I have always loved watching TEDx Talks and they have been inspiring some way or the other even if I wasn’t physically present there. So when the opportunity to inspire others, knocks on your doors, you simply cannot miss it.

Not only this, organising such a huge event last year has contributed to my personal development on so many levels. And then there is the added benefit of changing someone’s life by inspiring them in whatever capacity that you can.

Of course, working with such a prestigious brand as TED requires that you adhere to some strict guidelines, but the support from their side makes the event easy to organize.

Here we run you through some steps that will help you organize your TEDx event:

1. Approach the Management

Before planning, it’s important to approach the college management about their interest in the event.

You need to be prepared for all sorts of questions including why you want to have it, when you want it, the resources, infrastructure, and monetary funds that you need from your institution.

TEDx grants the license to individuals and is valid for a single event for a year. For a university level event, the license is granted to current students or faculty.

2. Apply for a TEDx University License

Once you get permission from our institution, you can apply for the TEDx License. You can apply for a license at the official website of TED.

Do read about the rules and the TEDx License agreement properly before going further. TED advises that you need at least three months to organise an event, so start as soon as you can.

One important thing that you must focus on, is the ‘theme‘ of your TEDx event. Unique and diverse ideas should be taken up.

Carefully fill the application and once you get the license, you are good to go with organizing the event.

3. Recruit the right team

Successful TEDx events have a strong team that works relentlessly to bring the best to the platform. It’s important to assign roles and responsibilities to each member.

There is no need for having a large team for an event of 100 audiences. It’s best to have a talented team of 10 people who are multitaskers.

Every person on your team should have a clear and defined role that fits their specific skill set. Team members can also take more than one role, depending on the size of your event.

Recruiting the right personnel holds key for any TED event.

Also Read: 7 Indian TED Talks You Must Watch In Order To Know India Better


4. Choose the right speakers 

Apart from having great ideas you need the right speakers to implement them. I would recommend that you have a diverse portfolio of speakers.

Do go through the guidelines in choosing your speakers. Also, your speakers can only talk for a maximum of 18 minutes, but talks can be as short as five minutes.

Finding someone who really connects with your audience, be it a famous personality, author, inspiring entrepreneur or a local hero is necessary to keep the audience indulged.

5. Create a budget 

Ensure that you allocate funds properly for each activity associated with the event. It’s important to understand your expenses and the source of income.

One source is through ticket sales but that will be limited to 100 audiences. The price of the tickets should be considered carefully.

You should make sure that the ticket price is not too high for your student’s pocket. Hence, you need to have a proper estimation and pricing strategy.

You may seek sponsorship to help pay for things you need such as the venue, food and beverages as well as in-kind sponsorships.

This might prove to be difficult considering the limited audience of 100, so it is recommended that you approach new startups who generally don’t mind spending money for their promotion.

6. Promoting your event

For promotions, you should actively make use of Facebook, Instagram, and all other social media outlets to create the hype for your event.

To promote your TEDx event, you have a dedicated event page on TED.com and you can also set up a website for your event where you display all details the about your event.

You can have ticketing partners in Paytm, Townscript, etc which give you make you reach a much wider audience.

Also, displaying what your TEDx event offers to the students goes a long way in selling tickets. Apart from the speaker lineup, there is food, goodie bags, certificates etc. In the end, the success of your event depends on the diversity amongst speakers and the attendees.

Venue and the logistics should be carefully planned so the event is hassle free

7. Event Production

One of the most important aspects of the event is that you need to have the necessary facilities to conduct it. This starts with a venue to accommodate only 100 people.

Next comes the stage design and lighting requirements. Make sure you have a run through of the event at least twice to check all the lighting and equipment to make sure there are no confusions on the day of the event.

Webcasting is a great way to widen the reach of your event for which you can use Facebook Live, YouTube Live or TED’s own livestream channel.

For all the post-production formalities, make sure that you have top-notch videographers and photographers to capture the event.

8. Post-Production

Once the event is done, you will have to start working on getting your talks uploaded online to the TEDx YouTube Channel. Work closely with the video crew to edit the videos properly.

When it’s all over, you can apply to renew the event and TED will review your past performance before granting you a new license, so that your new team can take the legacy further.

Although organizing a TED event is not a money-making exercise, but you can gain skills and recognition (not to mention inspiration) through this exciting opportunity.


Image Credits: Google Images

Sources: TED, Eventbrite, Townscript 

Find the blogger at @AarooshJairath


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