TEDxSydney founder plans ambitious Sydney cafe and members club
The organiser of TEDxSydney is planning to open a membership based city cafe, live events space and rooftop bar in Darlinghurst, Mumbrella can reveal.
General Thinking cafe
The General Thinking city cafe is the brainchild of Remo Giuffre, one of the driving forces behind TEDxSydney.
According to documents seen by Mumbrella, Giuffre has identified a four storey building in Darlinghurst which will become a meeting space, event venue, rooftop bar and seven days a week live video streaming hub.
Mumbrella understands that Giuffre is in talks with a handful of major Australian brands to come on board as partners for the ambitious project, which would then in turn trigger support from City of Sydney.
Giuffre declined to go into detail, but confirmed the not for profit project, saying: “I would anticipate that it would skew towards the creative industries.”
He compared the concept to famed British media watering hole Soho House, but added: “We’re not going to put Soho House prices on membership. You might be able to join for 50 dollars.”
The project has been endorsed by TED’s global curator Chris Anderson who likened the concept to London’s 17th Century coffee houses. He said: “We feel that there is a 21st century opportunity to make places within cities that become part of the fabric of metropolitan/ civic life.”
The plan has also been backed by Droga5 CEO Sudeep Gohil who said: “I love the idea of being able to connect the global thinkers network with partners and potential clients.” Chaser member Julian Morrow is also a supporter of the project.
The General Thinking cafe would see guests able to access the cafe levels of the building, while members would also be able to use workspaces, lounge areas and meeting rooms along with the members roof deck and bar. They would also have access to a concierge service.
The project has already had a formal expression of interest from production house CJZ – the company behind Gruen Planet – in the video content that would come out of the site’s daily talks, discussions and presentations.
Sample program
The project is seeking support at a number of levels including $10,000 from donors, $25,000 from patrons, $100,000 from founders and a small number of partner organisations who would be asked to commit around $500,000. Among the partner categories, General Thinking will work with one communications brand, one financial services brand, two technology brands and one other undisclosed brand.
Giuffre told Mumbrella: “We’re in the process of identifying an inner circle of founding partners. There are only a handful of seats at that table, but down the track we will be engaging much more broadly with organisations and brands that we would be a good fit.”
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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What is this?
A center for ants? How can we be expected to teach children to learn how to read… if they can’t even fit inside the building?
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^ this 🙂
As long as the kids learn to read and speak heaps good too…
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Seriously though, isn’t the name ‘General Thinking cafe’ setting the bar a bit low for something connected to TED?
Unless General is a rank in this context (and that’s an issue too, involving the military!) then I hope would hope we could do better than the ‘general’ thinking that leads to a government with no respect for human rights, an increasing gap between the 1 and the 99 percenters, and ‘generally’ leading us down the path of lowest common denominator. Let’s start with some inspiration, not just some bland and ‘general’ thinking with regards to a name (see what I did there?). The challenge has been made o inspired thinkers. Great concept though – let’s just give it a better name. 🙂
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And turn left
….everyone needs to be able to turn left!
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This concept is very similar to what is already happening at Hub Sydney.
Come to an Open House and join Australia’s only National Coworking and Collaborative Community with weekly Learning and Social Events. All with access to Playground, Meeting Rooms, Lounge, Cafe/kitchen, Library, Art Gallery and Events Spaces, Memberships start at $20 a month.
https://hubsydopenhouse.eventbrite.com
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TEDx – it’s all there!
The Smug Room, the Knowing Hipster Room, the Champagne Socialist Do-As-I-Say-Don’t-Live-As-I-Live Room. This place has everything! Even a rainbow Circle of the Virtuous.
But how they’ll get all those bicycles upstairs, I don’t know.
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wow..so amazing TEDX was behind the iniative to employ the cuchina Indias from Xexoctl in peru to make IPAD covers out of dyyed rattan for TEDX members.. that now gainfully employs many in the tribe… LIKE
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