This year, Birmingham Hippodrome partnered with TEDxBrum for it’s fifth day-long event.  The largest so far:  18 speakers, 10 live performances – from Chinese dance to spoken word and improvised contemporary dance – all graced the magnificent Hippodrome stage before an audience of nearly 1300 people.

Helga Henry, Director of Organisational Development at Birmingham Hippodrome tells us more…

You may be familiar with the TED phenomenon – the (now) global event and website that shares video of inspiring speakers talking about “ideas worth sharing” – and no talk can be more than 18 minutes long.  Such was its popularity that the TEDx movement was born – under licence from the TED organisation volunteers could organise a TED style event in their community, village, city, workplace – wherever.  They have a number of common features – a sign saying TEDx (wherever) on stage, a circle of red carpet for the speaker to stand on and some content from the TED website shown to an audience.  Once those criteria and a few other conditions are fulfilled – volunteer groups can co-ordinate and curate speakers and performances that interest them.

There were some powerful themes discussed:  the TEDxBrum programme included some big ideas about the city and placemaking;  from Birmingham Hippodrome Board member Glen Howells sharing insight into how Birmingham has grown:  first organically, clusters of neighbourhoods bundling together, then planned:  the ringroads, infrastructure and concrete.  Comparing our population density to cities like New York, Berlin and Barcelona, Glenn contended that if the city is to feel like a thriving hub we need greater population density in the city –  “dense and messy” neighbourhoods where commerce, industry and culture sit cheek by jowl.  In the same section consultant Kathryn Lennon Johnson talked about the psychology of the built environment and its effect on well-being and mental health.  “The built environment speaks to us on a subconscious level.  It tells us what we deserve.  We’re barometers for how it feels.”

Given the prominence of this theatre in Birmingham and the role that we want to play in putting world class culture at centre stage, it felt right that our theatre would be home to such big ideas.  About city.  About place and the place of culture in that city.   All of our staff worked hard over a long day – on the same day as the Birmingham Great Run it felt like we had help deliver a marathon for the mind – but were pleased and energised to contribute to an event that literally had the place buzzing.

The individual talks from the TEDxBrum event – and it’s sister event TEDxYouth that took place last week as well – will be available shortly on the TEDx site.  Check them out and you will find that they truly were ideas worth sharing.

Helga Henry (Director of Organisational Development)