From left to right: TEDxBCIT speakers Trevor Borland, Rick Gibbs, Heather White, Robert Murray
TEDxBCIT was truly an inspiring event with many great minds and ideas to think about. The location was an airport hanger at BCIT’s Aerospace campus that had an authenticity of its own- slight smell of engine fuel, concrete, and steel. The cold crisp air surrounded the planes of different sizes and eras of flight technology. Even during the conference you could see on-coming planes out of the airport and hear the engines roar into the sky above.
If you don’t know TED Talks by now you’re really missing out on a gold mine of useful and quite inspiring information. The content you will usually hear in most TED Talks are ideas for change, empowerment and critical self-reflection skills that will help you shape your life and plan your future.
“Ideas worth sharing” is their slogan and it’s quite fitting. After watching your first TED Talks video you can’t help but find somebody to discuss it with. You’ll seek out like-minded individuals and stir up a pretty good conversation. It’s a time to bounce around new ideas and get to know new perspectives.
The online videos are good for picking a topic but when you go to an actual conference there’s a whole theme involved. The general direction of it all is catered for the audience and guest speakers are there for you. Every speaker has a story to tell- from life experiences, hardships, overcoming’s, discoveries, innovations and critical thinking strategies.
BCIT’s Aerospace Campus hosted the first ever TEDx event, which is an independent TED Talks event. Sponsored and organized by the BCITSA TEDxBCIT brought in special guest speakers to talk to the crowd of about 100 about Building the Future. The speakers were categorized into different segments of Opportunity, through innovation, society, connection and learning. Hosted by BCIT Broadcast alumni Ceilidh Millar and she boasts quite an impressive resume with distinguished awards.
While the event did last about 7 hours there free grub in the main hall during breaks and lots of time to mingle and make connections, and trade business cards, there was much to take in. The first speakers were Scott Carr, Trevor Borland, and Gwen Gnazdowsky. Each one of them has a common focus on leadership and entrepreneurship.
Some of the more memorable talks were from Steve Curtis, Heather White, Robert Murray, Lindsay Smith, and Kathryn Redford.
Steve Curtis told us about how he continually achieved the impossible by beating cancer, making his own business and helping other people. “Impossible is just a limit we set for ourselves.”
Heather White is a life coach and business advocate and gave a powerful performance on stage. Talking about how to be “authentically you” and that “you have something to contribute to the world”.
Greg Malpas and Lindsay Smith talk about technology and the future- asking people to make connections and not contacts. What technology will look like in 30 years from robots to cars.
Robert Murray tells about how to simplify things by asking you a golden question-“what does good look like?” “How will you be sought after?”
Kathryn Redford discusses sustainable food practices that are very innovative and hugely impactful. How we can customize the diets of insects to feed to livestock instead of relying so much on crops and vegetables for livestock and our own diet habits.
The first ever TEDxBCIT sold out fast as there were limited seats but I sure can’t wait until the next one.
