Chiefs’ victory parade forces TEDxKC to call an audible, move sold-out event to June 

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.