The Success of the TEDx Leipzig International School Event
Tina, Lia, Linnéa, and I, four CAS students, organized and hosted the third TEDx Leipzig International School event in the aula on Saturday, 10 June 2023. Our aim was to deliver impactful speeches that would inspire our audience. The theme of the event was „A Journey to Discovery“ which gave our speakers a large array of different topics. They could present a speech about self-discovery or modern discoveries in technology, which all adhered to the same overarching theme. In their speeches, they delved into the challenges they faced during their journey, the creative solutions they devised, and the invaluable lessons they learned along the way.
But why did we choose to host a TEDx event in the first place? There were many compelling reasons. Firstly, organising such an event was a learning journey in itself. It equipped us with a new range of skills, from event planning to leadership and public speaking, that will undoubtedly serve us well in the future. Secondly, we were deeply curious about the outcomes of the event, both in terms of audience impact and speaker insights which also led us to choosing the theme, „A Journey to Discovery“.
Another tough skill that had to be learnt for the event was the behind-the-scenes technology, which included the lighting of the stage and the microphones. Tina meticulously handled this skill, creating a thematic effect with the lighting different for every different situation. As well as that, Linnéa coordinated the catering service for the event. I integrated the captivating artworks that Mr. Lewis kindly allowed us to present at the event and we were fortunate enough to feature a musical performance by our fellow grade 12 classmates, Doreen and Mila, who sang „Another Love“ by Tom Odell. These extra details really helped contribute to the success of our TEDx event.
The event’s most critical element was undoubtedly the selection of speakers. Surprisingly, finding individuals willing to share their journey to their discovery stories was far from being a challenge. We were reassured by the overwhelming enthusiasm from both students within our school community and external contributors. In the end, we curated a diverse panel of 10 speakers, half of whom were students from our school. Our goal was to showcase a wide array of backgrounds and thought-provoking stories. For instance, Webster, a former LIS student, shared his experiences as a third-culture kid, while Nicolas, a Grade 12 student, discussed the importance of self-love and self-respect for a balanced lifestyle.
However, the road to TEDx success was not without its obstacles. The initial application process began in December 2022 and we only sent the application to TED at the end of January 2023, which meant it took us a substantial amount of time to write the application. Writing the application was the first step, since we need to obtain a licence from TED to allow us to host an independently organised TEDx event. It took over eight weeks for our application to be accepted, a long time in which we couldn’t make much planning progress, since we didn’t know if our application would even be accepted by TED. Ensuring adherence to TED’s standards was also another obstacle we were faced with, since there were many rules that we were required to pay careful attention to.
Marketing and design played a pivotal role as well. Red and black was the colour scheme of our event, which was inspired by TED’s signature colours from their official events. Furthermore, we wanted to portray a futuristic look for our posters to create eye-catching and theme-relevant posters and tickets. Lia created posters that succeed in doing just that. Moreover, we had to reach out to various stakeholders for our event, such as caterers, speakers, and our CAS supervisor, Ms. Roessner, which initially proved to be a daunting task, but with time and experience, our communication skills improved.
On the day of the event, there were numerous details to coordinate, including managing our helpers for the event. This hands-on experience further sharpened our organisational skills. As for the audience, the primary target was students, given that the event was held at school. However, we also aimed to engage the LIS community, teachers, and parents, as many of the speeches touched on future choices and possibilities. Our marketing efforts were mainly confined to the school premises, limiting the event’s reach.
Reflecting on the experience, there were valuable lessons that we learned. We acknowledged the need to expedite the application process and focus on event organisation earlier. In addition, we recognize the importance of considering weather conditions, especially when hosting an event in a room without air conditioning. Unfortunately, we could not open the windows during the night to ventilate the aula.
In conclusion, the TEDx event was not only a successful event that was captivating and engaging, but also a celebration of the power of discovery and spreading ideas. Through our hard work and resilience through the planning process of the event, we left a lasting impact on both our personal growth and hopefully on fellow audience members. The event was a reminder that the journey to discovery is not just about reaching a destination but also about the transformative experiences along the way.
written by Trixie, grade 12