There have been unforgettable ones. Catalina, who came to the stage in a wheelchair and moved the entire room, “not because of the handicap, it’s because of the story itself.” Ruben, a Dutch speaker on football, who had a bicycle accident the night before and went on stage anyway, in considerable pain. And last year, Anfel, a 14-year-old who by Thanasis’s account was unbelievable. Ask him who he would dream of putting on the stage and the question doesn’t quite land. “I believe that a lot of us have important things to say; the more we work on them, the more they become ideas worth sharing. The star is the collectiveness of the event and the audience itself.”
He is refreshingly direct on what actually makes an event matter. “Engagement is even more important nowadays. You could raise a million dollars, but if no one shows up, what was it worth?”
Between editions, Geneva keeps him occupied. The lake, the MAMCO, the ethnographic museums he returns to again and again. “Every time you go there, you can learn something. We are really privileged to live in such a place.” It is a feeling that runs through everything he describes: curiosity, collective effort, and a genuine attachment to this city. TEDx Geneva, now in its thirteenth year, is a good place for all three.
This year’s edition takes place on Saturday, November 21st at the Salle Plainpalais, eleven speakers across art, health, technology, digital society, and science, united by a human-centric thread. Two hours, ten minutes per speaker, no PowerPoint slides. Just people, ideas, and a room full of listeners.
Walking away from the call, I thought about what it takes to give that much of yourself to something that asks for nothing back financially, year after year. Thanasis has an answer for that too, even if he never quite says it directly. The people. Always the people.
Tickets and information at ted.com/tedx/events/68558.
