What you can learn from seven people who turn ideas into reality

Mark Jennings-Bates, talking about his World Record Paramotor ride.

Image Credit: Contributed

November 07, 2015 - 8:01 PM

KELOWNA - Everyone has an idea. Some people have big ideas. Then you have Mark Jennings-Bates-size ideas.

One year, the Kelowna business consultant might be racing rally cars, another year riding an enduro bike across South Africa. Or he might be setting a new Guinness Book of World Records team flight on a paramotor across Australia, maybe climbing another of the world’s highest peaks or just running an Ultramarathon.

That’s what builds the resume for an adventurer, but what you don’t see is how he makes those expeditions happen.

“There are practicalities in all of this,” he says. “It’s easy to be the guy who just says 'lets go do it’… but reality is it’s going to take a lot of planning.”

Jennings-Bates is one of seven speakers who have done it — made their dreams and ideas into realities — and bring their experiences to this year’s Tedx event next Friday, Nov. 13 at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna.

The speakers were hand picked by organizers including Andrew Gaucher, who helped bring a subset of the globally popular TED speaker series to Kelowna for the past four years. This year, speakers were chosen precisely for their experience with the theme: IGNITE: All Change Was Born of an Idea.

"I am hoping everyone leaves enlightened with new perspective to get involved either with the ideas discussed on the day itself or get going on something they have been working on themselves,” Gaucher says.

Jennings-Bates wants to share some of his own tips for executing a vision and it starts with thinking differently. Most people don’t want to ask for help but he finds just by talking about what he wants to do, people often want to help.

His next idea is to be the first to fly a flying car across the world.

“It’s not a short time frame, it’s going to take a lot of planning,” he says. "Sometimes people think you live this life of adventure around the world but they don’t see you on the phone for 365 days planning it out.”

To see the full line up of speakers, visit Tedx Kelowna. Tickets are still available.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Marshall Jones at mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.