This spring, TED headed on the road, visiting 14 cities across six continents on the hunt for untapped talent. The idea behind the sweeping search: to let you, the TED community, weigh in and vote on which speakers you’d like to see ascend the stage at TED2013. After holding one-night salons in Amsterdam, Bangalore, Doha, Johannesburg, London, Nairobi, New York, São Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo, Tunis and Vancouver, we couldn’t help but notice that every city’s event had its own unique flavor. And so we’ve asked one audience member from each stop along the tour to share their memories.

Today, we asked audience member Katie Schaeffers of Vancouver, Canada, to tell us about her experience at TED@Vancouver, which took place on May 31.

Hey Katie, what three adjectives would you use to describe the event?

Authentic, eye-opening, magic.

Who were the must-see speakers of the night, who you hope TED fans will watch on the TED Talent Search website?

Shailja Patel: If God Was A Ninety-Five Year Old Swahili Woman. I loved this spoken word performance for its authenticity and bravery, not to mention its humanness.

Ron Finley: An unlikely farm feeds a community. Loved the unorthodox but obvious solution to access to fresh vegetables in urban centers.

Michael Green: The beauty and impact of a wooden skyscraper. I also loved Michael Green, talking about wooden skyscrapers and green buildings. This was particularly relevant to the Vancouver audience, but is a very compelling global conversation about the future of architecture.

Kevin Scott: What architects can learn from mash-up artists. He talked about curating the city of the future, rather than designing it. I loved his fresh take on using what you have to make something better.

Raymond Wang: Harvesting energy from rain, hail and snow. Adored this brilliant 14-year old mind teaching us about harvesting energy from the most natural of resources — rain!

What was the best moment of the night? 

Seriously you want me to pick just one? The hands down soul-shaking earth-shattering moment was the beautiful words of Shailja Patel. The “let’s change the world” moment was urban gardens with Ron Finley. The brilliant hope for the future moment was Raymond Wang’s science demo. Oh and seeing Kelly and Sean, obviously :)

Which speaker from the night do you want to be your new best friend? 

Carin Bondar! She is the cutest, loveliest, awesomest science-nerd I’ve ever met!

Stayed tuned for more audience impressions of TED Talent Search events, coming at you over the next month.

Katie Zeppieri at her first TED event

As the TED team travels around the world hosting salons in 14 cities, we’re collecting great local stories. Here’s a quick report from TED@Vancouver, held June 1, 2012 at the Roundhouse Community Centre, and locally hosted by TED staff Janet and Katherine McCartney.

Above, check out the excited Katie Zeppieri at her first TED event, with a tweet of hers to follow:

Honoured to be selected as a finalist for the TED 2013 Worldwide Talent Search! Vancouver, I'll be heading your way May 31 @TEDNews #Excited

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Katie Zeppieri (@KatieZeppieri) May 16, 2012

Then, for a peek at what attendees saw in Vancouver, view more tweets and Twitpics:

An unexpected hip hop show at #TEDTalentSearch instagr.am/p/LT3-SYOQHb/

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Jordan Eshpeter (@JordanEshpeter) June 01, 2012

Majede Najar, an articulate 16 YO, tells the #tedtalentsearch crowd why she is proud to wear a hijab yfrog.com/ntkt6gfj

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suzanne siemens (@Luna_gal) June 01, 2012

Wow, I can't even spell the energy (piezoelectric?) this 8th grader is harvesting! #tedtalentsearch yfrog.com/odhqymij

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suzanne siemens (@Luna_gal) June 01, 2012

"When you leave here, just plant some shit" Ron Finley #TED #vancouver @ Roundhouse Community Centre instagr.am/p/LUNvvtC2ho/

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  (@nandapellegrini) June 01, 2012

And to wrap it all up, read an English-translated (by Google Translate) German blogger’s post about the event.

Photo: Katie Zeppieri‘s Twitter Stream