OluKai’s Partnership with TEDxMaui Creates Enduring, Passionate Global Event

On Sunday, January 22, 2012, over a 1,000 people gathered at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center for the inaugural, sold-out TEDxMaui event, which OluKai sponsored to help support wide-scale, worldwide social innovation. In an effort to connect the local community event to the global TEDx audience, OluKai hosted a live webcast of the TEDxMaui event on OluKai.com, which brought in viewers from multiple countries, including China, Guam and Costa Rica. The full-day TEDxMaui event brought a thought- provoking collective of 18 powerful speakers from the islands and beyond. Highlights from the event included a moving opening by Elizabeth Kapu’uwailani Lindsey, Ph.D., the first Polynesian Explorer and female Fellow in the history of National Geographic Society and internationally recognized expert in the emerging field of cultural intelligence, and performance by Paula Fuga, the deeply respected Hawaiian musician and cultural ambassador who uses her talent to bring about positive social change. OluKai also paid tribute to legendary Hawaiian waterman Archie Kalepa, who was in attendance. Played to the overflowing audience was this short film, original content from OluKai’s Talk Story series: http://talkstory.olukai.com/2011/06/07/archie-kalepa-foil-boarding/. “Bringing together a community of this depth was moving and deeply inspiring,” said Kerry Konrady, Director of Marketing for OluKai. “Special thanks to all the hard working folks at TEDxMaui for sharing a special event with the world.” About TED | TEDx TEDx was created in the spirit of TED's mission, "ideas worth spreading." The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. At TEDx events, a screening of TEDTalks videos -- or a combination of live presenters and TEDTalks videos -- sparks deep conversation and connections. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis. To learn more, visit http://www.ted.com/pages/about_tedx.