TEDxCalgary | Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is there going to be another TEDxCalgary?

YES!

We have been approved to hold several events in 2013, all of which will be announced via our website and social media streams on Twitter and Facebook.

TEDxCalgary also is working with a range of other community partners to develop additional events throughout 2013, and we will continue to look for other TEDxLive events that may be of interest to our local community.

Why isn't it TEDxCalgary.com?

It is, actually... we can be reached at any of the following domain extensions: .ca, .com, .org, and .net

Who is behind TEDxCalgary?

The TEDxCalgary event organizing committee has a strong core of alumni from the Leadership Calgary program of community leadership development, but beyond that loose affiliation we're simply individuals with a passion for the ideas of TED and the dedication to volunteer our time and skills to make the event happen. We are actively encouraging the widest possible level of involvment from the Calgary community, and please contact us if you're interested in working with us on the event.

Many thanks to our TEDx licence "curator", Rahim Sajan, for his key role in facilitating the early conversations both with interested parties and the TEDx program group, for bringing together the core team of "stewards" helping to drive the event, and for providing the continuing vision and energy to make TEDxCalgary a reality. Thanks also to the TEDx program group for their guidance and support in our efforts to launch TEDxCalgary.

What is your link to TEDxYYC and others?

There currently are two committees — TEDxCalgary and TEDxYYC — actively organizing TEDx events for Calgary in 2013 under separate licences.There also are some private corporate events that are being offered in Calgary this year, but these are not generally open to the public, so we don't list them.

There is no formal connection between these events, other than that we're all TEDx licencees and share a passion for TED. That said, we do coordinate aspects of our events with one another in terms of timing and themes, and we're exploring ways that we can hold additional joint events of interest to the Calgary TED-watching community.

The richness of the TEDx program

As part of the amazingly visionary TEDx program, there can be multiple licences granted within a particular geographical area like Calgary. For a city of our size, we experienced an exceptional level of interest in the TEDx program for 2010 and beyond, and we're pleased to see that this has continued growing.

Although it may seem confusing to have multiple events and groups in a single city, this is (to us) an essential part of ensuring that the TEDx process remains vibrant and accessible to the public. Each event's organizing committee brings a different interpretation of what ideas are worth sharing, allows people to attend local TEDx events at different times of the year, and builds a wider community of people interested to think and act on the ideas that are shared.

At TEDxCalgary, we're proud to be part of a system of TEDx events that literally spans the globe, and is offered in as many languages as possible. Large or small, urban or rural, we're all passionate advocates of ideas that are worth spreading, and we welcome your involvement in our efforts.

For information on other TEDx events that may be occurring in Calgary (or elsewhere in Alberta) at any particular time, visit the master list of TEDx events globally.

Congratulations to the TEDx Red Deer organizing team! We're excited to welcome another TEDx organizing team to the Alberta-wide community of TEDx events, and greatly enjoyed their inaugural event in October 2011. They continue to organize events, and please visit them at http://TEDxRedDeer.com for more information.

How does the TEDxCalgary event licence work?

Our current licence from TEDx allows us to host an event of up to 100 guest participants. Other TEDx licences can be for smaller, more intimate events at your workplace, school, or home, and some are for larger events (100+ people, like the licence held by our friends at TEDxYYC). For further information on the licence process, please visit the TEDx website.

The format for our event will focus on a mix of locally-selected speakers and a selection of pre-recorded TEDTalks that fit with our event theme. As with all TED/TEDx events, there are strict limits on the length of the speaker presentations in order to ensure that participants are able to engage in deep conversation on the issues.