tedxberkeley - eventtechcon 2010 talk
Post on 21-Oct-2014
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Slides from my 10 minute presentation on lessons learned from running TEDxBerkeleyTRANSCRIPT
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