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From packing tape to duck heads: Highlights from TED@Amsterdam

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TED Talent Search: TED@Amsterdam

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 Nate Mook of Doha, Qatar, to tell us about his experience at TED@Amsterdam, which took place on June 20.

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

Intimate. Diverse. Fun.

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

Max Zorn: The city is my canvas, packing tape my medium
Max showed off his amazing packaging tape art. It was truly unique and awe-inspiring.

Frederik de Wilde: The blackest black in the world
Frederik showed off the blackest black available. Something I never thought about, but was fascinated by.

Sabatina James: My flight from an arranged marriage
Sabatina’s story about escaping her arranged marriage was heartbreaking and inspiring.

Peter Holmes a Court: Creating a human connection to the things we buy
Peter’s story about showing his son how a bicycle was actually created struck a chord, as I also believe we are becoming dangerously disconnected with where things come from.

Kate Stone: The potential in printing electronics
Kate showed off how to integrate the digital and physical world by printing electronics, creating things like interactive art. Technology like this will soon be commonplace and it was fascinating to see the merging of the two worlds.

What was the best moment of the night? 

The crowd dying of laughter with the story of how a dead duck changed Kees Moeliker’s life.

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

Lonneke Gordijn, who gave the talk “a designer imagines rebuilding the world,” because she spoke on how she is figuring out how to utilize her experience and design work to make a difference.

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

TED Talent Search: TED@Amsterdam