Meet Gijs Hillmann!

The power of telling stories
The power of telling stories is what inspires Gijs most. As a coach for TEDxVenlo speakers he always tries to see the best in them: “I see them as a rough diamonds that need to be polished to get to a convincing talk”. Taking over as co-host this year brings hope that everyone present will be inspired to follow the speakers’ ideas and to exchange thoughts that in turn will lead to powerful ideas. The people need to be triggered to actually do something with the talks. “I would like to hear people’s stories,” says Gijs, “who built something worthy with less resources? People need to be inspired. If it doesn’t get people moving, what’s the purpose? Don’t just listen, get unreal and make the unreal happen. Realize that you can do more than you think.”

The moment that ideas burst out in the open
According to Gijs this approach is successful due to the combination of several perspectives and the topicality of the themes. You will hear solutions and stories that are applicable today and that might serve you well in the future. For me the event will be a success when at some point in the future we will look back on this edition and think: “that’s the moment that idea was born”.

Meet Martine van der Meijden!

TED on the radar
Martine is studying Food Innovation at the HAS in Venlo; a creative and challenging food study programme. TED has been on her radar for a very long time and was always something that was of interest to her. When Martine heard that TEDx was also organized in Venlo, there wasn’t a chance in the world she would miss it. Naturally she attended in 2015 and in 2016 and this in turn triggered her to do more for TEDxVenlo. Martine pitched at the beginning of the summer during a student pitch night at the HAS, one thing led to the other and now she is co-host! A co-host makes sure to connect all different speakers and subjects together. It is someone who is a fixture between the talks, someone who will guide them through the event.

Broaden horizons and knowledge
For Martine, TEDx offers inspiration and makes her broaden her horizons and knowledge. She is young and still open to many things. She values being a part of TEDx because she believes in the strength of a community. When she looks at the future of TEDxVenlo, Martine sees an event that moves and inspires young professionals and students as much as it does to her. She noticed that her generation is not as involved with TEDx and would love for them to see the strength of TEDxVenlo, and the inspiration that can be found in the innovations and ideas of others. Martine feels that only this way they can develop themselves as young professionals and build a larger network.