TEDx events are supposed to be inspiring to attendees but this year’s organizers may be among the most moved of all of those involved.
Fannie Vavoulis called it an “amazing day. I am so grateful for how everything went. We were sold out again, the speakers were great and the audience was impressed. It couldn’t have gone better.”
One hundred people attended the day-long symposium at the Bradley Centre. The theme of the event was Food for Thought.
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“Each one of the 15 speakers brought something different and touched everyone in some way,” Vavoulis said.
“TED” stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. The “x” is a tag to indicate the event is independently organized. TED events are organized around the world and focus on the concept of “ideas worth spreading.”
John Lyons said he has been deeply touched by the response of participants and the audience.
“The comments on social media have been inspiring,” he said. “As organizers, we select the speakers and have a critical eye on production and delivery, but to hear what people had to say about how they took something positive from the day just blows me away.”
Peter Martin said, “People seemed truly impressed at the amount and quality of information that was presented and they seemed to really appreciate the opportunity to get an injection of fresh ideas to motivate them both personally and professionally.”
Vavoulis said attendees represented a good cross section of the community.
“We had people from business, the municipality, school boards, non profits and people who just wanted to be inspired for their professional and personal development.”
The event will be shown on TV Cogeco next month and will be posted to the TEDx You Tube channel at a date to be determined.
This is the second year for the non-profit event. Speakers aren’t paid and the admission fee is used to cover expenses.
Alysson Storey said the event is an example of what can happen in Chatham-Kent. “We don’t often give ourselves enough credit for all of the good things that happen here,” she said. “Our local speakers and ideas were just as good as those from across the country. We have the people, the energy, the creativity and intelligence to accomplish a lot if we just believe in ourselves.”
Vavoulis said she has already received an e-mail from one of the speakers who said he was “blindsided” by all of the interesting things going on in Chatham-Kent.
“He plans on coming back to work on projects with local people.”
Organizers will meet in the next few weeks to discuss options for next year.
