Inside the lucrative business of ideas festivals
If everyone is a thought leader, then how do you know if anyone is really a thought leader?

HERE’S A FACT of life I inherently believe: you either die, or you live long enough to see the things you love get âMcKinseyâdâ. I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by thought leader presentations… or so I imagine a 21st century update of Allan Ginsbergâs Howl might go.
As someone whose job revolves around ideas, it stings a little to admit I have idea fatigue. Itâs hard to identify a single culprit, but thereâs no doubt algorithmic social mediaâTikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagramâplays a role. At every turn, I am being talked at, explained to or being instructed. Even if, to some peopleâs credit, theyâre on track to be the next David Attenborough or Steve Jobs, when âexpertâ content has become so saturated and disposable that itâs like the confectionary of the internet, how would we even know?
The term âthought leaderâ was coined by American author and editor Joel Kurtzman in the â90s, when he was the founding editor-in-chief of Strategy+Business magazine, and later wrote a book on the topic. Like catnip for the chronically corporate culture of the era, Kurtzman defined the term as a person recognised by âpeers, customers and industry experts as someone who deeply understands the business they are in, the needs of their customers and the broader marketplace in which they operateâ. Ok bet. But my beef with the thought leaders of today starts with Kurtzmanâs all-important definition tail end: âThey have distinctively original ideas, unique points of view and new insights.â
How many of them can say they are truly meeting that bar?

Weâve arrived at an interesting intersection of culture, where business, hustle culture, storytelling, digital communication, entertainment, self-reflection and affirmation, and the creator economy have collided. Itâs not enough to be good at your job, successful in your field of study or have a hobby you enjoy, you also have to be a brand. And so, as the pressure to perform grows, the line between influencer and trusted expert blurs. And as weâve seen in other sectors, like journalism, the arts, academia, law and government, when you throw the accessibility of generative AI into the mix, it gets even messier.
âWhen it comes to posting on LinkedIn, weâve heard that you generally know what you want to say, but going from a great idea to a full-fledged post can be challenging and time-consuming,â writes Keren Baruch, director of product at LinkedIn, in a recent post announcing the platformâs planned AI tools. âSo, weâre starting to test a way for members to use generative AI directly within the LinkedIn share box.â
All the program asks for is a 30-word outline to serve as the core of the post, and the generative AI will do the rest. You just add your own polish and post. LinkedIn is already a hotbed of plagiarism, posturing and back-pattingâI have seen my own work and the work of other journalists and researchers spat out and ChatGPT-summarised with a âget in contact for a free consultation on this topicâ call to actionâso Iâll let you imagine what might happen when this application launches.
Despite all this, weâre just as hungry for ideas as weâve ever been. It leads one to wonder if the issue isnât quantity, but quality and the overall experience of consumption. In Australia, we have a thriving talks and ideas festival industry thatâs been consistently growing for more than 20 years. Some of the biggest include Vivid Ideas Sydney, Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Semi Permanent, Tedx and SXSW Sydneyâ the latter just made its debut in Sydney this October, the first SXSW event outside of its Austin, USA, home base.

âThere is nothing like being in a room and seeing people on stage, sharing big ideas,â says Fenella Kernebone, head of programming (conference) for SXSW Sydney, which has an involved and multi-tiered vetting process for its speakers. âItâs that physical experience of collectively having an âahaâ moment, or, you turn to the person whoâs a stranger next to you and youâre nodding, clapping or maybe you even vehemently disagree, but youâre next to someone else. You can feel the impact of an idea in that moment.â
The power of being in the room is really what the digital ideas/creator economy has tried to replicate and democratise, maybe at its own peril. Because when everyone is inundated with industry thoughts, how do you program for original thought?
âI program with an appreciation and desire to hear from people that have a genuine connection and expertise in their subject matter,â says Mitchell Oakley Smith, global creative director of Semi Permanent. âSometimes, that is people who are not public speakers.â This tone of humanity and vulnerability, he says, is the most important part of building connection, which in a way, is the antidote to brand-speak. âI want to hear from people that know all about their field. And work day-to-day in it, to give me those insights, as opposed to people that talk about everything, but specialise in nothing.
âThere is always going to be a place, and I think itâs growing, for people to come together and have a shared experience around learning,â adds Oakley Smith. As we become busier and busier, and we work more remotely, there are fewer chances for that to happen, and so we lean on what is available.
âTo be able to have that experience and to hear from sort of captains of industry is so integral to the professional experience, growing creatively or professionally,â says Oakley Smith. âI think people do forget this because there is so much [professional chatter] in the world nowâbut when it is done well and the people that youâre hearing from are offering something really of value, then the power of that shouldnât be underestimated.â

In an ever-changing world, where innovation, technology and cultural shifts are central to the sharing of ideas, weâll soon find that analysis and critical thought are what will help us to navigate how we move forward as a society. But you have to allow for humanity. If content is too robotic or polished, as the AI-generated thought posts youâll be fed on social platforms are likely to be, it wonât matter how insightful they are; the opportunity for connection will have been lost. âIf you donât allow for any vulnerability or human element,â says Oakley Smith.
âThen youâre left to ask: how much of them [thought leaders] are you actually hearing from?â
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