Eighteen minutes of fame at TEDx

Warwick students recently held Europe’s first TEDx conference, attracting a capacity crowd with a varied programme of speakers specialising in fields ranging from virtual-reality to psychology.

TED (Technology Entertainment Design) is a concept that originates in the US, serving as a platform for ‘thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in eighteen minutes)’. Since its inception in 1984, TED has grown into a world-renowned forum, attracting the likes of Al Gore, Jane Goodall and Bill Gates.

With a new initiative, TED has granted licences to independent groups to create events of a similar mould, furthering their ‘ideas worth spreading’ concept.

TEDx Warwick, in its first year, took advantage of local intellect. Warwick’s own Professor Andrew Oswald, Professor Vinesh Raja and Professor Steve Fuller are experts in the fields of Economics, Engineering and Sociology, respectively.

Oswald reflected on his research into the economics of “happiness”, with particular reference to the current financial climate. He stayed true to his reputation as an advocate for economic policies that emphasise a population’s “happiness” rather than collective wealth.

No sooner had Oswald’s eighteen minutes finished that Professor Raja launched into the latest developments in virtual reality, showcasing some of the Warwick Manufacturing Group’s hidden secrets – including a display of futuristic medical training equipment with which students could experiment.

TEDx embraced live and recorded video conference technologies. This cheap and mostly reliable method, allowed for two noted speakers to address the Warwick audience directly from the US. Tom Atlee gave a live speech over MSN, detailing his theory on co-intelligence and his opinions on utilising debate amongst groups representing a cross-section of a particular society as a means to promote “informed democracy”.

The last speaker of the conference was also the most anticipated – Professor Philip Zimbardo. This acclaimed Psychologist was the brainchild of the infamous Stanford Experiment wherein he divided two dozen college students into ‘prisoners’ and ‘prison guards’ with dire consequences. Professor Zimbardo gave a pre-recorded address from Stanford University on his new heroism project, aiming to identify ‘heroes’ within every human–being.

TED is famous for bringing together a variety of subjects, and TEDx Warwick was no different. The jumps between subject matters, although seemingly extreme, kept the audience interested and engaged in topics they may not have been familiar with.

The audience seemed to appreciate this format. Andrew Koskei, a final year student, was of the opinion that “we might have come to see one or two particular speakers, but the schedule meant we were able to enjoy totally different subject matters and learn something new.”

Koskei also pointed out the range of represented fields of study, “it wasn’t just PPE and Economics – Also engaging with Sociology and Physics students, some of whom are at PhD level, made each debate very interesting.”

The organisers of TEDx Warwick said they were humbled by the overall response. Abhishek Shah explained the licensing procedure, describing how TED’s new concept meant Warwick was effectively a “Beta test” on which, due to its success, other TEDx’s can be based.

Internal feedback was “positive,” but most encouraging was the external response, with TED bloggers lauding the organisation of the Warwick event. They have secured the licence for 2010 and the aim is “to go bigger, to capitalise on the larger time-frame, especially regarding sponsorship”.

TEDx Warwick 2009 featured during a busy term for conference-style events. One World Forum, The Economics Summit and all the other student-organised talks may seem to clash with the concept. However, with the unique format and TED’s global reputation, there is optimism about TEDx Warwick’s future. The organising committee’s initiative to latch onto the licensee project may well have set the ball rolling for an annual event that both the University and Students’ Union can truly be proud of.