TEDxIndianaUniversity will present a virtual conference on Zoom this Saturday in place of their annual, in-person conference. The switch was made due to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Adam Warner said.
“COVID has changed everything and it’s also given us so many cool opportunities to do things for the first time,” Warner said. “I would say that this entire year has been defined by firsts.”
The theme for this year’s conference is “When A Tree Falls”, which is meant to highlight a diverse set of voices and perspectives. According to the TEDxIU website, the topic is about who gets to share ideas and information and be heard while doing so.
Director of Curation and Co-Head of the Engagement Committee Melissa Scianimanico said there are seven speakers for the conference. Scianimanico said that the virtual conference, while disappointing it’s not in-person, has assisted in creating a more accessible conference for both the speakers and viewers.
“Now with our online platform, the speakers are pre-recording their talks, and then we’re editing that into a live stream, so it’s afforded us a lot more flexibility with who we can work with, which is a great blessing,” Scianimanico said.
The lineup of speakers include Kelli Morgan, Joe Salesky, Arsham Parsi, Roger Hangarter, Tatjana Rebelle, Jessica Kent and Jennifer Guiliano, according to the TEDxIU website.
The conference will also include audience engagement to incorporate the viewers in the conference, Director of Operations and Co-Head of the Engagement Committee Brandon Swann said. The purpose of participation is to improve the audience’s experience and get them more involved in the conference, he said.
Swann said the Bloomington Delta Music Club will be performing throughout the conference, and there will be other activities that interact with the audience as well. There will be a QR code at the end of the conference that sends a message to one of the speakers with feedback for their TED talk, Scianimanico said.
“I think the feedback of TED Talks is the best part,” said Scianimanico. “It’s amazing being part of this process where I get to watch amazing speakers develop these talks, but the best part is knowing the people that are going to listen to these talks will be impacted by them and they’re going to learn something and it’s going to touch them in some way.”
Despite the shift to virtual, Swann said TEDxIU as an organization has done whatever possible to create a conference that is engaging and informative.
“We were going to go through the Panama Canal, right? And it’d be something that we know how to do,” Swann said. “And I think the circumstances with COVID-19 has been a closure of what has been known in the past and has forced us to reconsider ways to get to the same destination to successfully complete our mission and spread ideas and share.”
