When TEDWomen was announced, there was a mix of reactions. Some said, “Finally! At last!” Others wondered why TED needed to enter these particular waters. The people in between—those that were happy to take a wait and see approach—still wondered how it would come out. Would it be yet another women’s conference that fit stereotypes? Or would it be truly different?
As usual, the proof is in the pudding. TEDWomen was a mighty thunderous success. All of the presentations were ones that would have been home at any TED event. In fact, TEDWomen proved itself to be not so much a conference for women, but instead it was a conference about women. I think that every man that was in attendance would easily agree with me. It was inspirational, moving, and thought provoking. Just like a TED event should be.
TEDWomen was an extremely condensed version of TED. There were as many speakers as a normal TED event in half the time. To say that it was intense is an understatement of the first degree. I wouldn’t have taken anything out of the program, mind you. The program was excellent. It flowed majestically and culminated in a triumphant crescendo of awesome. June and Pat did a masterful job with finding the right speakers and putting them into the right order. But, this was the most potent and compressed version of the TED formula yet. It’s unclear to me whether TED administered at this strength should be an approved dosage.
The event was an extremely hot ticket. Over the last few months, I’ve been asked by a number of women about how a ticket could be scored. Or, barring that, did I need need an assistant to run cards? Sadly, I couldn’t help anybody in that way. The event was mobbed and there were no extra tickets to be had anywhere. The idea of bringing a TED event to focus on women’s issues obviously resonated very loudly with women all over the world.
Note that I said women in that last sentence. That highlights the only thing about the event I really wish had been different. While I personally love being in a room almost entirely composed of smart, intelligent, and motivated women, I was disappointed that there weren’t a few more men in attendance. Many of the issues covered will take men and women working together to address. We need both genders to work together to make the world better for all. Thankfully, the ideas let loose on the world at TEDWomen will spread to an audience of both men and women online via TED Talks.