After a successful inaugural event last year, TEDxColumbus is taking over the stage on October 22 at CCAD hosting over a dozen short talks answering the question, “What’s Next?”
The local franchise of the world-wide successful conference TED and it’s uber-popular website TED.com has become a must-attend event for many local technology, design, innovation and just curious thinkers. (The “x” in TEDx represents that it’s an official licensee of TED).
The speakers and performers who have been “curated” for the event have 18 minutes (some less) in one of three categories this year: What’s Next for Columbus, What’s Next in Tech/Design and and What’s Next after a Poignant Experience. But the speaker names won’t be released until the week of the event.
“If you want to hear a riveting set of diverse ideas and trust that they’ll be exceptionally done, then you’ll come,” said Ruth Milligan, co-organizer of TEDxColumbus. “The interaction among the audience – people who all are craving some mind-twisting talks – is what drives most people to attend.”
Milligan reports that speakers are delighted to have such a broad-thinking audience representing a wide cross-section of corporate professionals, technology entrepreneurs, innovative artists, graphic and interactive designers, marketers and more. “It assures them that their ideas, however obscure or broad, will be openly accepted and debated.”
Last year, Columbus was the 30th city to host a TEDx event in its initial year of having community-based licensees. There are now over 600 of these events worldwide, with tens of thousands of TEDx talks archived on YouTube. Speakers from the 2009 TEDxColumbus: Global event at the Wexner Center included John Glenn, Ann Pendleton-Julian, John Mueller, Norah Zuniga-Shaw, Reade Harpham, Matt Slaybaugh and more.
This year, organizers are planning to have a few select viewing venues for those that can’t attend the live event at the Canzani Center. Milligan said to look out for announcements on the TEDxColumbus site a week or so prior to the event for updates.
Milligan mentioned that she’s been involved in other TEDx outreach efforts for TED, including helping to support 50 TEDx licensees across the world to broadcast a new event in December called TEDWomen, which will also be coming to Columbus.
“The world is really embracing TED and why wouldn’t it? Thousands of amazing thinkers, creators and innovators presented through a delivery that is completely accessible and memorable,” she said. “But what’s best is how local communities like ours have embraced those attributes for our own benefit.”
TEDxColumbus: What’s Next? is Friday, October 22 from noon – 6pm at the Canzani Center at CCAD and seats are $50 after your application has been accepted. Visit www.tedxcolumbus.com to fill out a very brief application form.