Performing live @TEDx Binnenhof...how things can go once it flows

my wrap-up poem @ TEDx Binnenhof 2012

In June,  I performed live on stage at TEDxBinnenhof. In the famous Ridderzaal, the knight's hall, of the Dutch Parliament I closed the event with a wrap-up poem. 

Among the hundreds of guests were the   The King,  Willem Alexander of Orange, and Queen Maxima, Ministers, and Ambassadors. The event had live streams in 41 countries, covering all continents. 

Imagine this; 10 days before the event started TEDx never heard of our project*, their program was full and with such high brow audience, security and protocol, there is never much room for change.   Yet with all these roadblocks in front of us how did we convince them to let us open- and close TEDxBinnenhof?

The answer to this is simple yet fueled with complexity;  we created a storyboard showing the customer journey with all the touchpoint and low-tech interaction tools. As such they were able to understand the idea much quicker, and became convinced of our promise to deliver quality answers, interaction and a shared experience in under 5 minutes.
As a result TEDx received hundreds of authentic ideas for a better world, almost instantly. What better way than to start with a question to the audience first and craft the answers to wrap the day poetically?  
A turn-key low-tech high impact production that inspired them to generate a database with ideas worth sharing.

To me personally, I needed this day to overcome my stage fright and writer's block which I had been carrying for months and for the first time since I co-founded the Poetry Jockeys performers in 1998. I needed something big to go through the pain and acknowledge the stuff I love.

*I am founding member of the The Red Line Project

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See below the wrap up in a poetic manner on stage @ TEDxBinnenhof

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