Knowledge is power
by Jf on 4/20/24The Charleston Music Hall - CharlestonRating: 5 out of 5Great event, great people, great Charleston hosts.
Great event, great people, great Charleston hosts.
My best friend and I went to the TEDx event in Charleston, SC on April 17. Every speaker was very inspiring, and many of them resonated with us. The biggest suggestions are that there should be a more efficient method to scanning mobile phone tickets, an an hour intermission with the event beginning an hour earlier. Overall, we had a nice time, and I would highly recommend going in the future.
It was my first TedX Charleston but it will not be my last. I thought all of the speakers were well prepared, interesting, inspiring and had great subject matter. I especially enjoyed Patrick Bryant:). He kept the crowd entertained while making his point.
The Charleston Music Hall is a great venue for this event. There are no bad seats! The event was well organized, everything ran on time! The presenters were so diverse and interesting. I learned some interesting new ideas that I have already started to share! Loved the Charleston Dance troop! Can’t wait to see what comes next year!
TEDx always inspires me, allows me to grow and I walk away with neq knowledge that is applicable to my life and my world. This year, TEDx brought a political candidate on stage at the last minute and while I do not agree with their decision, I also do not agree with the individuals who shouted down at the speaker. We as the audience, come to TEDx to listen, to learn and to gather knowledge. I personally did not agree with this candidate or their positions on guns, trans issues and many other core ideals of their campaign, however, I would have liked to hear more about what they jad to say so that I could have been better informed. In conclusion, I highly respect and recommend TEDx and will continue to attend their events.
This was my 5th TEDxPortland event and it's an event I look forward to all year. The energy and open-mindedness with people ready to learn collected in one room feels undeniably special. It seemed as though that energy was zapped a bit by a few things. I much prefer the Keller to the MODA Center. The intimacy and "classiness" is lost. It's entirely too crowded and the food selections were awful. The idea of bringing a political candidate on stage was not the best decision. While I understand the sentiment in having an open dialogue, it simply doesn't work right now. Especially with a more liberal crowd in Portland, OR; know your audience. It also completely killed the vibe. I do appreciate the follow up e-mail after the event. A very classy and sincere move. Lastly, I felt like some of the speakers fell short this year on content. I appreciate their points of view and mostly, vulnerability, in coming on stage to speak. I however thought it felt less in-depth and intellectually stimulating than in years' past, or even keeping in line with TED = Technology, Entertainment and Design. Typically I don't care who is on the list to talk because I've always learned more from those who I least expect. This year didn't feel that way. I don't know if my responses matter. I do thank you for giving me the opportunity to give feedback.
But they decided to break from the program and format to platform a political candidate.
Speakers were interesting, well prepared and informative. The vendors out in the plaza were great. Nice to go outside for a bit. The lunch time was a bit crowded and slow. Lots of people for just a few food vendors.
Moda staff didn't know where our seats were. Ended up milling through thousands on the main floor back and forth trying to find access to our seats. Brought no food in, as was policy. Lunch was horrific with hundreds and hundreds in line for the vendors that were open. Waited in line 50 minutes and then food ran out. Ended up with a pretzel and bag of popcorn for sustenance for the day. Needed wayfinding to direct towards everything, without it we were lost much of the time.
I so appreciate the hard work that goes into creating this event! Overall, I found most of the speakers to be interesting and impactful. My only complaint is about the food. There were several vendors and only one that provided the kind of food I can eat (Vegan). With 7,000 attendees, there needs to be a more practical timely way to get food. I stood in line for over an hour and as I got closer (not close!) to the front of the line, a person walked to my area and announced that the vendor had run out of food. Of course, I left the line and the only other option for food, for me, was popcorn. I paid just under $10 (insane!) for a large bag of popcorn that it turned out I couldn't eat because it tasted like it had several bottles of salt in it. I tried to eat some because I was SO hungry and could tell it was going to make me ill so I stopped. Fortunately, I had a protein bar in my bag and that is what I ate. Not really enough food for an entire day.