How many big ideas, inspiring stories, and cool performances can fit under one roof? I’d have a hard time coming up with a solid answer, but if yesterday’s TEDx at the Fox Theater is anything to go by, the answer is “a lot.”

This year, Red Level joined a cross-section of forward-looking area companies—manufacturers, technology firms, venture capitalists, marketing agencies and more – in sponsoring this annual gathering of bright minds and great talents. Amazing new automotive concepts like Elio Motors and musicians and poets like Ahya Simone and Darius Simpson really wowed our audience this year. I’ve been involved with TEDxDetroit for six years, helping to organize each annual event – and, not incidentally, trying to make sure that as many people as possible in our region know about it.

I’m happy to say that it’s been working, and working well. 300 people attended the first TEDxDetroit event in a college lecture hall six years ago. Last week, 2500 joined us at the beautiful Fox for eight hours of talks, presentations and performances from some of our areas most original and inspiring leaders from business, science, technology, education, and the arts – about an 80% increase from the 1400 who joined us last time. It’s a story that’s repeated itself ever since TEDx Detroit’s first year: People come, become inspired, and tell their friends. Then the next year, more people show up.

I think that there are two pretty good reasons why this happens.

Firstly, TEDxDetroit’s success shows that there is a hunger for new thinking and new ideas, and an eagerness to share them, as well as for narratives that fall outside the scope of the regular media. People want to hear success stories from their colleagues and counterparts, and want to understand how they made that success happen. They want inspiration, they want imagination, and they want to share their own ideas with others who have similar goals for themselves, for their careers, and their community. And they don’t just want to listen—they want to act on the information and ideas that TEDxDetroit has to offer.

The first reason relates directly to the second. People believe in Detroit again, and they believe in southeast Michigan. They’ve seen some of the changes taking place downtown and in midtown, in the political arena, in the economy, and in the attitudes of their friends and neighbors. The old narrative, focused on a crime-ridden rust belt city with its best days behind it, has worn itself out. In its place, a new one is emerging: The story of a city and a region that is reinventing itself, adapting, growing, building—and most importantly, defining its own destiny. If there’s one thing that diverse TEDxDetroit attendees have in common, it’s a shared conviction that this city and this region have incredible potential—and a shared commitment to its realization.

TEDxDetroiters are just part of the broad community who are making positive changes in the city, in our neighborhoods, in our cultural institutions and our business environment. It takes a village to put on TEDxDetroit – sponsors like Walsh College, Chevrolet and Red Level, in addition to nearly 100 volunteers come together to share in one incredible, inspiring day. At Red Level, we’re happy to see it all happening, and proud to be in a position to help make it happen. The ideas and inspirations sown at TEDxDetroit will take root and people in Detroit and throughout the state will benefit.