What to Expect

You've watched TED or TEDx Talks online, right?

That's a superb place to have started, but the online talks won't ever capture the awesome experience of being at a live TEDx event. Whether it's being the first to see a talk being delivered live on stage, or the deep and engaging conversations you'll have with other participants during our interaction breaks, there's nothing like being there.

Our speakers are all getting set to deliver the most amazing talks of their lives. You'll be hearing their ideas first-hand, and participating in a live recording of their talk that will be featured on the main TEDx YouTube channel in the near future. Think critically about what they're saying, but be friendly and encouraging to the person sharing their ideas: it's not easy giving a TEDxTalk!

All of our speakers are incredibly skilled in their respective fields, and all have ideas and insights to share that will change your perspectives. Your being there is an incredibly important part of our event, and we thank you for wanting to join us.

 

Five things you can do to maximize your experience...


1. Come with an open mind. Our speakers will delight and challenge in turn. You might not immediately agree with everything you hear, but give the speakers a chance to share their idea in full before you decide.

2. Be curious. The fact that you've purchased a ticket is evidence that you question the world around you, and want to try and make a difference by hearing about ideas that are worth spreading.

3. Make connections. You'll see patterns across speakers that we won't, and we encourage you to share your insights with those around you, and with us throughout the day. Say hi to the stranger in the seat next to you... it's an excellent way to start making a new friend. Commit to getting together again outside of our event.

4. Get hands on! Our interactions area is curated with equal care to our main stage. It's your chance to interact directly with others, and with some of the technologies and issues you've heard about on stage. Ideas always flow better when we're having fun!

5. Take an idea home with you. The ideas don't stop when the event ends. You've probably heard an idea (or more!) that strikes you as needing some additional exploration, or something you want to bite into right away. Go ahead and do something about it... that's your opportunity within the "Ideas worth spreading" part!

 

Some very basic ground rules...


We want all of our participants to get the most out of the day. So, we ask everyone to follow the very basic rules of mutual respect that are outlined in our Participant Code of Conduct. If you haven't read it, we ask you to take a few quick minutes to do so!

Put simply, we are seeking to nurture a culture of conversation in our city. That means having a common understanding of what the rules of civil conversation look like. Check out the following from TheRulesOfCivilConversation.org:

RulesOfCivilConversation Poster 08

 

What to wear


Comfortable styles welcomed! We're pretty informal, and some of our interactions can get you hands-on with some pretty cool stuff. So, we suggest dressing for a balance of comfort and style.

If you're most comfortable mingling and interacting in a busness suit or fancier dress, dress to the nines! We've also had shorts, kilts (er, no bagpipes please, as much as Jonathan would love to hear them!), and various cultural outfits that have livened up our day.

 

Questions or special requests?

Our events team is waiting to greet you at your upcoming event, and is ready to answer any questions you might have. Please use our Events contact form to let us know if you need anything, or submit a question through our online concierge/help desk.

 

How are event fees determined?

When we charge a ticket fee for an event, we use break-even budgeting to determine the ticket pricing (before any applicable discounts). Our major expenses for an event with live speakers include the rental costs of the venue, purchasing of food and beverages for our participants, and the cost of producing and recording the talks (which is a licencing requirement for any TEDx event featuring speakers). In some cases, our events can also feature speakers from outside of Calgary, which may require our covering travel costs for the speaker(s) in question.

We also secure sponsorships for most types of events, which means that the ticket fees recover only a percentage of the actual event costs. 

In all of our events, we also strive to be as inclusive as possible. This means we want to reduce economic barriers to participation as much as we reasonably can. Our philosophy is to discount tickets for students and those on fixed incomes (i.e., those over 60 years of age), and to provide a percentage of tickets for free to those who most need the assistance this represents.