Destination Tomorrow

We have been partner of various TEDx programmes for many years. This year, we sponsored TEDx events in Bern, Fribourg and are about to go to Geneva. TEDx is a forum for ‘ideas worth spreading’. It consists of self-organised events in various cities. As part of last year’s ‘Destination Tomorrow’ TEDx event at HSG in St. Gallen, we wanted to show how innovation and digitalisation could be combined.

The wish tree

We worked on visions of the future with around 400 participants across seven lecture halls at HSG. The focal point of the event was our wish tree. A wish tree is a living tree, either indoors or outdoors, onto which wishes are hung. The wishes symbolically grow towards the sky with the tree, and so are incorporated into the greater whole. Participants at the event could write down one or more wishes and attach them to our wish tree. There was the possibility to send us the wishes online too: https://makeawish.liip.ch/ We looked through all the wishes, and were astonished by what we found!

Young people wished for world peace and sustainability – and a relationship.

The majority of the wishes were about the well-being of humans and nature. ‘World peace’ and ‘green technologies for all’ made an appearance. Most young people and participants wished for a more peaceful world and for sustainability. We thought this was remarkable! Of course, there were also personal wishes such as successfully completing a university degree, which is of course perfectly OK. One wish particularly caught our eye: ‘I wish for a girlfriend’. He hung his number on the wish tree. Hats off for audacity! Although we could not couple him up, we gave him a cool present for his pluckiness.

Outlook for TEDx events

There are will be more TEDx events for us to come in 2019. The wishes collected at the TEDx in St. Gallen touched us, so we are making another wish tree in Geneva. This will follow the same concept but be in a different format. Do French-speaking Swiss people have different wishes? We will find out on 7 November. Les Jours qui viennent – TEDx Geneva. We are once again organising a Liip bar. Meet us there! Or send us your wish online: https://makeawish.liip.ch/