How do we deliver on-brand events for you in 2021?

The unprecedented global pandemic ushered in a sense of the unknown. With uncertainty in all aspects of life, short-term thinking replaced long-term planning. With annual calendars out the window, the focus became on the present, grounded in the here and now. We would find ourselves asking how can we support, encourage and engage our community in the next month? In the next two months? 

Like all workplaces worldwide, TEDxMelbourne pivoted into the virtual space in 2020. While the outside world was scary, it gave us an opportunity to support our community in new ways through TEDxMelbourne Circles, a series of interactive experiences where we met-up online for conversations about ideas. Alongside this, we launched a whole new format, the TEDxMelbourne Music Salon: “United” as for the first time in living memory, everyone in every corner of the globe was experiencing the same threat – it highlighted the universality of human experience, much like music offers a universal language. Our new website also went live, ushering in a new era of connection beyond events, creating a platform for our community to share ideas.

As Melbourne started to open up once again and we emerged into a hybrid virtual and in-person world, we recognised the need to continue to adapt and innovate at speed, as we had done during 2020. The question became about how we continue the momentum to engage our community and create new experiences that align with our brand values? To do this we partnered with leading Strategic Design agency Prime Motive, who offered co-design expertise and collaboration to help us engage with our community. 

Working closely with TEDxMelbourne’s diverse community volunteers, attendees and partners in a series of virtual and in-person events, Prime Motive used strong leadership and management of stakeholders to tease out ideas and offer crucial insights to the leadership team to help inform TEDxMelbourne’s creative and strategic vision for the future. 

During the sessions with Prime Motive, it became clear that TEDxMelbourne’s ethos of sharing ideas that encourage curiosity, creativity, courage and connectedness is as strong as it’s ever been, with the pandemic unable to dampen the appetite for inspiring events. 

So, what’s coming up for TEDxMelbourne? Off the back of our sessions with Prime Motive, we are excitedly planning and prepping our calendar of immersive and thought-provoking events and can’t wait to share what we have planned!