Fearless speakers for TEDx PoS

THIS year's TEDx Port of Spain, like almost every event since March, is going virtual for its tenth anniversary.

The TEDx co-ordinators had big plans for this milestone event. The speakers were chosen by January, and to celebrate the tenth anniversary, TEDx would have been held on the tenth day of the tenth month. When they realised the event would not happen, plans were first cancelled, but Dennise Demming, co-licence owner of TEDx Port of Spain, said she knew the group had to celebrate despite the pandemic.

"We became competent in an in-person conference and covid happened, so we've had to pivot away from an in-person conference to a virtual online conference...For a long time we were immobilised by fear. We decided no matter what, we would have it. We wanted to have it on the tenth of the tenth, but we pushed it back. We can't have the tenth anniversary pass and covid stop us. That's why we had it on October 24," Demming said.

TEDx is using a platform called Hubilo, a virtual event platform, in addition to Zoom for tomorrow's event.

"The platform, laid on top of Zoom, gives you a virtual experience. We are trying to mimic a new approach. It virtual-mimics what we've been accustomed to with our in-person experience...If we were having it at Queen's Hall, you would walk into the lobby, see who our partners are, see our exhibitors and then walk into the room.”

So there will be a virtual lobby.

"Just like if you walk into Queen's Hall you would have a welcome desk. It is a similar thing, but it is a flat, virtual experience."

Last year, the theme was "Opportunity," but Demming said more than ever 2020 needs to be inspired by fearless speakers.

"It turned out to be such a wonderful theme for this year."The speakers are climate law and governance specialist Rueanna Haynes; former TT footballer Shaka Hislop; business integrity teacher Angélique Parisot-Potter; economist Marla Dukharan; animation teacher Camille Selvon Abrahams; international lawyer and artist Justin Sobion; writer and activist Angelique Nixon; poet and social entrepreneur Jean-Claude Cournand; senior producer and writer with the BET Network Kara Barnett; development storyteller and journalist Golda Lee Bruce; and programme director at the Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI) in Washington DC, Abby Charles.

The TEDx Port of Spain team has a database of people whose ideas are worth spreading, but the speakers must be "humble," and their speeches must fit the theme.

"Angelique Parisot-Potter is an interesting speaker. She has championed the values of speaking out when you see things that are wrong. Integrity is very important for us at the moment."

Parisot-Potter's talk will be about fearless integrity. The daughter of famous wrestler Ray Apollon, she is the executive vice president of business integrity and group general counsel of Massy Group. She oversees the legal affairs of the group globally and works with senior leadership to create a speak up and listen up culture so secrets cannot thrive and issues within the company are raised and dealt with quickly.

"She has survived the corporate jungle, but still retained her integrity. We described her as a true Trini, with a Trinidadian father, a French mother and born in Germany. We said her fearlessness comes from her father. She represents integrity, and for her to walk away from corporate life because things were not working as they should, that's what we need in life. Integrity in life has slipped."

Cournand is the founder of 2 Cents Movement, a social enterprise that teaches and mentors people in spoken word poetry. He is the 2018 Queen's Young Leader for his work in 2 Cent and a Chevening scholar. He will talk to people about dreaming big.

"Jean-Claude is a young man who had big dreams and continues to have big dreams. His talk is not letting dreams bound you by your space. He started 2 Cent Movement. He went on to be recognised by the queen and epitomises dreaming big."

Hislop will give a motivational talk about how TT nationals travel all over the world, get jobs and do well in their field.

"He will be talking about our potential as a people. Shaka was a late selection, but most of our speakers were chosen from last year. Shaka was a late choice, but he is such an inspiring young man. We pulled him forward because he represents hope for our future."

Bruce, a former journalist, talks about the importance of empathy and genuinely connecting with people.

"Golda Lee Bruce starts the talk by saying she went to cover a death of a child, and she wanted to reach out to the mother and put her hand on her shoulder, but because she was there in her capacity as a reporter she did not do it.

“She is saying no matter what we do, we have to reach out and help people. She will be talking about empathy, humanity and being vulnerable. If we want to reach out to people who are grieving, we reach out. Covid is telling us to do the opposite."

Usually, TEDx costs $500, with advance tickets costing $200. This year, the conference is free.

"It is free because we don't know what we are doing. We didn't know if we would get the traction, or if people are fed up of Zoom. We (would) rather have a free 500-person event than a paid five-person event."

But the TEDx team is asking participants to make a donation to help pay for the costs of the event.

"Nothing is free. We are in a studio. We have to pay for all the graphics and editing. Asking our attendees to make a contribution."

The talks are all pre-recorded and edited. Five of the speakers are in TT and were filmed on the iconic red circle which x TED talks are known for.

"We are trying to mimic the in-hall experience. We put people in the studio, so you are getting the same red-circle TED talks. We've done that with the five local speakers. Our six foreign-based speakers, we got them to do their presentation wherever they could – in the home, in a garden, We tried to shoot them in a long shot so it isn't a face talking to you."

Though the speeches are pre-recorded, the host will be live, the speakers will be present, there will be a chat-along and audience members can ask questions.

"It is not a Zoom (webinar) at all. It is like a well-produced film. One of the things about TED talks is that it was always an edited version. What we have now is an edited version and what was changed the TED talk, all the conferencing bit has disappeared. The platform will still give you an opportunity to meet people, but you're not getting the tactile bit of it. But you are still getting the chance to meet people. It is not a face-to-face, but it is still a reach-out."

Demming cannot predict whether live events will ever happen again in a world with covid19 but wishes there were.

"Our preference is to be human beings (with) an understanding of what the world was like when we got together, and we would like to get back to that

"But for us to host another TEDx conference: I don't know. I really don't know."

The conference will be held tomorrow at 8 pm at http://tedxportofspain.com/conference/