Our Impressions from TEDx Philly

A handful of O3 team members recently had a chance to attend the second TEDx Philly gathering. It was a great day full of interesting speakers, inspiring local community members, and familiar faces. Because TEDx is often more about personal and community enrichment than professional development, we had each of the guys give their own thoughts about the event.

Keith Scandone, Partner + Director of Business Development - While I probably slightly enjoyed last years TedX Philly more than this years, both events provided the same end result for me, in that they both inspired me and opened my eyes to the world around me, and more specifically, the city around me. It allowed me to learn more about healthcare, or puppetry, or canning, or water preservation, or architectural and urban planning. All things I knew very little about, before this years TedX event. I also was particularly moved by the positive energy and optimism generated at the event. In a city known for its edge and negativity, this event for two years in a row has risen above that, even introducing a “nice” ambassador and presenter for the day to push a positive message. Highlights for me were Jon Foy, a filmmaker, as he discussed his unorthodox approach to his craft in making his documentary. Janet Elchelman, a sculptor, who provided creative insights on the renovation planning for Dilworth Plaza at City Hall. Rich Medina, a dj and poet, without any visual aid, expressed the importance of following your heart, versus following the money. Ethan Nguyen, a Health Researcher, whose primary point was to become a mentor. His instructions to all were to mentor one person a year and help make a difference. And of all of the inspiration from the event, this is one that I’ll actually personally put into action. And for me, when an event cannot only inspire change, but enact it, then it’s more than proven its worth.

Pete Schuster, Front End Developer - The focus of TEDx Philly this year was on the city. The speakers drove to the point that the cities are becoming more and more an advanced life form that communicates with its parts. The people of the city are the blood cells carrying data, repairing broken cells, and working together to keep the whole city healthy and moving in the right direction. With the transfer of data becoming more rapid and transparent, this organism is under constant surveillance and scrutiny, which can promote change, drive art, and fuel revolutions. As we move into the future, it’s obvious that the city will continue to be the hub of innovation and design.

Alex Turbett, Project Manager - A few days before TEDx Philly this year, I was at one point stumbling a bit in conversation to answer the question, "TEDx Philly... what's that?". I thought for a second and then my answer was something like, "It's um... this, like conference. Well it's sort of a conference. Have you ever heard of TED talks? No? There's like, a lot of really creative people there, and some musical / artistic performances... It's basically a day of motivational speakers." The fact that even to myself I sounded like a valley girl talking about a Matt Foley convention sort of bothered me, so I challenged myself to formulate a better answer that I think is much more appropriate: It was a day of forward thinking, motivated, and inspiring speakers. Bam.

My favorite part about attending was that it inspired me to go and learn more about a handful of topics that really peaked my interest that day. When I got home, I was looking up everything from the concept of "redlining", to countless articles about the mysterious Toynbee tiles (thanks Jon Foy). The Elect Next site especially (which is a site discussed by Keya Dannenbaum that uses an engaging format to question your own political stance and align you with candidates) sent me on a research excursion that made me feel like I had crammed a semester of poli-sci classes into 2 hours of surfing the web. Thanks to TEDx for a great event, and for triggering my own thirst for knowledge.

Robby Perdue, Account Strategist - This was my first chance to check out a TED event of any kind in person, and I really enjoyed myself. Although I think some of the presentations were a bit stronger than others, and at times the entire program felt a bit rushed, I still took a great deal away with me. Like most folks, I enjoyed Jon Foy’s talk about his film making process, and I’m fascinated by the Toynbee tiles. The spoken word poetry from the Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement closing out the first segment was fantastic, and as a fan of tall buildings, architecture, and technology, I really enjoyed hearing Youngjin Yoo and Inga Saffron speak about the future of cities, and Philadelphia specifically. As a relatively recent transplant who isn’t necessarily sold on Philly, it was great to see some folks who are really passionate about the strengths of the city, and those who were willing to face its challenges head on. I’m already looking forward to next year.

We heard some great stories this year, had our eyes opened to some important issues and causes, and had a chance to catch up with plenty of great people. What about you? Were you able to attend this year? What did you like? What could they improve? What are you looking forward to next time? Drop us a line in the comments or on Twitter; we’d love to hear from you.