TEDxBerkeleyx = independently organized TED event

by Kai Chang 張敦楷

TEDxBerkeley by the Numbers

• 750 Attendees (sold out)

• ~900 names/applicants on standby wait-list

• Total Streaming Views (via Justin.TV): 447,413

• Unique IP Views (via Justin.TV): 156,717

• Max Concurrent Viewers: 4,016

• Avg Viewing Time on justin.tv/tedxberkeley: 2.41 hrs

TEDxBerkeley by the Tweets

pyknosis: Nothing left of that piano but a smoking heap of wood chips, bent wire, and ivory dust after Eric Lewis finished playing. Dude rocks.colinloretz: That was easily one of the best musical performances I’ve seen.pyknosis: Eric Cheng just killed at #TEDxB. Really amazing photos, videos, and message of ocean conservation.jhnrdgers: Fred Dust from #IDEO is speaking about design, beyond products it’s experience, it changes behavior when it’s good. awesome.jf0ng: Tulley says heroic experiences in childhood lead to predisposition to try amazing things. Awesome insight!smovahhed: Jill Tarter of SETI explains SETI mission, saying we are made from stardust and I got chills.bkalex: Daniel Kraft’s #TEDxB talk was amazing! (via @KevinMinGong) indeed it was.cmccann7: love these octet guys, they are so excited about life!! — plus how can you not love the wave?!?

T-Minus 31 Days to TEDxBerkeley

• Management team headcount: one

• ~$3500 in debt

• two confirmed speakers (@15 minutes apiece) to fill an eight-hour conference

• Zero sponsors

• Zero ticket sales

Four Things

• (Internal) Recruit quality people

• (External) Speaker Recruitment

• (External) Proactively engage with the public/sponsors

• (Internal) Build in buffers for the unexpected/surprises/drama

Recruiting (essential archetypes)

• El Jefe (“The Boss”)

• Visionary (“Space Cadet”)

• Operations/Logistics (“The Accountant”)

• Marketing/PR (“The Promoter/The Hustler”)

• Volunteer Manager (“Cat Herder”)

Recruiting(archetypes to avoid)

• The Egomaniac (“Me me me me me”)

• Mr. Flakey (“I was sick/I didn’t get that email”)

• The Contrarian (“I disagree”)

• The Gossip (“Listen, I shouldn’t tell you this, but ... ”)

• Slow-Pay Artists (“The check’s in the mail ...”)

• Credit-Hoggers (“Hey, that was MY idea. *I* should be the one running [X]”)

How to Manage People You Can’t Pay

• Cash is not the only currency that matters

• Find out what each person’s motivations are and fulfill that need (ego, LinkedIn recommendations, resume-building, etc)

• Cultivate loyalty and lead by example - be the first one to work and the last to leave

• No task is “beneath” you

Managing with a Deft Touch “拿捏” (ná nīe)

• If you find yourself micromanaging, you’re doing it wrong

• Err on the side of action - “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission”

• Write efficient “if-then” emails to circumvent endless loops

• Listen to your consigliere

How to Fire People (when you must)

• Be compassionate and magnanimous

• Have a successor briefed and ready to pick up the slack immediately

• Be decisive!

• Accept that you will be the “bad guy” and brace yourself for being blamed/slandered

Speaker Relations 101

• Find “anchor” speakers (those with large followings who would actively promote your event) EARLY.

• Don’t compromise speaker quality for fame

• Enforce speaker rules (speaking time, slide submissions deadlines, etc.)

• Encourage pre-conference networking between presenters

Sponsor Relations 101

• Get inside the heads of your prospective sponsors (What are their priorities?)

• Deliver value to sponsors without compromising the core values of TED

• Be a contrarian; reach out to unconventional (but well-heeled) businesses looking for visibility with your attendees

Engaging the Public

• Have a dedicated staffer minding PR

• Establish a consistent policy of how to deal with negative people; TEDxBerkeley was forced to reject over 900 applicants and a few of them unleashed their wrath online

• Engage in productive conversations with community beyond our live attendees (the Hub spillover unconference)

Build in buffers for the unexpected/surprises/drama

TEDx Roadblocks

• Rejected attendees drama

• Speaker friction

• TED HQ

• Logistical nightmares

“Brick walls are there for a reason - they let us prove how badly we want something.”

- Randy Pausch, CMU

Maggie Clough, MFT </life>

http://bit.ly/MaggieMFT

Lessons from TEDx

• PLAN AHEAD. Build lots of buffers (financial, deadlines, otherwise) - you WILL use them. Do not wait four weeks before the event to hire the executive committee

• HIRE WELL. Bring in top-notch people

• BUILD ALLIES (with TED, non-overlapping communities, businesses, schools etc.)

Four Things

• Recruit quality people

• Get commitments from good speakers EARLY

• Proactively engage with the public/sponsors

• Build in buffers for the unexpected/surprises/drama (and expect to use it)

Thank You

Kai Chang 張敦楷

twitter: @kaichangwww.kaichang.com

www.autoblogger.net