introNetworks started in 2003 as a project to connect the attendees at the then very private TED Conference. Since those lofty beginnings the platform has been extended to the world of TEDx and is used to connect attendees at a local level in communities that want to make smarter connections and share “Ideas Worth Spreading”
TEDx Event Community Goals
- Find other attendees based on I Am, I Seek, I Value and What’s Relevant
- Create meaningful conversations before, during and after the event
- Learn from others that share similar values and reasons for attending
- Find like-minded attendees and start special interest groups
TEDxMidwest – Front page of their site
Connecting Attendees in Advance of the Event
One of the challenges for TEDx is connecting a very disparate group of people who come from different parts of the local Community. They all share a common passion of learning and new experiences and celebrate the diversity of opinion and thought that is typical of a TEDx event. Being invited to create a fun and interesting profile extends the TEDx experience right at the time attendees’ register and helps to get them even more excited about the upcoming event.Working with the Organizing Committee
As TEDx is independently organized and run entirely by volunteers, it is critical that there is a very easy to understand way to design, launch and grow the Community. We worked with the TEDxMidwest team two years in a row to understand the unique aspects of their event, it’s one of the largest in the US, and draws a large percentage of CEO’s, business leaders and influential citizens from the region. This means that the design needed to be very engaging so that attendees didn’t feel like they were wasting their time on yet another social network. Designing the Profile to be relevant to what they want to get out of the event was a prime consideration for the committee.Using the network to gather insights on the attendees
One of the things that the event organizers appreciated after their first year as they went into planning the second year was the metrics the platform reported. Being able to understand deeply what people were seeking, how they described themselves, what values were predominant among attendees was critical as they reimagined the community the following year.“We are extremely happy with the introNetworks system for both tracking milestones, info, and communicating with attendees and more importantly getting people who do not know each other to meet long before our event.” – Mike Hettwer, Executive Producer, TEDxMidwest and TEDxMidwestYouth
