When we organized the first edition of TEDxUHasselt back in November 2011, we were limited to 100 attendees because of our license with TED. Since much more people applied for a ticket and many of them had to be disappointed, we decided to set up a livestream.

However, livestreams traditionally are very static experiences; they don’t quite give you that feeling of actually being at the conference. In cooperation with the Hasselt University EDM research centre, TEDxUHasselt developed an interactive 360 degrees livestream – as the first TEDx in the world – which provides an experience that goes way beyond the traditional livestream.

TEDxUHasselt founder Rutger Bevers had the honor to give a talk about our unique livestream at TEDxSummit, the TED-organized conference for TEDx organizers. Check it out:

How can I get this livestream at my event?

A lot of people asked us this question! Since it’s a Hasselt University research project, you can’t just rent one somewhere at this moment. However, feel free to share your contact information and we’ll keep you up-to-date:

Day 4: D-Day for Rutger. It turned out to be the most epic day of the week.

In the morning, Rutger presented the TEDxUHasselt 360 degrees livestream on stage during a session on technical innovations and brilliant failures of TEDx conferences around the world. Rutger also explained the future possibilities of the technology for TEDxUHasselt. It went flawless. The audience (TEDx organizers from all over the world) listened and were amazed. After Rutger’s talk, many people approached us and asked about the technology.

After this, we attended several workshops. The first session Rutger went to ‘Speaker preparation’ and I went to ‘PR and Media Planning (PR + Press)’. We learned some tips and tricks that we surely can use in the preparation of our event. At 13h30 we both attended the same workshop ‘Deep Dive: Researching Speakers, Structuring and Pacing a Speaker Program (Speakers)’. Some things were interesting, but they also discussed a lot specific cases which are not that useful for us. The final workshop we attended was about ‘Collaborating with Other TEDx Events (Community)’. The most important thing they kept on stressing in that workshop was that we should start collaboration by giving each other a pint of beer.

In the evening, there was a closing night TED talk session with a lot of interesting speakers.
An overview of the speakers can be found here: http://tedxsummit.ted.com/closingnight/.
We found Juan Enriquez and Cesar Harada to be the most interesting speakers. Juan talked about ‘the next human species’ and Cesar showed us how he was re-inventing our relation to the sea. You should surely look those talks up!

After grabbing something to eat we went to the after party in the W-hotel. It looked pretty exclusive.. and rest assure, it was! The after party was in club-style on the balcony with a pool, cocktail bar, … At 2h00 they closed and we went to an after-after party in one of the hotel rooms in the Kempinski hotel. This was on the 58th floor, and it was a room with 3 floors on its own. It even had its own elevator.

We met a massive amount of new people on this day and it all started with Rutgers amazing presentation in the morning. Good job Rutger

The next morning we went to the MIA again for a picnic. We didn’t stay there for a long time, because we wanted to take a refreshing dive in the swimming pool of the hotel. In the afternoon we went to the Souq Waqif, the most famous local market in the region. We bought a lot of nice souvenirs for our family and especially for the TEDxUHasselt team.

In the evening there was a diner in the ballroom of the W hotel. This was a great opportunity to say goodbye to everyone we’ve met during this insane week. At night we got on our flight back home and now we are back in the ‘normal’ life..

The theme of the first ever TEDxSummit was “the power of X”. After a week working together and sharing ideas with TEDx organizers from around the world it became clear that this theme is spot-on. TEDx has u huge power for changing the world for the better.

One thing is for sure: me and Rutger went back to Belgium full of plans for TEDxUHasselt. And trust us, it’s going to be pretty awesome.

Finally, we want to end with a thank you to H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who financed the whole conference.

I was really looking forward to this day! And rightly so

Before I explain what we did in the desert, I have to disappoint you all.. I did not take any pictures today. Why? The TEDxSummit team strongly advised us not to bring any electronic equipment into the desert, because the sand would get everywhere and destroy it. So I did not took my smartphone with me, but once we arrived it was clear there was no problem at all using your electronic devices there.. Friends of me know that this is the moment where I would yell really loud: ‘FML!’.

So a day in the desert. The bus drove us from Doha to the desert border in the morning. Here we got on a convoy of SUVs which would bring us to the TEDxSummit tent site. (Yes, they actually had built a tent site for the Summit in the middle of the desert). And what a site it was. I can’t explain how nice it was there, it felt like paradise. You could ride camels, swim in the sea (there was a beach) or play some volleyball. The dunes were also really nice to take a stroll in.

At 11h00 we got together with many TEDx organizers from the Western Europe region. We talked about how we could improve our regional collaboration. It was interesting, and I am curious what actions will come forth out of this brainstorm session.

We could continue our discussion about this topic during the Working Lunch in the Tents. Because there was a long waiting line for the food, Rutger and me decided to do a camel ride. It was really short but we had loads of fun.

In the afternoon there were two Unconference sessions. This is basically a part of a conference where not the organizers, but the audience provides the content. Over a time period of two hours we could attend almost 60 sessions which we ourselves proposed and selected in advance. Rutger and me first attended ‘TEDx University: Students in the Driver’s Seat’. It was very clear that we are in a really good situation with our TEDx event (as in connections with the university). The next session I attended ‘Sharing our Successes AND our Failures’ and Rutger attended ‘15 Great TEDx Ideas – Lessons from TEDxMidwest’. Apparently the second session Rutger attended was really mind blowing, TEDxMidwest is a remarkable organization.

After the Unconference sessions we played some volleyball on the beach and watched people forming the biggest human TEDx logo. After that we had dinner and enjoyed some music from the Drum circle. When it started to get dark they suddenly created a large bonfire on the beach. I think it was around 15 to 20 meters high at the start.

We also talked to Chris Anderson and took a picture with him (Tim from TEDxGhent was so kind to borrow his camera). Apparently if you want to get on a picture with Chris you have to tell him about what you do besides organizing a TEDx event. The picture of me with him is really strange (like bad) but Rutger got a nice picture out of it.

We hung around for a little bit longer and then returned to the hotel. Rutger is practicing his talk for tomorrow about the 360° livestream we used. He will present it to all the TEDx organizers, so it really is a big thing. We hope many people get curious about it and follow our next conference! All get your thumbs up for him tomorrow between 8h00 and 9h30!

Damn, it’s wednesday evening already… I don’t want this to end!

Today was extremely interesting. Rutger and me got many useful information and new ideas for the future of our event. In the end it’s actually no surprise, because this is what TEDxSummit is all about.

This morning we had a Welcome Session at the TEDxSummit Dome. We got to see the TEDxSummit intro video: The power of X. This thing has really been hyping around here, everybody loves it! . After the video, Chris Anderson talked about the growth of TED and TEDx. He also presented a new initiative called ‘TED-Ed’, lessons worth spreading. You should really check out the website. The possibilities and platforms for usage are endless. If our education systems embrace this, it can reshape the whole experience of actively learning new things! We also got some presentation for the City 2.0 competition.

At 11h00 we got to the first Workshop Sessions (Rutger took ‘Must Haves’ and I attended ‘ Creative Partner Integration: Stepping Up Your Sponsorships). Both were really interesting, we will surely be using stuff we heard there (of course we took notes so our whole team can learn something from it!). The sessions took place in ‘Katara village’, which really is an interesting site.

At noon we got some lunch at the TEDxSummit Lounge. This is a comfortable chill-out venue with a great atmosphere. You can randomly talk with a lot of people, everybody is so energetic! TED also introduced the reverse vending machine. You can put empty bottles and cans in and then they are automatically sorted. You also get a receipt with which you can win a prize!

In the afternoon we went to the second Workshop Sessions (Rutger took ‘TEDx Adventures’ and I took ‘More Than Just Tweets Worth Spreading: Advanced Social Media Strategies’). Again, mine was really interesting but Rutger wasn’t that impressed of the workshop he attended. Afther this one we got a short break and at 15h00 the third, and final, Workshop Sessions. Here I attended the ‘Produce’ workshop and Rutger went to ‘Building Your TEDx Team’. The workshop I attended was super useful!

In the evening we had the TED@Doha Talent Search. The winner of these auditions gets a talk at TED2013! There also was a intermezzo where some people had the opportunity to go on stage for 30 seconds and quickly explain an idea they think is worth spreading.

After the auditions they transported us to the Museum of Islamic Art, where there was a Grand Opening Reception. The architecture of this building is astonishing. It’s build according to the local building traditions but with a touch of modernism. I like this

Something I also noticed here, while talking with many TEDx organizers from all around the world, is that it looks like 50% of them (or even more) are working in startups and non-profit organizations that help different communities. I find this motivating and most of all, super inspiring.

Oh yeah before I forget: the TED event from yesterday is already uploaded on Youtube! You can find it here

P.S.: this blogging is a real effort. I hope I can keep up, it’s not that I am getting a lot of sleep over here!

So, the first ‘real’ day of TEDxSummit. We got up early again (7h00, local time) because we had to get on our bus at 8h00. The breakfast wasn’t that great (toast bread and some fruits) but we survived. Before I left my room I took a quick picture of the view in daylight (don’t mind the dirty windows).

Rutger and me subscribed for the pré conference tour ‘Adventure on the Arabian Gulf: A day of watersports’. The bus drove us to the harbor and we got an a boat which would take us to a small island where we could have some fun in the water.

On the boat there was a German TEDx organizer who was doing interviews with as much organizers as possible about the idea they wanted to spread. I told him that I think everybody should try to do and achieve in life what they really want and not what other people tell them to do. This way, many people will become more happy then they are now. I also believe that happiness is something that spreads in your direct environment, so in a way you will also make other people happy. Also, in a state of happiness one can be creative without any limitations, thus helping everybody even more!

When we arrived at the location we got ready for some real fun. There were jetskis, a banana boat,… We also did some jumps from the second floor of the boat and at noon we got a lovely dinner.

Around 14h00 we arrived back at the hotel. I went to pick up the goodie bag and Rutger quickly got himself ready for the rehearsal of the short talk he will be doing on Thursday about the 360° live stream system we used at our conference last year.

The goodie bag contains:

• An authentic TEDxSummit 2012 bag;
• A notebook and pen for writing down great ideas;
• A ‘Keep Cup’ to keep warm beverages.. warm;
• A booklet ‘Sustainable TEDx Event toolkit’;
• A scarf;
• A TEDx lightbulb.

At 16h30 I went to the welcome reception at the Katara Waterfront, where Rutger was waiting for me. He was not super pleased about his rehearsal, but I am 200% sure that he will do just fine on Thursday. In the Katara complex I also got to see the TEDxSummit Dome for the first time. This is a temporary conference room they set up especially for TEDxSummit. At the reception we got something to eat and watched the local swordsmen / dancers do their performance act.

Then it was time for some content (Yup, you’ve read that right). There was a TEDxSummit Opening Night TED Session at 19h00 in the Katara Amphitheatre.

An short overview of the TED Session:

• Opening word by ‘Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani’;
• A short introduction by Lara Stain (TEDx Director).
• Chris Anderson (TED curator) giving his vision on TEDx. A remarkable sentence I really enjoyed: ‘The ‘x’ in TEDx no longer stands for ‘independently organized TED event’ but has grown far beyond this. Now it means ‘TED, to power the x’.
• Raghava KK (artist) talked about how everybody should have a 200 year plan. The basic idea of such a plan is that what you do now should have an impact on people’s lives when the people who live at that moment have never knew you (because you died before they where born).
• William Noel (Rare book scholar) explained the process of how he illuminates manuscripts and is a pioneer in open-data and open-source collaborative research.
• Maz Jobrani is a nice comedian, he gave us a good a laugh;
• Nesrin Ozalp (Energy Researcher) showed her groundbreaking work in the area of splitting natural gas in energy;
• Wolfgang Kessling (Physicist) talked about how Qatar will provide cooling and comfort in the football stadia of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
• Fahad Bin Mohammed Al-Attiya gave some information about the master plan of the Qatar National Food Security Programme which will become a model for sustainable, environmental friendly agriculture in arid regions.
• Zain Awad, an Jordanian singer, made some nice music.
• Diana Laufenberg (Teacher) told about how her TEDx talk changed her and many other peoples lives.
• Yahay Alabdeli told the amazing story of TEDxBaghdad.
• Hans Rosling (Global Health Expert) gave, as we know him, a dynamic, interesting talk about the link between religion and the number of babies per mother (For the record: there is none.)
• Bruno Giussani (European Director of TED), who did the presentation, closed the event with some final remarks.

So, that was it for today. I am really looking forward to the workshops of tomorrow!

Hi TEDxUHasselt enthusiasts! At the moment Rutger Bevers and me (Niels Peetermans) are in Doha, Qatar for TEDxSummit. Even though we only just arrived, it already has been a crazy experience and we are really looking forward to the upcoming week. We will try to keep you posted on our adventures here at Doha. The goal is to write a blog post every day (actually we will write it at night because the day program always is very, very busy). Also, we will try to add some pictures we (mostly) took ourselves to give this blog a little more authenticity. But first things first, what is TEDxSummit?

TEDxSummit
TEDxSummit takes place from 16 until 20 april 2012 in Doha, Qatar. The event is organised by TED and hosted by the Doha Film institute. The idea is to bring together as much TEDx organizers from all around the globe as possible in a conference which contains TED sessions, workshops, networking opportunities and much more. TEDxUHasselt is represented by 2 of their organizers.

The trip to Doha (sunday 15 april 2012)
To get at the TEDxSummit, some traveling had to be done. I got up rather early (7h00), drove to Brussels Airport (zaventem) and waited for Rutger at the Etihad check-in.

After the check-in we went through customs and ran into Christophe Cop (Organizer TEDxFlanders). A few minutes later, Tim Govaert (Organizer TEDxGhent) arrived. As it turned out, we all had the same flight which was a pleasant surprise.

We boarded our plane and took off at 11h20. It would be a flight of almost 7 hours to Abu Dhabi, where we would get on a plane to Doha. Luckily for us the plane was equipped with a rather advanced entertainment system.

We played some Pong (in which Rutger wasn’t a real champion) and poker over the LAN of the system. Also, you could always watch the live camera on the bottom of the airplane.

During the flight we got some refreshments and a very nice tray of food (I think it was chicken with couscous and some steamed vegetables). Airplane food always has a special taste, but Rutger and I could appreciate it.

We arrived at Abu Dhabi airport around 20h00 (local time, which is two hours later then in Belgium). Here we quickly got a sandwich and I took a picture of Rutger who was very pleased with the free wifi access at the airport.

We got on our next flight to Doha at 21h50 (local time) and arrived in Doha at 21h50 (local time). This is kinda funny because it was a one hour flight with a 1 hour time difference, so it felt like we teleported our way into Qatar. I know it’s geeky, but still . Oh yeah, on this flight there also was an entertainment system, but less sophisticated than the previous one. But hey, if you get stuff like this on a one hour flight you can’t complain about it. Rutger and me really like Etihad, just sayin’.

Once arrived at Doha airport, we were surprised by the long waiting line for the passport and visa check. After a few minutes we discovered that almost half of the people waiting in line were fellow TEDx organisers from all around the world.

We all picked up our luggage and upon leaving the airport we stumbled upon a hallway full of TEDxSummit posters. A great opportunity to make someone take a picture of Rutger and me in front of one!

At the exit of the airport we found a TEDx booth. Here we got some instructions and outside the airport we waited for the bus, which would take us to our hotel, to arrive. Here we met a lot of other TEDx organizers, all extremely motived people with their set of interest. A great vibe!

The bus took us to the Kempinski hotel, where we would be staying for the week. Apparently this is the highest building in Doha (260 meters tall). It also wasn’t a surprise to discover that the building has 62 floors.

At the entrance of the hotel we found a human size red ‘X’. I am going to try to make someone make a picture of Rutger and me next to it, so you will probably see another picture of that in a few days.

At the hotel check-in we got our rooms. Rutger is staying at the 17th floor with Tim Govaert from TEDxGhent and I am staying on on the 34th floor with Jared Chung, organizer at TEDxCambridge (yes, that’s where MIT and Harvard are located).

After our check-in we first went to get our ‘Introduction bags’ (not to be mistaken for the goodie bags, which we will get tomorrow). I will give a quick overview of what it contains:

• A plan of the Katara area, where most workshops and sessions will be hosted;
• Some TEDx stickers;
• A map of Doha;
• A program booklet;
• 2 buttons: one says ‘TEDx’ and the other one ‘Western Europe’;
• A TEDxSummit badge which we have to keep on ALL the time (it does has its benefits, some people can’t understand our names and others have such difficult names you still would have no idea how to pronounce/write it after three times asking again for their name).
• A TEDxSummit water bottle (provided by Dopper). TED wants to keep control of the waste production on the summit. You can hardly find plastic bottles around here!
• Two TEDx cards.

Now some information about the most astonishing part of our trip so far: the hotel rooms. As I mentioned before, we are staying with 2 persons per hotel ‘room’ (if you can call it a room). It has a shared kitchen, dining room, living room and 2 bedrooms with each it’s own bathroom. It really looks (and probably is) very expensive. But seriously, I don’t mind

After checking out our room Rutger and me quickly grabbed something to drink in the bar downstairs.

You’ll hear more from me tomorrow, I hope i can keep this blogging up!
I hope you like my writing style, it’s the first time I write a blog. Also sorry for the quality of the pictures sometimes, I am using my smartphone for it! The pictures are sent to Bob and he posts them online because otherwise it would take to much hassle.