Backstage Memories from TEDxSalford 2014
October 19, 2014 Blog Comments Off
It’s been a couple of weeks since we hosted the UK’s biggest TEDx event for the fourth time, and we’ve just about recovered. We’ve had a great time hearing your feedback about the event, and the reviews have been fantastic. Soon, we’ll be ready to announce our speaker videos being available to watch online, but for now, we’re fondly remembering how the day happened. Here are some stories from three of our writers.
Tom
TEDxSalford has been a very important date in my calendar for the last 3 years. One year as a face in the crowd, and the last two as a volunteer for the largest TEDx organization in the UK. Becoming a volunteer is one of the best decisions I have made. It has given me the opportunity to meet some fantastic like-minded people and develop so many skills that I wouldn’t have been able to in my day job.
However, being a volunteer at TEDxSalford you quickly realize that you do miss a large proportion of the show, although, if there is a speaker you are particularly interested in you can go and watch the talk. Even better, you can nominate to be that speakers liaison for the day. For that reason, I was literally counting the days to this year’s event because not only did we have BBC Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage host and comedian, Robin Ince as a speaker but also I was selected as his liaison for the day.
I must say meeting Robin was the ultimate highlight of the day for me. It was very surreal talking to him. He was very open, down-to-earth, and very easy to talk to. We discussed a wide range of topics from films, Professor Brian Cox, Ricky Gervais, swear words and stand-up comedy. Embarrassingly, I told him of my attempt at stand-up comedy and my desire to return to it. I don’t want to share the details of our conversations but I will share his advice on stand-up. He said to be a good comedian you have to “embrace the shame”. Perfect.
The weirdest part of my day was driving Robin back to Manchester Piccadilly. Whoever says, “men can’t multi-task”, come and talk to me. Imagine having someone you greatly admire in the front seat of your car. I’m trying to be cool, like I have celebrities in my car all the time. So I’m trying to be cool, actively listen and engage in conversation, whilst trying to read road signs and drive safely. Needless to say, we got there in one piece.
Another part of my day I have been bragging about to friends and family was meeting and talking to Lucy Hawking. Although, I didn’t get chance to see Lucy’s talk, being a volunteer offers the opportunity to interact with speakers. I was asked to escort Lucy to her taxi. “Of course,” I said with confident assertion, despite feeling a little bit giddy. I think I managed to hold it together and spent about 15 minutes with Lucy, where we spent time talking about science education, her books which she co-writes with her father, and we spoke of course of her father, Professor Stephen Hawking. That little pocket of time which I spent with Lucy is one of the reasons I love volunteering for TEDxSalford because I would never have the opportunity not only to meet people like Lucy or, indeed, converse with people like Lucy.
Lastly, I implore you to take Bob Dylan’s advice and “take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them”. I know I will.
Susanne
After a challenging start, due to my slightly confused navigation system, I finally arrived at the Lowry at 8.30am on Sunday morning. To my surprise, quite a few speakers were already at the venue to familiarise themselves with the surroundings. My task on that day was ‘running order’, which means I had to ensure that the right speakers were backstage at the right time. All speakers were extremely friendly and being backstage allowed me to see their ‘human’ side – they felt nervous before going on stage and relieved when their talk went well. Unfortunately, due to my role, I missed most of the TEDxSalford talks. However, it is amazing how many minor things I have picked up: Kate Russell likes playing Mahjong during flights; Robin Ince prepared for his talk using only a pen and a sheet of paper; Juliet Mitchell’s grandmother published books, explaining science to young children;… Thankfully, I also had a chance to have more detailed conversations with some of the speakers. James Glattfelder was kind enough to answer my questions about his research. He emphasised that removing the key players in our current global economy is not a solution because others will take their place; instead the complete economy system should be replaced. Overall, despite some stressful moments, the TEDxSalford conference was an amazing and rewarding experience.
Martin
Unfortunately unlike last year I wasn’t able to see many speakers as I was involved in the ticketing and speaker liaison roles which meant me spending a lot of time outside of the main theatre! But despite that and after only seeing 3 talks and missing the one I desperately wanted to see (Robin Ince) I still ended the day feeling great about myself and feeling proud to be apart of the team that helped bring TEDxSalford IV to the Lowry, which, if nothing else, demonstrates what type of event this is.
Last year I spent a lot of time backstage and met various speakers and saw lots of talks – this year saw trips to the station, hanging around the inner corridor maze of the Lowry and helping out in the sometimes confusing world of ticketing and direction giving, yet I felt just as good about this years event as I did last. Whether involved on the surface or in the background you feel proud to be a volunteer at TEDxSalford, and if you can get that feeling even after a 15 hour day and missing the majority of the talks, you know you’re onto a winner.”
If you’d like to get involved with next year’s TEDxSalford, make sure to follow us on and , where we’ll announce our latest opportunities.
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Michael Metcalf
Editor and Head of Media for TEDxSalford / Reluctant Optimist / Explorer of All Things Manchester