TED, so that when it ended they were positively overwhelmed by the breadth of topics and perspectives shared in just one day; I had to smile.

Q: Could you give us some insight into your choice of theme this year (TEDxCincy's theme was "Passion: the energy behind life's most fearless pursuits.")  Why 'passion' as the overarching theme?  

A: Well, passion is really what TEDxCincy was built around from the start. When the four of us got together and decided to do this, it was because of our collective passions for ideas, conversation, learning and Cincinnati. We thought, why not use that catalyst to theme our first event? It really was a natural progression from what got us into this in the first place! The nice part is, our individual passions outside of TEDxCincy are as diverse as our speaker list:

Q: Michael, when we first talked about TEDxCincy your wish for attendees was "to expands their minds and inspire them to seek new opportunities."  Did your wish come true?  Of course it's early, but have you received feedback about folks perhaps seeking out new opportunities?

A: (Bergman) My wish did come true, which is a tremendous and rewarding feeling.  From the minute TEDxCincy ended to literally 10 minutes ago in the lobby, people stop me and tell me how the day inspired them.  Whether it be sending their school principal the name of one of our speakers to help their child's school operate more efficiently, to individuals going to the internet and bookstore to learn more about a topic we touched on during the day.  While it is still early, you can just look at our Twitter stream and see the impact it had on those in the audience who tweeted about finding meaning in their life and looking for something rewarding to be a part of. 

Q: Your companies, P&G and LPK, obviously supported your efforts and got  behind you - what do you think that says about our corporate community and what role do you think all corporations, businesses should play in sharing new ideas and spreading the TEDxCincy gospel?

A: First off, our companies' support was vital to the success of this event. Not many businesses would've or could've committed the time, resources and patience to allow us to implement what started as a bold but humble dream. For that, and the faith they had in us, we all are extremely grateful. We think all corporations and businesses need to understand that we must all listen to each other in order to make our Cincinnati community as strong as it can be. We all, big and small, bring a collective wisdom to the table that we can benefit from. The era of living in silos is over. We all are connected now, like it or not. So whether you are a competitor or a confidant to other area businesses, sharing and spreading ideas is integral to the fabric of this region. We believe the action of gathering these eclectic groups together will move Cincinnati USA in a future-forward direction where we all benefit from each others' successes. 

Q: The last section of the day revolved around 'action', concluding with Dhani's call to action. What 'action' would you like to see evolve out of this year's TEDxCincy?

A: One of the great results of TEDxCincy were the bonds created between our 21 distinct speakers. There are already partnerships and collaborations being discussed between certain speakers that we could've never predicted. While our original intention was to introduce the audience to fresh thinkers in our region, we also introduced those fresh thinkers to each other. We can't force anyone to take action, but we hope to be an impetus that creates change. If nothing else, people should take away the fact that our speakers really aren't that different than them and that making an impactful change is not that difficult to do. Even if just one person is moved by a conversation they had on October 7th, we've succeeded. 

Q: If TEDxCincy could have one lasting impact, what would you want it to be?

A: Relationship building. Few great, great achievements ever happen in isolation. Not only do we need to surround ourselves with great people, but the right people. We never had a goal for TEDxCincy in terms of attendance numbers. It was always about having the right people there, as opposed to having, say, 1000 people there. The point of TEDx would be lost if all those in attendance were familiar with each other. It's truly meant to form connections and make a specific audience more aware of the world outside of their daily norm. It was great to see the social media conversation so robust; and the early feedback indicates a desire for additional audience interaction. These are all signs that the day led us in the right direction! And if you need help making a certain connection, let us know ([email protected]) and we'd be glad to assist.

Photography by Emily Maxwell