The first New Zealand TED event was held yesterday in Auckland.   

I am a fan of TED (www.ted.com), but I really wasn’t sure what to expect from the local franchised event.  Was it going to be all hype and no substance – or was it going to induce a genuine “wow”?  So I made sure I was there yesterday evening for the show. [Read more…]

Well this week I got the letter from the organisers of the Auckland TED event inviting me to attend.  The letter got me thinking.  Quite clever, really, the whole impression of exclusivity around the application and acceptance process – and the attempt to lift the tone of the event high above the general noise of competing events, functions and happenings around town.  These guys are good – they have created an expectation of something special.  Here’s an except from the letter of acceptance:   [Read more…]

Anyone familiar with the Long Beach, California phenomenon TED will be excited that the event is coming to Auckland on 1 October.   TED is an annual event where some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers are invited to share what they are most passionate about. “TED” stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design – three broad subject areas that the organisers believe are collectively shaping our future.  [Read more…]