Every year on the Cergy campus, the ESSEC Initiatives student association organises TEDxESSECBusinessSchool, a series of conferences featuring inspirational personalities. The 2024 edition will take place on 24 April at 7.30pm, on the theme Anticipating the Unforeseeable (tickets). Its organisers Eitan Bohbot (E26), Alicia Claus (E26) and Émilie Guillaumont (E26) present the event, which is partnered by ESSEC Alumni as part of the Asso Rezo call for projects.
ESSEC Alumni: What are the aims of ESSEC Initiatives?
Émilie Guillaumont: Our organisation promotes entrepreneurship and innovation among ESSEC students. We have two divisions: the professional side, which carries out market studies and develops business plans or communication strategies for start-ups, and the events side, which organises various events linked to entrepreneurship, including round tables, pitch evenings, a ‘Start-up Barbecue’ and of course the TEDxESSECBusinessSchool.
EA: What is on the programme of the TEDxESSECBusinessSchool?
Eitan Bohbot: In keeping with the TED philosophy, we invite guest speakers to give a presentation lasting no more than 18 minutes, a format designed to grab audience attention while conveying complex ideas in a condensed and understandable way. It’s important to note that these guests speak for free. Their motivation lies in the desire to explain and share their knowledge, discoveries and innovations and thus contribute to an intellectual common good.
EA: Why do you host a TEDx at ESSEC specifically?
Alicia Claus: The aim of these events is to enrich public debate and encourage the emergence of creative solutions to the challenges of our times, by bringing together people of all backgrounds and bolstering intergenerational ties. These goals correspond to our school’s values and community.
EA: What themes have you explored in previous editions?
É. Guillaumont: The themes of the 2017, 2018 and 2019 editions were respectively: ‘Into the Deep’, ‘The Day After’ and ‘Face to Face’. The 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to the pandemic.
E. Bohbot: In 2022, we opted for ‘Facing Adversity’, notably with Iris Maréchal, an activist campaigning against sexual violence; Marc Verillotte, former member of the French National Police anti-terrorist unit (RAID); Sophie Daumal, on invisible disability, and Rayan Mahfoud (BBA 25), who fled Lebanon after the Beirut port explosion.
A. Claus: The 2023 theme was ‘Black Sheep’, with, among others, Eva Vocz, responsible pornographer; Nina Luka, polyamorist; Thibaut Malel, cryptocurrency expert, and Megha Malagatti (MBA 12), who belongs to India’s ‘Dalit’ caste.
EA: What inspired the 2024 theme, ‘Anticipating the Unforeseeable’?
É. Guillaumont: These last years have been marked by large-scale unforeseen events, such as the health crisis, geopolitical upheavals, and the acceleration in climate change. Against our will, we have collectively and suddenly realised how difficult it is to predict the future and the extent to which we need to be prepared. The TEDx will explore how to resolve this contradiction.
E. Bohbot: We’re also hoping to rediscover a taste for the unforeseen, to stop fearing the future and enjoy uncertainty, which also implies that everything is still possible and nothing is written in the stars. We’re seeking to develop a school of thought based on resilience and adaptability in the face of sudden and unexpected changes, whether on an individual or organisational level, in our personal lives or in terms of society.
EA: What are the profiles of your 8 speakers?
A. Claus: Marc Verillotte was awarded the Legion of Honour following his intervention with the RAID’s assault column in 2012 against Mohammed Merah, and his role in freeing the 26 Hyper Cacher hostages in 2015.
É. Guillaumont: Stéphanie Rivoal (E93) worked for JP Morgan, Lazard and Goldman Sachs before dropping everything to intervene in the riskiest areas of humanitarian work, as President of Action Against Hunger, then in politics as the French Ambassador to Uganda.
E. Bohbot: Pauline Audinet (M15), also a graduate of École Boulle, uses design fiction to help businesses reinvent their innovation process and contribute to building the future.
A. Claus: Maria Doyle-Cuche, raised by a single mother in Ireland and blind since the age of nine, beat all the odds to become a committed singer, representing her country in Eurovision and performing at the Pantheon to mark the anniversary of Louis Braille’s burial.
É. Guillaumont: Kevin Soler has lived through lows, when his business partner embezzled funds and put their company in danger, as well as highs when he became six-time World Street Workout Champion.
E. Bohbot: Claire Suco founded a first company specialised in natural solutions for painful menstruation, followed by the MEUF Paris brand, which acts to bust myths about women.
A. Claus: Systematist and profiler Anne Gervaise Vendange is regularly called on by the largest media organisations for her expertise in human or organisational influence strategies and emotion management.
É. Guillaumont: Manuella Hachet lived through ten years of addiction following a tragic accident, before becoming a private consultant for the world’s biggest billionaires.
E. Bohbot: Furthermore, a fellow ESSEC graduate with a surprising background will open the evening with a short performance of mentalism. Their identity will be revealed at the last minute!
EA: How do you prepare for an event of this scale?
A. Claus: After an initial in-house phase to choose a theme, we start hunting for potential speakers. We ask each one to send us a 2 to 3-minute video, to see if their profile corresponds (or not).
É. Guillaumont: We then help the speakers selected to produce their text and visual supports, then rehearse their talk, because the format is as important as the content. The aim is not simply to convey an interesting message, but to transmit emotions too.
E. Bohbot: In parallel, we work on the logistics, such as sponsoring, communication, ticket sales, technical management, security and so on. In this regard, it must be pointed out that ESSEC is one of the few French schools to have a TED 2 licence, enabling us to invite more than 100 people. We thus organise a particularly large-scale TEDx, which requires the support of an 8 to 12-person team.
EA: Why did you apply to Asso Rezo for this project?
É. Guillaumont: This event contributes to the school’s renown, by involving both students and ESSEC graduates. We felt these aspects corresponded to the selection criteria for Asso Rezo, which awards projects in keeping with ESSEC Alumni’s strategic pillars (Inspire, Connect, Support, Together to Act) and ESSEC’s values (humanism, innovation, responsibility, excellence and diversity), fostering intergenerational ties within the community. The jury clearly agreed with us!
EA: How did ESSEC Alumni support your project via Asso Rezo?
E. Bohbot: First of all, we were endowed with invaluable financial aid to complete our budget. Then the ESSEC Alumni team helped us to identify ESSEC graduates with profiles matching our theme. Right now, we receive support for the operational organisation and communication around the event.
EA: How do ESSEC members attend TEDxESSEC 2024?
A. Claus: The event will take place in the Grand Amphitheatre on the Cergy campus, on 24 April, as of 7.30pm. Various admission rates are on offer: €9 for ESSEC students, €12 for other students, €16 for ESSEC graduates and faculty or administrative staff, and €18 for anyone else. Tickets include admission to the conference, the mentalist’s performance and the buffet meal. You can buy your tickets as of now at Hello Asso.
EA: Will a recorded version be available for anyone unable to attend the event?
E. Bohbot: The talks will be filmed by a team of professionals. A few weeks later, after editing, the videos will be posted on the official TED Talk YouTube channel, with the hashtag #TEDxESSECBusinessSchool, where you can already view recordings of our previous editions. We’re delighted to have this digital extension of our events, which reach a global audience and broaden the impact of the ideas presented. One perfect example is Tristan Defeuillet-Vang’s video on the theme ‘Growing in the Face of Adversity’, which has generated more than 114,000 views to date.
EA: How can graduates support TEDxESSEC and ESSEC Initiative’s actions in general?
A. Claus: To begin with, you can relay the event on social networks and among your community, particularly with ESSEC classmates.
E. Bohbot: You can also create partnerships with your company; sponsoring is a key source of funding, and our only one outside of ticket sales and the Asso Rezo endowment.
É. Guillaumont: Lastly, don’t hesitate to apply directly yourselves for our future editions. Your support and commitment are essential to ensuring the success of the event and more generally fostering and inspiring our community!
Get your tickets for TEDxESSEC 2024 at Hello Asso !
Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser (E10), Content Manager at ESSEC Alumni
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Image : © ESSECLive
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