TEDx Danubia is the first independently organized official conference in Hungary held in the spirit and under the umbrella of the famous international TED. It aims to bring the remarkable and unique TED experience to Budapest. We would like innovative, exciting and inspiring thinkers and doers from all aspects of life to gather and share their thoughts and experiences to gain new insights, value and understanding.

And why Danubia? In July 2009 at TEDGlobal in Oxford, Parag Khanna was revealing his theories about the geopolitical map and challenges of the globe. His research led him to a conclusion that we could build a better, more effective world for ourselves should we focus less on the lines that signify borders on the map and more on lines of infrastructure and geography that go across these borders and connect people. This very same principle may be applied just as well - as for our geopolitcal realities - to the borders of disciplines, areas of experties and channels of communications crossing their comfortable borders... This is the reason why the conference has been named Danubia and why it intends to create the cross-border and interdisciplinary infrastructure of conversation, exploration and thinking together.

We dare you to look beyond and question the seemingly obvious. To step out of your boxes, shake your comfortable world and find a world of wonder, creation and new understanding...

BEYOND THE OBVIOUSturning a new page

The TEDx Danubia program was intensive and energizing gradually evolving from a range of rational and emotional talks to an amazing whole day spiritual experience. We would like to thank everybody who joined us in starting a new, open-minded community of thinkers and doers with a positive mindset. Many photographs and the recorded video streams are already available.

We have received several reviews from mainstream and social media alike. We have also generated considerable activity on both Facebook and Twitter. We are planning to upload more broadcast quality videos, interviews, feedback and other materials with English subtitles and translations shortly.

The program of TEDx Danubia (27 January 2010) consisted of the these talks, performances and sessions:

7:30–8:30 Registration

8:45–9:00 Why Are We Here?

9:00–10:10 A World We Could Live In

We embark on our journey as we glimpse into a world of our possibilities, into a world that would simply make more sense, and a world that is quite possible…

The Surprising Science of Motivation – Daniel Pink (-Talk*)
Social Psychology – Paszkál Kiss
Stepping Out of the Moral Matrix – Jonathan Haidt (-Talk*)
Yesismore, rabbit hole and architecture – Ádám Hatvani
Designing Living Spaces – Bjarke Ingels (-Talk*)

10:10–10:50 Conversation Break

10:50–12:50 The Spirit of Change

If we want something different, we need to change and make change. But what is the nature of the change we need? How do we start? What is the direction?

The Fabric of Reality –Albert László Barabási
What the Future Holds… – Mindboggling Science – Juan Enriquez (-Talk*)
What Makes Us Happy? – Martin Seligman (-Talk*)
The Hungarian Psyche – László Mérő
On Practical Wisdom – Barry Schwartz (-Talk*)
Leading Beyond Authority – Márton Svékus
Powerful Art and Science of a Changing World: Time-lapse Proof of Extreme Ice Loss – James Balog (-Talk*)

12:50–14:00 Lunch

14:00–15:30 Building a Better Future

Our journey continues as we now open the tool box: powerful ideas, perspectives and techniques we could use to do what we do in a different and better way…

Living Technologies – Dr. Rachel Armstrong
Triple Accounting: How to Merge Human, Corporate and Financial Values – Michel de Kemmeter
From thermograph to poetry bean (Medialab practices) – Melinda Sipos
Intellectual –> Property –> Right? – Dr. Zoltán Ormós
Strange Meeting – Linda Kovács–Márton Fenyvesi Duo
Going “GREEN”: Passive House and a Hay School – György Mihály
Pigcity – Sustainable Utopia – Sándor Finta

15:30–16:20 Conversation Break

16:20–18:10 A Different Point of View

And what if we changed our mindset? How could we look at our usual world from a vantage point that reveals new meaning and opens new doors?


Wake up... Half of It is Gone! – Zsolt Hetesi
How the World Sees Us? – Attila Marján
Wikipedia About Hungary – András Vicsek
Where Religions Connect – István Tasi
Success Through Failure – Ulrich Kiss SJ.
Healing Power of Tales – Ildikó Boldizsár

18:10–18:50 Conversation Break

18:50–19:50 Unto the Magic Carpet (evening session)

20:00– … talk – food – drinks

* Screened -Talk videos in English, with Hungarian subtitles.

Most other talks will be in Hungarian. Simutaneous translation to English will be available.