For the third year in a row, Modmacro will be part of TEDxTemecula as an event sponsor. Held annually in the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, TEDxTemecula has become an event that many locals (and even some out-of-towners) look forward to attending every year. Due to its popularity, event organizers expect that TEDxTemecula 2018 will be a sold out event, as it has been in years past.
This year, TEDxTemecula will be held on September 29, 2018 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, with a private speaker reception after that for a limited number of guests. The 2018 theme is “Absurdity.” As the official TEDxTemecula website explains, “When we explore our world, a lot of what we find could be considered absurd. Let’s seek out the absurdity around us and see what we learn together.” Past TEDxTemecula themes have been “On the Brink,” “Reverberate,” “Masquerade,” “Inside Out,” “The Next Stage,” and “Sunshine Through the Mist.”
What to Expect at a TEDxTemecula Event
Arrive a little early on the morning of the TEDxTemecula event. Get checked in, and then take advantage of the opportunity to mix and mingle with other guests. There are usually photo-op stations, where you can take pictures with TEDxTemecula-branded signs and backdrops. In years past, there has also been coffee and a light snack available before you are ushered into the theater for the official start of the event.
The day will feature multiple speakers, who will address a variety of topics. As of this writing, the lineup of speakers has yet to be released, but should be soon. If you join the TEDxTemecula mailing list, you will be among the first to be informed when the speakers are announced, and will receive other event news and updates as they are released.
Speeches at past TEDxTemecula events have been on topics as varied as homelessness, volunteerism, Shakespeare, and sustainable farming. No topics seem to be off limits for TEDxTemecula speakers. Some talks are controversial, while others are more inspirational. Still others are informative or thought-provoking.
The event also showcases local artists—and with a theme like “Adsurdity,” we can’t wait to see what performers will take the stage this year! Our favorite performer last year was a pre-teen opera prodigy that wowed the audience with her incredible voice and the stage presence of a seasoned professional.
Event organizers will also sprinkle in videos of popular TED Talks, like this very interesting talk that they showed at last year’s TEDxTemecula event:
As in years past, we anticipate that this year’s TEDxTemecula event will feature speakers who are forward-thinking, who have a unique perspective on life, or who have a high level of expertise on a subject that people could benefit from hearing about. The Modmacro team members who have attended past TEDxTemecula events have come away inspired and with lots of fuel for stimulating conversations. We don’t always agree with everything the speakers have to say, but their speeches are almost always though-provoking, interesting, or inspiring.
Your ticket to the TEDxTemecula includes a locally sourced lunch, as well as wine from a local Temecula winery. The casual lunch break in between the morning and afternoon sessions affords a lot of opportunity to meet and mingle with the other TEDxTemecula attendees and discuss the morning’s talks and performances.
For the Modmacro team, our favorite part of the day is always the speaker reception following the afternoon session.
(We affectionately call it the “after party.”) The reception is reserved for guests who have purchased a special ticket that is separate from the TEDxTemecula general admission ticket. Only a limited number of reception tickets are available because the organizers like to make the reception a more intimate event in a smaller space near the theater, where attendees can have a good amount of access to the day’s speakers and event organizers.
It’s always great to be able to ask follow-up questions of the speakers about their talks and learn more about them as people. The format of the reception is such that attendees have the opportunity to talk with each speaker for a certain amount of time. In our experience, we’ve found the speakers to be very willing to engage in conversation and answer any questions we may have. If that wasn’t enough to get you excited about the speaker reception, they always have great snacks and more local wine to sample!
Overall, TEDxTemecula is an extremely professional and well-run event. Event organizers keep things moving and on schedule, without making things feel rushed. They allow ample time for casual discussion with other attendees before the event, as well as during the lunch break. Event volunteers are friendly and helpful, and the Old Town Temecula Community Theater is a comfortable venue for an all-day conference. Most importantly, the TEDxTemecula organizers do a great job of choosing a diverse group of speakers that are interesting and offer unique perspectives.
Last year, after the conclusion of the TEDxTemecula event and the speaker reception, our team was not quite ready for things to end. We decided to continue our conversation at a local downtown Temecula restaurant for a few more hours. When you’re still talking about an event hours and even days later, you know it was a successful event!
What’s the Difference Between a TED Event and TEDxTemecula?
There can be some confusion about what the difference is between a TED event and a TEDx event. They do have many similarities, but are not the same thing.
TED is a nonprofit organization founded in 1984 as a conference to showcase speakers on topics related to Technology, Entertainment, and Design (that’s what the acronym “TED” stands for, in case you didn’t know). Their mission is simply to “spread ideas.” Since 1990, they have held at least one annual conference, and speakers now come from all types of disciplines, including science, business, religion, and others. TED became a household name around 2006, when the first six TED Talk videos were posted online and very quickly went viral.
Since then, TED has become a global phenomenon. Videos posted online of TED Talks have more than a billion views, with an average of 17 new page views per second!
TEDx events, on the other hand, are local conferences that are organized and put on by members of the local community. Cities all around the globe hold their own TEDx events to feature speakers from their area who have ideas worth spreading. Like TED Talks, TEDx Talks are typically short (18 minutes or less), but powerful speeches given by presenters who are authorities on a given topic.
While TEDx events have many similarities to TED events, they are independent of the TED organization (the “x” in “TEDx” is meant to stand for “independently organized events”). However, all TEDx events operate under a license from TED. Local Temecula businessman Jim McLaughlin is the licensee of TEDxTemecula. He is also the one who leads the team of dedicated volunteers that makes TEDxTemecula happen every year.
The first TEDxTemecula event was held in 2012. The event attracted 55 attendees that year, and has been growing ever since. The last several years have been sold out, with more than 330 in attendance—packing out the Old Town Temecula Commmunity Theater.
How are TEDxTemecula Speakers Chosen?
Anyone can potentially become a TEDxTemecula speaker. The leadership team at TEDxTemecula is not necessarily looking for the most polished speakers in the Temecula Valley, rather, they try to find individuals with unique ideas or perspectives who can add value to those in attendance. To apply to be a speaker at TEDxTemecula, an individual only needs to submit a two-minute video that describes the idea they wish to share. Videos can be casual and conversational—they don’t need to be professionally produced and speakers don’t need to be “stage ready” at the time of their submission video.
Every speaker selected to present at TEDxTemecula goes through speech coaching by the TEDxTemecula team. By the time they hit the stage, their speeches have been refined, and presenters have been coached in speech delivery techniques. Occasionally, you may sense some nerves in the TEDxTemecula speakers—they are mostly amateur speakers after all—but for the most part, the speakers do a great job of communicating their idea or message to the audience and keeping listeners engaged.
Part of what makes TEDxTemecula such a great experience is that you are hearing from everyday people from the Temecula community. They typically aren’t people who make a living as inspirational or motivational speakers. They are your neighbors who live and work and make a difference in the Temecula community. You come away with a sense of pride in your community, knowing there are people with game-changing ideas, and those who are already making an impact locally.
Attending TEDxTemecula or Becoming an Event Sponsor
Modmacro is proud to be an event sponsor of TEDxTemecula 2018, and several members of our team will be attending the day-long conference again this year. If you would like to join us, you can purchase tickets here. General event admission is $49.11 after all of the fees are included, and the speaker reception is an additional $42.42.
Make sure you let us know that you’ll be there, so we can look for you and save you a seat near our team! And don’t wait too long to purchase your tickets, because the event is expected to sell out, and tickets are usually not available the day of the event. If you’ve ever been to the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, you know that it’s not a huge venue. However, it does make for a more intimate gathering.
In addition to the stimulating talks, quality entertainment, and great food at the event, we’ve found it to be an excellent networking opportunity. The people that typically attend TEDxTemecula are the type of people we love to work with at Modmacro—those who are interested in taking part in thought-provoking conversations and challenging the status quo. We’ve made some excellent connections there, and know others have as well.
If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor of this year’s TEDxTemecula conference, you can read more about that here. Even the most basic event sponsorship level gives you an ad in the TEDxTemecula event program, recognition on their official website, and free tickets to the event. Higher levels of sponsorship have additional benefits that you may find attractive, like getting your business or organization mentioned from the TEDxTemecula stage or having a display table at the event. We’ve found being involved with TEDxTemecula in this way to be very beneficial, and we enjoy supporting such a great organization that brings so much to the community of Temecula.
If you’d like to learn more about TEDxTemecula, their website contains a wealth of information, including videos of past speeches and performances.
