Learning from History: A Conversation with Holly Landau

06/06/2011 in

Holly Landau is a sought-after presenter, facilitator, and motivator on such topics as leadership, diversity, innovation, and workplace relationships. She draws from her experiences to inspire others to think creatively and strategically. She is the featured leadership expert in the American Express Open Book on Leadership; the CEO and founder of Landau Leadership, a management consulting firm; and a partner in The Shift Group, an innovation firm. You can find her leadership training brochure here. She spoke with us recently about Learning from History, scheduled for June 25 at the Hive at 55, 55 Broad Street.

TEDx

What inspired you to curate a TEDx event?

I was so inspired when I first visited the TED.com website.  I saw people from all walks of life speaking on such varied topics—and they were all interesting to me. I was then asked to speak at a TEDx in Princeton. Soon after I applied for a TEDx license to hold my own event, hoping that I could create some of the inspiration for other people.

Why the theme Learning from History and why TEDxBroadStreetNY?

I’m inspired by the history, architecture, and stories of downtown Manhattan. Sometimes people see the newness of the skyscrapers and forget that this is where it all began for New York. I thought that the theme Learning from History could remind us that there are stories in these streets.  In fact, Jacqueline Langholtz from the Seaport Museum is going to speak about that very topic—Mapping Manhattan: Downtown Streets and Stories. Broad Street itself and the surrounding neighborhood is rich with history.  We can explore some of these stories at our event.

What can an attendee expect from the day?

Attendees can expect compelling speakers, great conversations and the opportunity to network with like-minded curious folks. One of my favorite things will be the conversations throughout the day. We’ve planned plenty of time for attendees to discuss their reactions to the speakers and topics.  The speakers themselves will be available for these discussions too.  We thought we’d host a sort of historical break in the middle of our program, so we’re offering a modified “afternoon tea.”  Before we enjoy the tea, tea historian Marjorie Wilkov will talk about the history of tea. One of our sponsors, GlobalFashionBrands.com, is hosting a cocktail hour at the end of our program, so there will be more time to network and share thoughts about the speakers.

Tell us about some of the speakers. Is there a speaker you’re particularly excited to hear?

Of course, I’m excited to hear all of the speakers.  When I curated the event, I tried to strike a balance between speakers who will share historical stories and facts and those who will share personal histories. We’ll have Jennifer S. Wilkov sharing her personal history as a Riker’s Island inmate, and Michele Mattia Melis sharing her personal story about witnessing the events on 9/11 from one block from Ground Zero.  Will Corrente will talk about the rewards of failure and Malcolm Arnold will share insights about using the old-fashioned apprenticeship model to teach technology in his social entrepreneur projects. The New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly will talk about Cultural Codes and The New Yorker Cartoon and Melanie Stiassny from the American Museum of Natural History Museum will share some lessons we can learn from ancient fish.

How can people get tickets for the event?

You can click here for a $75 ticket. The ticket includes the four-hour program, the afternoon tea, and the reception with cocktails and appetizers.  I’d also encourage you to join our Facebook page here. That’s where we’re sharing a lot of our event information and hope to continue the conversation after the event.

Any future plans for more TEDx events?

I’m glad you asked! I’ve already been considering a few possible TEDx themes that could be interesting and inspiring—like The Art of Technology, Survival & Renewal, and Words.  Stay tuned.

Tags: Hive at 55

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