The Graduate Student Organization is bringing TEDxUHMānoa to campus this fall, on October 10, in the ballroom at the Campus Center — the first time in UH Mānoa’s history that a TEDx event will be organized as an official university event, open to students, faculty, and the wider Hawaiʻi community.
TED — which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design — began in 1984 as a one-time conference in California bringing together thinkers from three different worlds. It relaunched in 1990 as an annual event and grew significantly in influence, but it was the launch of TED.com in 2006 and the free online posting of talks that transformed it into a global phenomenon. Today, TED talks have been viewed billions of times in more than 100 languages.
In 2009, TED introduced the TEDx program, allowing independent organizers around the world to host their own local events under the TED brand — bringing the format to universities, cities and communities far beyond the main stage.
The man behind this premiere edition at UH is Oluwatofunmi Adeboye, a graduate student who serves as event chair for the GSO and holds the TEDx license that made the event possible.
Adeboye said the idea was born long before he arrived in Hawaiʻi. He had wanted to organize a TEDx event in Nigeria, his country of origin, but kept missing the window. The rules require that organizers cannot be graduating in the semester of the event.
“Every time it was organized in Nigeria, I was graduating,” he said. “So when I got here, I decided to pursue that dream.”
Adeboye submitted a formal proposal to TED, a process he said took about three months for review and approval. He received the green light in March.
The GSO put out a call for volunteers to help bring TEDxUHMānoa to life, drawing 27 applicants. Teams were assembled for curation, event management, finance and sponsorship, and marketing.
“So far so good,” Adeboye said. “I have good people in our team.”
Unlike a single keynote talk, TEDxUHMānoa is planned as a full-day event — roughly six to seven hours — featuring multiple speakers and, possibly, live performances. Music and dance can be woven into the program, something Adeboye called “a recent adjustment” to TEDx guidelines that now allows performances alongside talks.
“The sweet spot about TEDx is it’s not just about talks,” he said. “After the talks, there’s also a reception where people can connect.”
The event is expected to accommodate around 100 attendees for this inaugural edition — the maximum allowed under TEDx rules for a first-time organizer. Adeboye said the primary focus will be voices from within Hawaiʻi, with limited spots open to speakers from outside the state.
A call for speakers is expected to go out by July, and Adeboye said he has already received emails from people eager to present.
Isabelle Yazel Eiser, president of the GSO, credited Adeboye with doing all the heavy lifting. “He came up with the idea on his own. He submitted all the paperwork. He’s been really on it,” she said. “This is his game.”
Originally planned for summer, the event was pushed to fall to allow time to complete the approval process with TED and secure a venue on campus. Options under consideration include the East-West Center conference facilities.
Eiser said the high volunteer interest is a promising sign. “That to me indicates that a lot of people want to be involved, and they think it’s a really interesting thing,” she said. “It is nice that it’s the first time we will be able to host.”
Both TEDxUHMānoa and UH Mānoa’s existing Better Tomorrow Speaker Series bring speakers to campus to share ideas on big questions — but those who know both programs say they are distinct.
Robert Perkinson, a professor of American Studies who helped found the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series around 2010 and serves as its director, described his program’s mission as locally rooted. Better Tomorrow presents compelling talks on some of the most important questions of our time, bringing together experts of world renown with students, faculty, elected officials, and community leaders.
“TEDx is primarily oriented toward producing high-quality, short videos for a large audience that will live on,” Perkinson said. “Our primary purpose is to build community locally through events and to try to help address Hawaiʻi’s challenges.”
Perkinson’s series has grown significantly since its founding, now reaching beyond live events with video and audio podcasts published biweekly and drawing student involvement from departments across campus — from electrical engineering to political science and English.
Adeboye pointed to one concrete structural difference: TEDx talks are posted on the global TED website, giving them an international audience. “I don’t see it as a competition,” he said. “It’s just giving people more voice to spread different ideas.”
TEDx also operates under strict content guidelines — no politics, no religion, no controversial topics — and follows specific rules around research presentations.
One challenge Adeboye is already thinking about is what will happen when he leaves. A TEDx license is tied to an individual organizer and cannot be transferred. That means if Adeboye moves to a different state, he will need to apply for a new license there. His hope is that, if this first event is successful, one of the 27 volunteers will step up and apply for the license to continue the event in future years.
“The goal is not for it to be a one-time event,” he said. “This is just the beginning of something that can last longer.”
Whether someone takes over the torch may depend on the success of this inaugural edition. Adeboye said he is also currently pursuing a PhD, which could allow him to stay at UH long enough to organize a second edition himself.
In the meantime, the team is searching for sponsorships — which can come in the form of cash, goods or merchandise — and reaching out to local businesses.
“I think it would be something interesting. Something very fun,” Adeboye said.
The Mānoa Mirror will continue to follow developments. For volunteer, sponsorship, and speaker interest, contact the GSO at [email protected].
