Why Small Cities Are the Lifeblood of TEDx

For the past week, I've poured over notes, images and memories collected at TEDxRVA — the first independent conference to take place in my hometown Richmond, Va. The theme was "CREATE," a tribute to creativity and innovation

To anyone outside Virginia, this kind of event might not seem like a big deal. Small cities host TEDx events all of the time. And major cities like New York and San Francisco tend to dominate the tech, entertainment and design industries in the U.S. So what's the point of targeting a city that only reaches 1.2 million metro area residents?

TED's whole mission is "ideas worth spreading," which is exactly what small cities are doing when they create these independent events. It allows smaller pieces of the tech community to step up and become part of something much bigger Read more...