The Hack: Use your network to find great content, speakers, partners, suppliers and performers.
Andrei Dinu wrote his dissertation on Organizing a TED event in Romania in 2008 before TEDx was conceived. He focused on the benefits, what to do and how it would work out. He says, "TED found me, and I found TED." He loves partnering and curating and believes that the highest level of event production in the world today can be found on the TED stage.
He's doing something that is fascinating, called Open Mic. This year, he held it in conjunction with TEDLive by partnering with a local Cinema. The top three winners were invited to his 2017 event.
I liked his focus on long-term relationships with partners. His oldest has been with them for five years. He even will give partners the benefits of working with them, even if they have to take a year off in-between due to budget constraints. That's an interesting idea.
Normal people would give up."Andrei Dinu, Organizer
The Lightning Round
Tell us a bit about your background and your TEDx origin story.
Andrei's wife showed him the Hans Rowling TED talk in 2007 when he was in college. His fascination with event production led him to learn as much as he could about TED, leading to his dissertation on How to produce a TED event in 2008. He's always loved the behind-the-scenes work.
How many TEDx events have you worked with or produced?
In 2009, he heard about TEDx but learned that the TEDxBucharest name was already taken, so he contacted the organizers and met them for a beer and ended up joining and collaborating. He's been working ever since.
What makes your TEDx unique?
He focuses on making sure that the curation of the speakers is aligned with the theme of the event, he believes this sets them apart and creates a better user experience. They are always sold out and have a peak of 1,100 people at their event.
What’s your Superpower?
Partnering for sure, but he loves curating. He scans the local news all year long for ideas worthy of the stage. He says he has a 'nose for news.' Ironically, even though he came in via the event production door, he doesn't see that as his superpower.
What was the biggest surprise while working on your event?
"How things always work out, even when you can't see the finish line."
Every event has its challenges, what was the biggest dragon you had to overcome?
Keeping up with everyone's wants and needs. This includes the team, partners and or course, the speakers.
What’s one piece of advice you have for veteran organizers? For first-timers?
Know when to say no. This was about potential partners. (Host Note: This is important. Think about curating your partners as much as you curate your audience and the speakers.)
Looking forward to your next event, what excites you the most?
This theme: Uncommon Sense. He's got lots of great ideas for speakers and content. They're also going to be in a bigger venue, so more space to play with.
What’s a TEDx event that you’d like to attend?
TEDxSydney
The show is called Hacking the Red Circle, so what's your best hack?
Using your network to find great content, speakers, partners, suppliers, and performers. Just ask.
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Lara Stein – Founder of TEDx
On the first day of TED2019 in Vancouver, Randy Bretz, TEDxLincoln, Emeritus, and I were honored to interview the founder of TEDx, Lara Stein.