Publication: The Straits Times, Life!, p C8 Date: 23 September 201 0 Headline: Conference of Cool kicks off

TEDx volunteers devotedto sharing bright Weas online with a global

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DamIan Sim, Geraldine Kan Ho Kok K m ,

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OurtZ a d (bac row) Rkhard Konff and Dave Dm. ST PHOTO: AlDAH RAUF

Conference of Cool kicks 08 A branch of hit lecture series T e c h n o l o g y ,

Entertainment And Design has opened here

A series of talks has been held in Singapore where attendance is free, the speakers are not paid and the organisers are unpaid

volunteers. The talks have been oversubscribed

by between 50 and 100 per cent. But there is a catch: You have to be

an invited guest or apply to attend and wait to be approved.

The TEDx Singapore events are an offshoot of TED (Technology, Enter- tainment And Design), a global confer- ence series where thinkers, scientists, authors, artists and explorers speak on what interests them. According to its website, the "x" denotes "an independently organised TED event".

The organisers are interested in spreading good ideas and a chance to be part of what is widely recognised as a community of the most idealistic, innovative and visionary people on the planet.

Dubbed the 'LConference of Cool" by The Financial Times, the series held in California by the non-profit TED organisation, has since 1984 gar- nered a devoted following on the Inter- net in recent years after it made videos of its talks available online.

A pass costs US$3,750 (S$4,900) for those approved to attend. Past speakers have included film director 1.1. Abrams, author Malcolm Gladwell and scientist Richard Dawkins.

A TEDx talk in Singapore is free, but it follows rules laid down by TED: No panels, question-and-answer or breakout sessions. A strict 18-minute time limit is imposed on all speakers.

llNo, we are not snobs," says TEDx Singapore founder Dave Lim, 43, with a laugh. "We are just looking for diver- sity. We have a limited number of seats because we don't want people coming from one school or institution taking all the seats."

The no-discussion or question- and-answer rule forces people to chat during the breaks, he says, in line with TED'S aim of creating bonds between people and thus allowing ideas to spread. A diverse blend will spread the messages further, he adds.

Attendees are encouraged to design and wear their own name tags listing topics they are passionate about. Past topics have included "Cats", "Micro- credit" and "Laughter".

The Singapore team will be holding an event, their sixth, on Saturday and it is centred on eradicating poverty and hunger and promoting primary education around the world.

Speakers will include a Singapore group that has developed a technology that allows children in developing countries to be taught through SMS, as well as entertainment from local pop duo Zsa and Claire.

The venue will be made known to

those who are invited. Venue ,and oth- er costs for this current talk are being sponsored by Microsoft, though guests vrrill be asked for contributions to cover other costs at the door.

The group videotapes all talks and, in keeping with TED guidelines, plans to make them available online. None of the talks from the previous five events has been uploaded at the moment.

Mr Lim, who runs an innovation consultancy, applied for permission to start TEDx here within 24 hours of the scheme being launched by TED in March last year. He became a fan of the organisation after watching its online videos.

The Singapore group, now compris- ing about 30 volunteers, is among hundreds of TEDx groups all over the world, each following the parent organisation's rules on everything from how to issue a press release to tips on how to conduct public-speak- ing training for those who may have never stepped on stage before.

It hopes to run up to four events a year here.

The group began holding events from November last year at venues such as Singapore Management University, Raffles City Convention Centre-Fairmont Hotel and the Singa- pore Institute of Management.

Attendance numbers ranged from several dozen to 300, depending on venue size.

Mr Paul Dunn, 66, chairman of Singapore-headquartered social enter- prise BlGl, which helps companies donate to charities, spoke at the previ-

ous TEDx Singapore event, held in August this year. Other speakers included Ms Sit Weng San, a photogra- pher who won the ZOO8 UOB Painting Of The Year award; architect Milton Tan, who spoke about the inspiration for architectural ideas; and singer Inch Chua, who sang and also spoke about how being disfigured by a dog. bite as a child had influenced her songwriting.

Mr Dunn says he was pleased to have been invited.

The TED community, called "TED- sters", is among the best and brightest and if a TEDx speaker develops buzz, there is a chance of him receiving an invitation to speak at one of TED'S larger events, which have global promi- nence, he says.

Clinical psychologist and executive coach Lilian Ing is a fan of TED'S online talks and attended the TEDx Singapore talk last month.

She is aware that TEDx1s shoe- string operations would not allow them to feature the renowned talent who speak at TED'S global events, she says.

But she attended it anyway because she would meet other TEDsters and listen to speakers who, while not world leaders in technology, entertain- ment or design, would tell stories that were "personal and passionate", she says.

She was not disappointed. "There was electricity in the

room." johnlul@sph.com.sg

To apply for an invitation to attend the TEDx event on Saturday, register at www.tedxsingapore.sg

Source: The Straits Times O Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.