TEDxMileHigh
The producers of TEDxMileHigh curate a diverse roster of speakers with new ideas that rise in science, art, health, poetry and activism. The organization also offers a youth event and a livestream of its main conference.
The TED-licensed event strives to spread big ideas and elevate inspired citizenship in Colorado. It aims to bring together innovative Coloradans from all sectors to share their ideas in the spirit of TED.
TEDxMileHigh: Reset
TED (short for Technology, Entertainment, Design) started in 1984 when two nerdy dudes wanted to highlight supercool ideas. Today, TED has grown into an organization that brings together diverse groups of people to share a wide range of thought-provoking talks and experiences.
TEDx is a program of local, independently organized events that bring people together to share ideas worth spreading. TED Conferences provide overall guidance for the TEDx program, but each TEDx event is a unique experience crafted by local organizers.
TEDx Mile High, an independent organization, used Guidebook’s mobile event app for its daylong TEDxMileHigh: Reset event in Denver, Colorado. By consolidating information into one app, attendees could find event schedules, speaker bios, on-site activations, a site map and more—cutting out the need for printed materials and reducing waste. Plus, post-event surveys revealed that moving to a mobile app improved the overall audience experience.
TEDxMileHigh: Youth
The “x” in TEDx stands for independently organized events. These local, self-organized events are modeled after TED Talks and share the same mission of ideas worth spreading.
To curate its roster, TEDxMileHigh looks for speakers who share its mission of sharing big ideas. This includes highlighting “brilliant thinkers and accomplished doers, and showing how their efforts can make an impact,” says Duhon.
This year, TEDxMileHigh is expanding its offerings to include a youth event and a series of immersive adventures. The latter is similar to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Protect What’s Next campaign, which uses activities such as paddle-boarding on Nottingham Lake, a twelve-hour film festival and mural creation in RiNo to encourage teens to make good decisions about marijuana use.
A TEDxMileHigh adventure last year involved hearing Esther Sullivan talk about America’s most invisible communities and exploring mobile homes on the edge of downtown Denver. Her eye-opening talk prompted HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to seek out her help for his show, where she spoke about the importance of addressing social issues.
TEDxMileHigh: Adventures
The “x” in TED stands for independently organized events (like TEDxMileHigh), but they’re also about sharing new ideas. From learning how to navigate your personal life’s challenges to understanding how human noise impacts marine wildlife, these talks force you to look at the world in a different way.
In 2018, TEDxMileHigh brought its attendees out into the community to learn from and share with local artists. It was the first Adventure that our Creative Division helmed and we couldn’t have been more proud of the results!
By leveraging Guidebook’s app, TEDxMileHigh was able to communicate event agendas, on-site activations, and site maps with their audience. This greatly reduced their dependency on print and eliminated the stress of missed print deadlines. They also used push notifications to deliver important updates to their audience, even after the event had ended. The result was a more connected experience for their attendees and less waste for the environment. This is how you get your ideas worth spreading one mile high.
TEDxMileHigh: Livestream
TED was born in 1984, when two nerdy dudes decided to bring experts in Technology, Entertainment and Design together. Their first conference was pretty cool, but they lost money and took a break for a while. Then 16 years later, they started putting their talks online and the rest is history.
As a TEDx curator, Duhon seeks out a roster of speakers with diverse backgrounds and ideas. He also looks at the way their talks complement each other, particularly when it comes to emotional swings and cadence.
Whether you’re interested in learning how to give the perfect talk or just want to see the best ones, TED has something for everyone. And it’s never been easier to watch than ever. Just be sure to check the licensing requirements for each TEDx event you attend. If you’re in the US, you’ll likely need a special license for colleges and universities. For more information, visit TED’s website here.