I mean, I come from Belgium originally.
So that was, kind of, for me like great to be back home
and be able to talk here in my own homeland.
So it's an honour.
I mean, TED is really great, there are great TED talks all around
and it's great to be able to contribute to sharing knowledge and
sharing different perspectives on the world.
- At TEDx Brussels we really aim to put Brussels on the map,
and not the Belgian map but the global and European map.
And of course Brussels, with its role as capital of Europe,
clearly the brand and the identity of Brussels is more than just a city as any other in Europe.
We really aim at bringing inspiring people to Brussels,
so you will hear some people
that you have no chance to hear in a normal scenario.
So that's the key objective.
- What inspires me? Well...
I was not expecting that one...
- My source of inspiration is...
The realization that in today's world, everybody is connected.
What really fascinates me, is that we are building this....
this network that is global, that is all around the world.
And I think it's an fantastic endeavour,
probably the biggest human endeavour since we set the first man on the moon.
- It's not a one-way exchange,
with people passive in the room or behind a screen.
We wanted to give them a chance to aggregate, to innovate by aggregation.
So they hear some bits here and there during the day,
and they can submit ideas. So it's not a...
... a SuperBig Innovation Project, but we want to stimulate people
so they don't just stay passive about the information,
and they try to engage us. That's the first step,
we will try to develop that further but, again,
we would like to put Brussels on the map,
and not only as a nice place where you can attend a big event
but also as a place with people that really have ideas and aim for more innovation.
- Walter De Brouwer. So, ...
I started to work with him in 2006,
and then from there we have done a lot of projects together,
and he's the curator of TEDx Brussels.
And he's so passionate on everything that he does.
And I have to say that he is an inspiration for me.
- There's so many TED talks, and if you go online it's amazing...
There are so many inspiring talks
that really change your perspective and the way you look at the world.
- We are very active in the social media.
We don't really use the marketing tools as magazines, newspaper or tv ads.
Everything that we do, it's via social media and e-mails,
and blogs and a newsletter.
- So we really wanted to play with that,
and the .eu was really the brand to relay that aspect.
- I didn't choose dot-eu, but that's Walter De Brouwer who did it as a curator. But it completely makes sense.
Because...
... dot com is basically U.S., and because we are opening a TEDx Brussels in the capital of Europe,
it makes sense to have a .eu and not a .org or .be.
So we start organizing for the next year... the day after the event.
So starting tomorrow, we're starting to think about next year already.
- People need to do much more things that they love doing.
That's how they're going to create the most value.
And that's what we need to do.
