Today’s guest brings a unique perspective as a TEDx organizer who operates in an “east meets west” cultural setting. Shelly Govila shares how she has been a key part of organizing the TEDxWanChai event in Hong Kong and how it has opened up so many possibilities in her life.
An avid follower of TED conferences, Shelly has been organizing large-scale TEDx events in Hong Kong since 2012, helping initiate TEDxHKUST in her university in 2010. She currently serves as Co-Curator and Head of Marketing at TEDxWanChai, one of Hong Kong’s most established TEDx events. Shelly is also a Senior Account Executive at Ruder Finn, one of the largest independent global communications agencies, where she manages client and media relations, event coordination, social media, and digital content.
to joining Ruder Finn, her work experience has been as varied as her many interests, from a local digital agency to the National Basketball Association (NBA) to a boutique hospitality firm in Hong Kong to a national newspaper in India, her home country. Shelly holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing and Operations from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, with a minor in Humanities.
We’ll explore:
- Behind-the-scenes info about Shelly’s event, TEDxWanChai.
- The fun things that take place beyond the main stage at the event.
- How the event has impacted so many students, and created additional events as a result of this impact.
- Why Shelly became an organizer.
- What Shelly looks for when curating her event, and their process for selecting speakers.
- Why Hong Kong is a unique “east meets west” setting.
- How Shelly “chased” a female politician in order to secure her as a speaker.
- Shelly’s favorite thing as an organizer, and how it has impacted her.
- Shelly’s favorite TED talks.
