Surrey’s TEDxBearCreekPark attracted more than 3,000 viewers from around the world on March 27.
Video of this year’s virtual event is now posted to YouTube, with clips of the dozen guest speakers talking about a variety of subjects.
“This year’s Surrey-based TEDx event was an unparalleled success,” said Alan Warburton, event licensee and curator.
COVID restrictions prevented an in-person audience from gathering, so free online access was offered.
“A worldwide audience spanning 30 countries enjoyed a full range of stimulating ideas, excitement, and entertainment,” said Warburton, a retired school principal who lives in the Ocean Park area.
• RELATED STORY, from Feb. 26: Surrey TEDx talks move online with ‘fast-paced’ event that’s free to watch.
The three-hour morning broadcast featured 12 talks, four musical interludes, a video introducing the City of Surrey to the audience and prize draws from local businesses worth $1,000.
Warburton said the virtual event “wasn’t our first choice, but it pushed us to be more creative and inventive. And to avoid that Zoomed-out feeling we’re all experiencing, we kept the event fun, fast-paced and full of learning. The response was overwhelmingly positive. I am so proud of all of our speakers and our volunteer teams.”
He said the 2021 event culminated after months of planning and production. The process began last June with the hunt for outstanding ideas and speakers. More than 90 potential speakers engaged with TEDxBearCreekPark, Warburton said, and by the end of 2020, the final list of speakers was narrowed to 12. Then began an “intensive preparation period,” he noted.
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PICTURED: Alan Warburton, TEDxBearCreekPark event licensee and curator. (file photo)
The 2020 TEDxBearCreekPark attracted close to 900 people Surrey’s Bell Performing Arts Centre, prior to the pandemic.
“It’s our plan to return to the Bell (theatre) in 2022, bigger and better than ever,” Warburton said in a post-event news release. “In fact, we’ve already started.”
Event details are posted to tedxbearcreekpark.ca.
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