I attended my first TEDx ChemungRiver conference this past weekend at CMoG. I was nervous about going alone to an event that promised I’d leave with new friends. For some reason, I pictured embarrassing team-building games… Like freshman-year college orientation when sitting in a circle someone hands you M&Ms and doesn’t tell you not to eat them, so you eat them… only to find out you needed them in order to play the game, and everyone laughs at you when you confess that you ate them immediately upon receipt (true story of my first day of college). Luckily, TEDx wasn’t like that at all. In fact, the entire event was excellent. Do not miss one in the future.
A lot of people that I asked thought this was a conference about sustaining the Chemung River; it’s not. TEDx ChemungRiver is a day-long event about creativity, new ideas, entertainment, and community. It’s a great time. I must confess, I did not know what to expect from the speakers… A photographer, a corning executive, a tap dancer, a local school administrator, among others… ?my excitement level was mild going in. But from the moment I stepped into the CMoG auditorium, I knew this was going to be something special. The atmosphere was just… right on. They did a fantastic job making the space comfortable and creative. The audience seating was a mix of funky chairs (? la?Pure Design) and theatre seats. Even the stage was fun to look at:
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. This event covered all of that, but I got a lot more out of this than just listening to the talks. ?I won’t go on about each speaker, and I am hesitant to even link to the event video, because half of the experience is being there [I will say that I particularly loved the talk / mind blowing tap routine by Andrew Nemr about love and loss.] I met and talked with people in the community, I made some potential friends, and I had a great time… all without M&Ms. Don’t miss it next year!
Myles Lasco
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