Candy apple red balloons floated overhead as hundreds crowded into the Pardoe Theater for the first TEDxBYU conference. Eight engaging speakers, one gifted violinist and an energetic audience of students, faculty and alumni gathered to celebrate social innovation. The unprecedented event generated chatter that not only filled the room but also sounded around the globe as people watched through webcast in the United Kingdom, Germany, China and Croatia.
"TEDxBYU gave students the opportunity to experience education in an innovative way," says Amy Fisler, Ballard Center event planner. "The short speeches with high impact thoughts and ideas pushed the audience to think outside the box."
Hosted by the Peery Social Entrepreneurship Program, TEDxBYU is an independently organized event modeled after TED, a global conference where "ideas worth spreading" are explored and discussed. Such events include live speakers, inspiring music and open discussion. This year's event featured speakers ranging from BYU students to world-renowned social entrepreneurs.
Each speaker stood illuminated in a stream of light as they encouraged attendees to lead innovative lives. Dan Blake, a BYU student who launched a business converting food waste to organic soil, urged students to incorporate innovation into their careers.
"You do not have to choose between making money and doing good," Blake says. "I believe the status quo was meant to be challenged. Regardless of your age, situation, talents and resources, you have the choice to either create solutions to problems or make excuses for them."
Speakers challenged attendees to follow their intuition and take risks. Most presenters discussed making major life changes. Martin Burt, CEO of Fundación Paraguaya, left America to run for public office in Paraguay, while Willy Foote, founder of Root Capital, quit his career on Wall Street to pursue a journalism job in Mexico.
And for Jessamyn Lau, program leader of the Peery Foundation, it all started with a dramatic haircut. She says it was the first of several spontaneous decisions like moving to China and completing an MBA, all of which changed her life for the better.
"I'm not saying be reckless — I'm saying be bold," Lau says. "Have the courage to take action that feels right even if it causes a bit of concern. Doing so on a regular basis has opened up opportunities that I could not have imagined."
In addition to Blake, Burt, Foote and Lau, other presenters included Christa Gannon, founder of Fresh Lifelines for Youth; Marina Kim, of Ashoka; Mike Murray, co-founder of Unitus and David Wiley, associate professor of instructional psychology and technology at BYU.
Each presentation sparked thoughts and conversations that continued, well after the event ended, through a Twitter stream of more than 500 comments. Todd Manwaring, director of the Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance, says the social media response reflected the inspirational energy that permeated the event.
"Sometimes talking about serious issues like poverty and hunger can be very sobering," Manwaring says. "But people left this event feeling uplifted rather than weighed down. They felt empowered to change based on the idea that they can change the world through innovation."
Due to the event's sell-out response, the Peery Program has decided to make TEDxBYU an annual affair. This year's presentations are available online for worldwide viewers at Tedxbyu.com/video.
The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.
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Writer: Courtney Rieder Nielsen