Update 2/15/11:  TEDxPhilly's video of Bill Covaleski from Victory Brewing Company is finally online. Bill discusses the history of beer in this country and the challenges craft beer faces against the big beer giants. Really interesting video, watch now.

Original post:

Running a website like Drink Philly, I often get to participate in some pretty cool things.  We get inside tours at breweries, front row seats at events like Redbull’s Flugtag, and we get to meet some of the greatest people in the beer, liquor, and wine industries.  But yesterday, I got to partake in the coolest thing yet:  Attending and sponsoring a TED event.

If you’re not familiar with TED, it started out as an annual conference, in which the brightest and most innovative minds from all industries came together and shared revolutionary ideas (go to TED.com and watch as many videos as you can).

So when TED created their “local TEDx events,” in which any city could organize their own independent TED event, I was extremely excited to see there was going to be one held right here in Philadelphia.

You need to go next year.  It is a truly inspiring and motivating experience that urges us to strive to be more than what we are, and shows us the magnificent things we as a society can accomplish when we put our minds to something.

The thought that consistently came to mind while watching these masters in action was a simple one.  Hope.  When you see the caliber of individuals on this stage you realize the incredible projects and work that is being done to better the quality of life for this world.  And you realize that the problems we face in the world are real, but they are indeed conquerable.

“Ideas worth spreading” is the slogan of TED, because it’s not just about “here’s what I’m doing and this is how great I am,” but more about “here are the complex questions each of us need to ask ourselves, in order to find the complex solutions.”  It is thought provoking and important.  All the credit for this event cannot be attributed to the incredible speakers alone, but also to the amazing people in the audience (about 600) who shared an intense passion for the information being conveyed.  With so many brilliant minds in one room, I was once again reminded of how proud I am to live in this city.

Drink Philly was proud to be one of the many sponsors for such an important event, and we thank everyone who has helped make it a reality.   You can read more about the event at these great sites:

Technically Philly
Geekadelphia

All of the presentations will soon be available to watch at TedXPhilly

Cheers,

Adam Schmidt
Drink Philly
President & Founder

Update:
12.01.10
You can see amazing photos of the event on TedXPhilly's flickr