While we, the coffee bar staff, couldn't venture into the theatre where the talks unfolded, we were privy to a unique perspective. From our vantage point, we could see and hear the talks as they were broadcast to comfortable viewing areas throughout the venue. Our bar would get very quiet when the speakers started, affording us a chance to catch some of the broadcasted talks. It was a front-row seat to talks that ranged from A.I. to robot farming to how to be brave and how to live a meaningful life. It was these latter topics that explored themes of empathy, creativity, and social change that resonated most for me. Brian S Lowry not only frequented our bar throughout the week, but his talk was exceptional to witness. It's not posted online yet, but we are eagerly awaiting to watch again. We've listed our favourite TED talks, past + present below!
We chose to partner with Aeropress for a few reasons. The first is that when trying to showcase multiple interesting coffees, Aeropress is a great brewer to use. We were able to hand craft multiple cups of unique coffees on the fly at a pace that could keep up with the crowds. The second reason is that it’s an interesting brewer that sparks conversation. We were able to debut the Aeropress colours and the interest from the attendees was a testament to the uniqueness of this brew method. We answered a multitude of questions on how the brewer works and what it’s strengths are. The final reason was that, while we’ve always loved the Aeropress, our allegiance grew when ownership was taken over by a fellow Victoria BC business.
What made the experience truly memorable was the audience. TED attendees, drawn to the event looking for new ideas and knowledge, proved to be a uniquely engaged coffee audience. Our bar became a mini version of the penny universities of 17th century London, where knowledge, debate and information could be found for the price of a cup of coffee.
With all the talk of AI and how technology may shape the future dominated the topics of the event, our bar was a nice reminder to the attendees that humanity, curiosity, and collective thirst for knowledge still propel us forward and that a simple cup of coffee can still playa role in fostering connections and fuelling innovation.
Favourite TED talks from the 2024 event:
