News about TEDxGeneva 2011-2012

TEDx GenevaBlog

It’s a difficult update I am posting today, bringing (temporary) bad news for TEDxGeneva fans, as I am writing to announce that this edition of TEDxGeneva is cancelled.

When I first applied for the TEDx license 3 years ago, it was a simple yet ambitious task to organize a 100% free all-day event for more than 200 people, and promote a brand still relatively unknown in this region. After 3 years, this fun and somewhat informal project has evolved into a more serious endeavor, which raised more questions and caused us to really ask ourselves what our goals are, and where we want this event to go.

As it is to be expected, the TEDx program has evolved and matured year after year. While the original spirit is the same, our directions have grown differently in some aspects, and what we were preparing for TEDxGeneva also evolved with its own direction and momentum, growing into something quite different from the two previous editions, and from other recent TEDx events.

So, rather than bringing you a “hybrid” half-cooked event, we finally took the decision to postpone the original event, and explore where our new project would lead us. Eventually, the plan is to organize both these events, which have become quite different from one another, and hopefully satisfy twice as much your craving for interesting conferences and inspiring conversations.

So, this edition of TEDxGeneva is cancelled, but, will we organize another one in December or next spring? Unfortunately, I can’t answer this question yet, as it will depend on whether or not TED organizers will renew our license or not. But I will of course let you know as soon as I get the answer.

Lastly, I remind you that if you want to be kept informed of our news and activities, you can subscribe to our mailing list at http://fairward.org/subscribe (it is powered by Google Groups, and you can unsubscribe at any time), and/or follow our Twitter @Fairward.

Thanking you again for your support, and looking forward to sending you good news very soon.

Sincerely,
Yves Bennaim

P.S.: Since TEDxGeneva is leaving some free time this month, and since Human Rights is definitely an idea worth spreading, I would like to personally plug another event (to which I am not related, and I am not organizing, but I thought it deserved some support) which is taking place tomorrow Tuesday, March 13, from 9am to 17:30, at the Geneva International Conference Center. For more details, visit http://www.genevasummit.org