TEDx Brussels has long had the ambition to reach out to students and involve them more in what we do. We’ve always had a good student presence at the event including both attendees and volunteers. In 2011 we tested a new concept with the VUB in Brussels: that they would show our free webstream live in the the University Theatre while TEDx Brussels was under way at Bozar. It was a huge success with students and professors dropping in and out throughout the day to listen to talks. The University had total autonomy to put on the kind of event they thought was best suited to their audience, and to promote their screening however they wished.
After that we were contacted by so many other Universities who’d heard about it and wanted to do the same thing, that it became clear we had to take action. So… we opened the idea up to all the Universities in Belgium. The result is a distributed TEDx Brussels event on a massive scale. Almost EVERY University in Belgium is involved, with a huge variety of different types of events. We sorted out sponsorship for refreshments, support for organisation, discounted tickets to win and technical advice for the live feed from Bozar. We’ve had some amazing support form student organisations such as AIESEC and AFC and of course from each individual university student organisation. In terms of audience numbers; we expect a minimum of 2300 students following TEDxBrussels and entering the conversation with our live audience and our speakers via Social Media.
Of course we know that people watch the same things at the same time, this summer’s Olympics, the Euro soccer championship etc. but we think this is a bit different. TEDx Brussels has a large live audience at Bozar of 2,000 people but, at a time when the whole notion of liveness is subject to question, we’re reaching more people in real time than ever before. This TEDx Brussels initiative is very much in the spirit of openness, transparency and sharing and is intended to bring great content directly to students on their own doorsteps.
Universities taking part are: Vrije Universiteit Brussel - Université Libre de Bruxelles - Institut Catholique des Hautes Etudes Commerciales - Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel - University of Antwerp - University of Ghent – KU Leuven – Louvain la Neuve Université - FUCAM – Université de Mons - ICHEC Liege - Vlerick Gent Leuven Management School.
Tune in online on November 12 at www.tedxbrussels.eu
