Chiefs’ victory parade forces TEDxKC to call an audible, move sold-out event to June
February 4, 2020 | Tommy Felts
The sold-out return of TEDxKC will see a delay of game, as organizers push the popular event back four months to make room for the Kansas Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade and rally Wednesday.
Mike Lundgren, TEDxKC co-founder and curator
“For a couple of weeks, we have been doing the calculus on what we would do if the Chiefs won the Super Bowl — and then the city picked Wednesday to hold the victory parade. That just happened,” said Mike Lundgren, TEDxKC co-founder and curator, in an early morning Monday email to speakers, performers, partners and organizers.
The event is now set for June 2.
Kansas City’s come-from-behind 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s Super Bowl complicated plans for Wednesday’s TEDxKC. Its venue — the Muriel Kauffman Theatre at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts — is along the parade route, said Lundgren.
“For those of you traveling in for this event, you must be wondering why this would even matter,” he said. “When the Royals won the World Series in 2015, just shy of 1 million people showed up for their parade, and the city pretty much shut down into the early evening hours. … So, it is with an abundance of caution and pragmatism that our backup plan is kicking-in.”
Schools across the metro have canceled classes because of the parade and rally, with students and adults alike expected to brave wintry weather to celebrate the Chiefs’ historic Super Bowl win. Wednesday’s 1 Million Cups gathering at Plexpod Westport Commons also has been nixed.
Click here for Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade and rally event details.
The decisions to move the TEDxKC date — and the logistics that go into rescheduling — were no easy tasks, Lundgren added, emphasizing organizers were making every effort to keep plans for the event identical, simply shifting the date to early June.
“Everyone had worked so hard to cross the finish line for Wednesday, especially the speakers,” he said. “It takes so much effort to be ready to step into the red circle — and no small amount of angst.”
TEDxKC last appeared on Kansas City calendars in August 2017.
In May 2018, organizers announced a new focus on women and youth events, putting the overall TEDxKC on hiatus.
The 2020 TEDxKC return was set to feature a slate of speakers, from a poet and a filmmaker to scientists and entrepreneurs.
Click here to learn more about the lineup.
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Children’s book tells KC entrepreneurs’ stories; challenging traditional pathways to success
Christle Reed wants Kansas City’s next wave of potential business builders to know they needn’t be bound to a mainstream plot line for wealth and happiness, the entrepreneur-turned-author shared. Her new children’s book about more than a dozen local entrepreneurs could help rewrite that narrative. “College isn’t the only way to success for kids,” she…
In the field: Industry-specific, hands-free voice tech helps ‘hero up’ data collecting workers
After years of research, Bruce Rasa and his team identified a consistent pain point for field workers: capturing data on-the-go and looping it back to their headquarters. They need a co-pilot, he said, noting the role played by KC-based Dexer (formerly AgVoice), agriculture’s first handsfree data capture service to help cross-industry specialists create records —…
New city flag designed for KC’s now (and tomorrow): Here’s where you’ll see it flying first
Kansas City is ushering in an era of growth and development, Jared Horman said, and the unveiling of a new municipal flag is just the way to recognize this new chapter. “The timing feels particularly exciting with the Chiefs headed to the Super Bowl, the opening of the new terminal at the airport and the…
Pushing without force: Founder credits accelerator’s collaborative ‘in the trenches’ guidance for overseas scaling success
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by the NMotion startup accelerator, but was independently produced by Startland News. The powerhouse mix of global and localized support David Biga received from the NMotion Growth Accelerator was well worth the program’s required exchange of equity, the proptech startup founder detailed. Particle Space — one of Startland News’…