TEDxKC organizer Mike Lundgren previews this year’s conference at the Kauffman Center
If you haven’t been online in the last three years, it’s possible you haven’t heard of TED talks, the bite-sized presentations that attempt to explain grand ideas or theories in 18 minutes. Starting in 2006, TED (technology, entertainment and design) talks were published free online for anyone with time to burn. Presentations push ideas from experts on topics as varied as global warming, the future of personal electronics, and how to tie your shoes.
The TED organization wasn’t always an educational tool for the masses. Annual TED conferences began in 1990 as gatherings of A-list thinkers entertaining cultural and financial A-listers in Long Beach, California. Bill Gates, James Cameron and Richard Dawkins have given presentations. Anyone wanting to attend had to be vetted through an application process; those deemed worthy were charged four-figure entry fees — $6,000 in recent years.
After the videos were released for public consumption in 2006, TED’s reputation shifted. No longer a high-minded elitist cabal, TED was seen as a global educational resource. Another significant change: In 2009, the nonprofit began licensing conferences — branded TEDx — to organizers in cities around the world.
