On Tuesday, October 11, over 100 people gathered at Canisius College’s Montante Cultural Center in
Buffalo–and hundreds more on Ustream–to listen to over a dozen speakers present thoughts on topics baring both global and local significance. TED came to Buffalo through a volunteer effort that secured the license to host a TEDx event locally. In the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading,” the subsidiary TEDx program gives communities the opportunity to incite TED-esque dialogue and experiences at the local level. And that, TEDxBuffalo achieved.
Organized by local entrepreneur, author and all-around rock star Kevin Purdy, TEDxBuffalo was a full day of thoughtful words, inspiration, conversation, music, education, surprises, and crowd-surfing
lobsters that had 100 people dancing, clapping and buzzing kazoos. As this was an event put on by locals in an effort to enhance the well-being of the local community, the local
business support of this event was tremendous. WNY Media provided the live web streaming, You and Who supplied the event shirts, website and materials were
created by 12 Grain Studio, Michael Murphy and Rust Belt Love, and lunch was provided
by Lloyd Taco Truck and Whole Hog Food Truck, just to name a few (please
check out the full list of these generous sponsors here).
Image: TEDxBuffalo presenters Barbara Seals Nevergold Ph.D. & Dr. and Peggy Brooks-Bertram, Ph. D.
Rather than
re-write what others have already so eloquently captured about the day, we
present to you the Best of TEDxBuffalo, a listing of links to various articles
and blog summaries, videos, audience reactions (via Twitter), and photos we
think best encapsulates the day for those who weren’t present, in person or
online, and for those who want to re-live this special experience. Enjoy, and
may this be the start of an ongoing cultivation of innovative concepts and
ideas for our area.
Thank you to all who put in an immense
amount of sweat equity for not only make this day happen, but for also making
it worth our while.
With love and
gratitude,
Your city
Image: Musical performance by Alfred Brown.
Resources:
Main Website: www.tedxbuffalo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tedxbuffalo
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tedxbuffalo
Articles and Synopses:
Buffalo News
article by Stephen Watson (@BuffaloScribe): http://www.buffalonews.com/business/article590448.ece
WNY Media’s Brian
Castner (@Brian_Castner): http://wnymedia.net/repat/2011/10/the-report-from-tedx-buffalo/
Ravenweb blog post
by Frank Gullo (@FrankGullo), complete with contact
information and links for TEDxBuffalo presenters: http://ravenhost.blogspot.com/2011/10/tedxbuffalo-immediate-impressions.html
Bernice Radle blog
post: http://berniceradle.com/2011/10/12/ted-x-buffalo-%E2%80%93-a-whole-hearted-agenda-of-inspiration-for-buffalo-and-beyond/
Participant Reactions:
Storify time stream
of posts by users on Twitter (#TEDxBuffalo), Flickr, YouTube, and Facebook: http://storify.com/tedxbuffalo/tedxbuffalo-2011
Videos:
TEDxBuffalo Ustream
Channel: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tedxbuffalo-2011
TEDxBuffalo YouTube
Channel (where all presentations will be housed and uploaded soon – check the
site for updates): http://www.youtube.com/tedxbuffalo
Crowd-surfing
lobster: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlUXZfMK9h4
Photos:
Photo Credit: Stephen Scott Photography
Bernice Radle Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernicebuffalove/sets/72157627755939563/
Lead image: TEDxBuffalo speaker Chuck Banas discusses zoning and Buffalo’s GreenCode.