TEDxVancouver 2012

TEDxVancouver2012 The Orpheum October 21, 2012

From left: Bradley Harks, Schein Investments; Richard Hoy, senior VP of Ledcor Technical Services; Chris Neary, president at FRANK Advertising; and Bruce Meli. FRANK Advertising was a major gift-in-kind sponsor of the event, providing creative direction a

From left: Chris Forrest, innovation ecosystem manager at Deloitte; Brian Peterson, innovation strategist at lululemon athletica; Isaac Watson, merchandise planner at lululemon athletica; and David Addison of Shoppers Home Health Care.

When asked why

TEDxVancouver 2012’s president, Derek Sawkins (l), and director and chair of the program, Christopher Bennett. Christopher is also the director of corporate communications for Future Shop.

From left: Karm Sumal, editor-in-chief of Vancity Buzz; Crystal Kwon, committee member of TEDxVancouver 2012 and senior account executive at Citizen Optimum PR; and freelance writer Catherine Roscoe Barr. Catherine writes for BCBusiness sister magazine BC

From left: Zak Shewchuk, division director at Robert Half Technology; Angela Bennett, faculty of medicine at UBC; and Lisa Lehmann, graphic designer at Free Agency Creative.

When asked why they came to TEDxVancouver, Angela said she’s always

Chad McFarlin (l), founder and CEO of Tribal Interactive Inc., with Ola Kowalewski, director at Plus Infinity Design. Said Chad: “I love TED talks, so when I heard that it was going to be in our city, I had to come and check it out. I always pick up

Jordan Kallman of The Social Concierge, a experiential event and branding agency who choreographed and composed the mash-up performances at TEDxVancouver 2012.

Team from Recon Instruments (from left): Kyle Stadnyk, developer program manager; Tyson Miller, director of online; and Tim Yu, director of brand development.

The Recon guys said they’ve never been to TEDxVancouver, but have always wanted to

Robert Foxall (l) of Investors Group, with TEDxVancouver 2012 speaker Mark Betteridge. Mark is the executive director and CEO of Discovery Parks, and spoke of how short-term thinking is a risk to our legacy as individuals, a generation and an economy.

From left: Kellie Sawkins of Saje; lawyer Bill Cottick; teacher Maureen Allarie; and Rodger Saber of the BC Cancer Agency.

TEDxVancouver2012
The Orpheum
October 21, 2012

It was the biggest TEDxVancouver event yet, as 2,300 people gathered at The Orpheum to hear thought-provoking ideas that could change or are already changing the way we live. The theme was “confluence,” meant to represent the convergence of people and ideas as 13 speakers took to the stage to share their messages and elevate collective awareness. From sound pollution impacting marine animals, ethical investing and restorative justice, to cyber warfare and espionage, topics varied as much as the crowd that ranged from artists to lawyers to entrepreneurs. Notable names in the program included Elaine Lui of celebrity blog LaineyGossip.com and restaurateur Mark Brand, whose Gastown businesses are tackling important issues like employment barriers and food security in the Downtown Eastside.

The full-day, sold-out event was also live-streamed online, while twittering attendees made this TEDx event trend across the nation. This was the 4th annual TEDxVancouver event (“x” represents independently organized TED events). The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but was organized by a local committee headed by TEDxVancouver president Derek Sawkins.