There is definitely an audience for both (and other) kinds of conferences. I’m one of the volunteers for TEDxCanberra – and coincidentally, about half the volunteers are also involved in running the annual BarCamp Canberra. So I confidently say that there is a place for both types, and they can complement each other.

Also worth considering are the different stages people may be at regarding their engagement with the ideas culture on show at TEDx and BarCamps. TEDx’s high profile and presenter/conference style is likely to be a great place for people to start, while BarCamp might be better for people that are a little further along and ready to dive in. Some people really struggle to understand the unconference style until they see it with their own eyes – so it can be hard to attract people that aren’t already into the ideas scene.

Generalising about either TEDx or BarCamp is tricky as each event under those banners can be quite different. TEDxSydney looks like its on the way to matching the original TED in terms of production values. Many other TEDx events are tiny by comparison, perhaps taking place in a large tute room at a uni.

For those people that have been engaged in this space for a while now, I can totally see how a glut of ideas with no action is frustrating. Without action, ideas aren’t worth much. But a key role for these gatherings is to bring in people that are new to these ideas and motivate them to take action. This in part explains why events like TEDxSydney would invite people to attend – its a way to include people that are ‘not the usual suspects’ that are already part of the ideas community. We’ll do something similar for TEDxCanberra via a ticket lottery if demand exceeds the number of seats in the theatre.

Each of these events has some newcomers – so while we are enjoying hanging out with our tribe, we should keep an eye out for these people and make sure they feel welcome while also pointing out the opportunities act.

Thanks for the replies Alan and really good points. We do need more good ideas and that “stick ratio” is probably 50:1 rather than 1:1.

My point about the pollies and business people is more about them being in the audience and listening. I’m genuinely concerned we’ve developed a managerial culture in the corporate and political worlds that disregards and may even be hostile to ideas that come from outside their organisations. I suspect this is the main reason for the malaise we see in modern politics.

Congratulations to you, the organising committee who kindly allow me to attend and the dozens of hard working volunteers who pulled off a very smooth and successful event.

Hopefully we will see homes watching TED video rather than toddlers falling off swings or distressed families being bullied by check-in clerks in the near future.

I suppose the high production values and high demand for tickets might make TEDxSydney seem elitist, or somehow less ‘real’ than an unConference. But it’s important to remember that everyone involved in producing TEDxSydney is an unpaid volunteer, working in many cases for months out from the event.

More importantly, many of the speakers at the 2010 and 2011 events had not spoken at an event of this scale before. I assure you, it’s terrifying on that big stage. If they came across as slick and professional, that’s surely to be celebrated as a personal achievement for them, not grounds for suspecting them of being more sizzle than steak.

TEDxSydney’s organisers go to considerable effort to try and select an audience on only two criteria; it must be (a) diverse; and (b) interesting. The quiet lady working with villagers in Chiapas may well have been selected if she’d applied. Let’s not assume she wouldn’t have been. Celebs — business or political — are subject to the same selection criteria. Perhaps many of those who applied were felt to be doing nothing more interesting than trying to stay in government or make huge profits? I know, it’s unlikely, but… 😉

Speaking of which, to Stilgherrian’s point, I think it’s important to consider how many ideas we need to throw at society to get one to stick — my bet is that it’s not a 1-to-1 ratio, and that reducing the number of new ideas wouldn’t increase the number of new ideas implemented.

Ideas still have some historical baggage to overcome — that ideas are only the domain of a certain class of people, that all the big ideas must be adopted by various kinds of people ‘in charge’ before they will affect society, and that individual action won’t make a difference.

I hope events like SIBSyd and TEDxSydney are playing a part in breaking down those misconceptions. TEDxSydney’s Remo Giuffre talks about “ideas as entertainment” as a deliberate strategy. Would you rather households watched “Australia’s Funniest Home Videos” on a Saturday night or the latest TED Talks?

And if we’re not seeing enough new ideas get up and implemented, well… [points to the ideas] …pick one… 😉

Despite the elitist label applied to TED and TEDx events, at TEDxSydney the org committee goes to considerable effort to try and select an audience on only two criteria; it must be (a) diverse; and (b) interesting.