Well it is now four days since the TED@ASPEN conference ended and i finally managed to get home after being snowed in for a couple of days in Aspen. I have been thinking a lot about what we heard and who I spoke to and I thought I would jot some of the thoughts down.
The first thing is that I still think this is one of the best conferences around - both in terms of content and participants. I have attended and spoken at several conferences a year over the last 20 years and I have not come across one which provided such stimulation of thought and after-wards such reflection. I came away from the event feeling very unsettled and thinking about what I wanted to do in the future and many of the people I spoke to after-wards had a similar experience.
On a content front here is almost too much to take in over the four days - over 50 speakers as well as sideline events and exhibits - not to mention the eclectic mix of conversations over lunch and breaks. I keep remembering back to presentations and conversations almost on an hourly basis - which during the day is OK but at night as well!!
So what am I going to do differently? One of the things I have found moving back into a large corporate company after being an independent consultant for a few years is how the environment saps your self confidence and self-esteem. One of the things about being immersed in events such as TED is that you realize that you do have something to say and people are interested in your views and experience. I found the experience very liberating and it has revived my self-confidence no end. Stand by!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I learned some great stuff met some amazing people and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience - definitely one for next year!
That’s quite an endorsement for TED@ASPEN. I went to check it out online. Some of the talks have been recorded and are available for viewing at ted.com. “Habits of happiness” is my favorite.
In one of your posts you mentioned attending conferences a lot throughout the year. Any chance you can share the ones you value the most and why?
Thanks in advance.
Posted by: Aneta | March 29, 2008 at 05:06 PM