TEDXABQ

I really really hate to take away a star from this event, but I was quite disappointed this year.First off, I'd like to say that while this year's experience was, in my opinion, mediocre, I would still return again next year. TEDx offers the concept of sharing ideas and perspectives--which is unbelievably important.Let me start off with some positive points about the conference. I like the new set up where check-ins are at 12, talks start one hour later, and the mingling hours take place afterward. There were also some really excellent talks this year and it's inspiring to see the great things that individuals from New Mexico are achieving.Okay, now, here we go. A standard ticket to TEDxABQ is $50. For me, that's a pricey admission fee. So, if I'm paying that much money I want this event to leave me feeling satisfied at the end, not wanting to leave early. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. I was mainly disappointed in the fact that this didn't feel like a techie event at all. There's something about tech culture that draws me in. I just love being a nerd. Anything to do with computers, software, emerging technologies, medical advances, etc. fascinates me. I will say, there were a couple of vendors that were really interesting to talk to. Alright, now during the talks, there were way too many basic IT malfunctions. The lights kept turning on and off, the mics weren't synched, the screens had about a 4 second lag throughout the entire 6 hours, a lot of the iPad questionnaires didn't work, and the speakers' remotes for their slideshows continued not to work. I understand these are really small things to nitpick, but what's expected to be the largest tech event of the year should not have these issues.Now to design. I thought the coordination of the event seemed to be put together haphazardly. Why were there more tickets sold than there were seats for people to sit? Luckily I got there early so I was able to find a seat, but if I was one of those 30 people that paid $50 to stand or sit on the floor I would have been really upset. There were also these inflatable seats that TEDx put out, which is really cool, but these plastic seats kept inflating throughout the afternoon. During each break the volunteers would have to fill them up with air again. Lastly, throughout the breaks they provided light refreshments for everyone. This was like a madhouse. It took place in the vendor room. Once you walked into the room, the largest vendor was right in the doorway. Making it very difficult for people to flow into the room. Then the refreshments were all the way in the back of the room, where you would have to pass the flamenco dancers and their audience. There was also coffee available, but for some reason the station for creamer was on the other side of the 2nd floor?Overall, I know I shouldn't complain as much as I am, but I was really flustered by the end of the day and ended up leaving early. Maybe my expectations were too high, but this event has so much potential I wanted to see the best! I'm sure there was a lot of hard work that went into this so I do appreciate that. We'll see next year!