TEDxLahore

This past weekend, I attended the second TEDxLahore conference. Those of you who know about the TED conferences are no doubt also aware that TED recently ‘franchised’ its branding, allowing people to organise independent TEDx events, using the basic TED themes and ideology.

Admittedly, there was a lot that could have been done better with this second TEDxLahore conference. Held under the theme of ‘Collective Genius’ the conference had 15 speakers ranging from a wide cross-section of Pakistani society – they included a prominent architect, a musicologist, a well-known linguist, an environmental activist, and digital cartographers (amongst others). You can learn more about the conference and the speakers by visiting the TEDxLahore website at: www.tedxlahore.com

What carried resonance for me personally was the fact that this conference had been held at all – and the fact that it saw a pretty good attendance (with almost 400 people packing the auditorium). As I’ve written in previous posts, we constantly hear about all the negatives that pervade Pakistani society – especially so in recent days when all the news has been awash with stories of death and destruction. Events such as these, which celebrate a spirit of inclusion and of innovation, therefore come as a breath of welcome fresh air.

As I said earlier, yes there were probably things that could have been done better – but the fact remains that the young Pakistanis who organised this conference (most, if not all, barely in their mid-twenties) represent a growing segment of civil society that is looking for ways to bring about change, to influence public policy – and to do so using those tools that we have long utilised in the marketing industry: tools of public engagement…

So whether it’s a linguist talking about the social evolutionary impact of ‘code-switching’ (i.e. The effortless switching between two languages in common speak) or young cartographers talking about how they leveraged Google maps to create an interactive online forum to highlight the plight of the flood-stricken in Pakistan’s northern areas,  these are all people who are looking to bring about positive change.

I mentioned in my very first blog how advertising is a reflection of social mores  – that same thought can be expanded to the wider marcoms industry – how ideas influence change and reflect social values. So, good job, TEDxLahore – let’s hope next year’s event is even bigger and better…!