CHAPTER 5: Close your Event

When your TEDx event is finished, there is still more to do. Closing out your event is a multi-step process. Here you will discover how to: fill out the organizer survey, send out the audience questionnaire, upload photos to Flicker, upload videos to YouTube, add highlights to your TEDx event page, tell your story to TED, share your event with the community, renew your license, and say Thank You to everyone who was involved in the success of your event.

1. Fill out the Organizer Survey

After your event is finished, you'll need to fill out and submit the official Organizer’s Close-out Survey. This is a simple online survey to help provide feedback about your event to TEDx. 

2. Send out the Audience Questionnaire

Feedback is important in a job, in life, at school, wherever we are, as we like to know how we are doing. Send out your audience questionnaire provided by TED and it will be used when evaluating and renewing licenses. You can request a copy of the feedback provided in order to strengthen your next event!

3. Upload Photos to Flickr

You must upload all photos to Flickr following your event. There are many rules about tags, uploading files with watermarks and the like, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the expectations before you start. 

4. Upload Videos to YouTube

There are many rules regarding uploading your videos to Youtube. Be sure to become familiar BEFORE editing you movies or creating the finished product. You will need to be mindful of the video size, ratio, graphics, sponsorship logos, tags and tons more! 
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​YouTube Help Page (Uploading)
Uploading Videos to YouTube (Guide)
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5. Add Highlights to your TEDx Event Page

Return to your TEDx Event page and update the information. Change text to past tense and add video, photos, and links to speakers. Make sure your page looks engaging.

Reflect! Use this time to reflect on what you did well and what you are proud of.

6. Tell TED your Story

The art of story-telling is integral to TEDx. Be sure to share your story, or get guests, speakers or volunteers to share the story of your event. After you submit a blog entry to TED, keep the hype going by linking that post to your website, feature it on your Facebook page, or tweet it on your Twitter feed. Ensure that the public knows you are invested in the longevity of your event!

How to Write Great Blog Content
Read about Other Event Stories

7. Share with the Community

Help other organizers learn from your event. You can post on the official TED Community Wiki or share your suggestions with us too!

In developing communities, TEDx events often act as a chance for learning and inspiration. A lack of resources and infrastructure often pose challenges to these events coming to fruition. To help these events succeed, you can support communities launching their own events through TEDx in a Box. 

8. Renew your License

That was fabulous; All that hard work paid off! Now what? Want to organize another TEDx event?

9. Say Thank You!

Most of what organizers do relies on the kindness of volunteers. Events simply could not run without an army of people that work long hours, dedicate their time, knowledge, skills and abilities to the team and event. 

Acknowledgement and giving credit where credit is due is an important and invaluable skill in all walks of life, but especially when it comes to event planning. Buying a bottle of wine for 100 people who have helped out quickly adds up, but have no fear! Saying thank you can get creative, funny, touching or memorable, and free using online technology and tools. And don’t forget, that after all the technology, there is power in a simple handwritten note.

Ponder! What is your place within the community you have created? Who are all the people who made this happen? From the cleaning staff, the caterers, the people down at the print shop that gave you a discount, the woman who hand-picked flowers out of her garden and decorated tables for you, the students who put up posters, the graphic designer who did your logo for free, the sound technician assistant who tried for hours to figure out that high-pitch whine you couldn’t put your finger on. What are the stories of people in your community that pulled together to become the change you wanted to see? Now, how will you say: “thank you”?
Create a Photo Montage Video
Create a Speaking Photo
Create a FlipBook
Create a Comic Book