Organizing TEDx is Adventurous
Join our mission of sharing ideas of bright minds of Uzbekistan with the world.
Here are 7 guiding steps to our own TEDx event
STEP 1 - NAME YOUR EVENT
Your event will be named after the full name of the university.
If you are hosting an event for your university or school community, your event can be named after the school or university. Names must include “School”, “University”, “College” or “U” qualifier as part of the name. (Note: Make sure you have permission of your school or university before applying.)
Some of great examples include TEDxUniversityofWorldEconomyAndDiplomacy (or TEDxUWED), TEDxNationalUniversityofUzbekistan (or TEDxNUU), TEDxSamarkandState University (or TEDxSSU), TEDxUrgenchStateUniversity (or TEDxUSU).
STEP 2 - DEFINE YOUR AUDIENCE
TEDx conferences are meant to serve your university; you should wisely consider selecting a diverse audience.
Choose participants from a wide variety of backgrounds who can contribute meaningfully to the conversation. Usually, the audience of a university event are students, faculty and/or administration, but it will ultimately be up to you to decide who you want your guests to be.
Use the following checklist when thinking about potential attendees:
Create an application form to simplify the selection process. At some point, you have to test your audiences’ commitment to participating in your event. Ask clear questions:
Finally, although we wish you could accommodate everyone, sending rejections, however is inevitable. While addressing, please be polite.
STEP 3 - SIZE
TED sets simple and clear rule in regards to the size of the event.
Like standard TEDx events, university events can have up to 100 guests. Only individuals who have attended an official TED conference can organize an event with more than 100 attendees.
STEP 4 - THEME
Consider your event theme. It should be multidisciplinary, broad and addressing a variety of topics.
Event theme is the direction; it sets the tone of your event with one overarching question or statement. You’ll want to feature a diversity of speakers from across several disciplines, and speakers from the university where you’re holding your event.
Don’t go with a topic or a single subject like, “sustainability,” “medicine,” or “happiness”. Your theme should be abstract, and open to interpretation – it should be broad enough to leave room for a wide range of topics and speakers. Think of it like a title or tagline for your event. Here are some examples of different themes that were used by other TED and TEDx events:
Past TED themes: The Great Unveiling; The Big Questions; The Substance of Things Not Seen; The Age of Amazement; The Future You
Past TEDx themes: Ideas Empowered; Breakthrough!; Thriving on Turmoil; The Essence of a Changing World; Fast Forward Future.
How do you develop a theme? Follow this checklist
STEP 5 - TALKS
Talks are at the heart of your conference, ultimately the final product of your event.
So selecting, inviting, and preparing them for the big day will be one of the most important and the most exciting tasks you’ll have. Here are some guiding principles to follow in your search for speakers:
First things first: don’t search for the person; go after idea. Ask yourself: what will the audience walk away knowing – that this person exists, or a new idea?
But, how do you find great idea at all?
So, what ideas are you looking for?
Lastly, try this checklist:
Is this speaker...
Whether you’re a student, faculty member or staff, choosing speakers from among your colleagues is a sensitive process. As you research and pursue speakers, you’ll find many people who are doing fascinating things, but aren’t right for your event. Stay firm in your resolve to create the best TEDx experience possible, and try to let people down gently.
STEP 6 - BIG PICTURE
There are few important things left to discuss in order to see the bigger picture.
Team. You can’t organize a true TEDx event unless you have people who share values and vision of the project. Organizing TEDx event is an adventurous journey filled with passion, dedication and hard work. Assembled, your TEDx team will gift a project to your community worth working whose ideas are worth spreading.
Budget. Come up with creative ways in attracting partners who also share TED values. TEDx is a non-profit conference; you neither can raise money for event nor make money out of it. Before approaching your potential partners, make sure you allocate sufficient amount of time and effort in calculating your numbers correctly.
Communication strategy. Ideas are communicated. Do you know how will you introduce your speakers to the public? What your visuals will look like? Do you have the person in the team who can write eloquently? Did you set the time for all your publications? What are the main communication channels?
Venue. We have talked about it earlier, right? Your venue should reflect your TEDx name. Moreover, venue as piece of architectural art has the power to create a chemistry of ideas worth spreading. If you are accommodating 100 people, then your venue should have enough seats. Since you will be recording talks live, then your stage should have sufficient lighting equipment. If you selected a particular theme, think about how your stage can speak about your theme. Lastly, don’t forget about the lovely red rounded rug.
STEP 7 - APPLY
Now, you are all set.
We want to make ideas from your university heard worldwide. Join our mission, because ideas are worth spreading.