TEDxOrlando aims to inspire new ideas

TEDx, an event based on the popular TED conferences, in which speakers gather and disseminate ideas they believe can improve the world, is coming to the UCF area Saturday.

At these conferences, innovative minds come together to discuss the problems of today and the solutions of tomorrow.

TEDx will share “ideas worth spreading” at the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden. The event will be from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a registration period that begins at noon.

Using TEDTalks videos and live speakers, the event hopes to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. While TEDx is an independently organized event, it draws inspiration and general guidance from the national TED conferences. 

This will be the third such conference in Orlando since TEDxOrlando was licensed by TEDx in April 2010. 

Jenny Casey, the official spokeswoman for TEDxOrlando, said, “Our goal is to provide an event that approximates the real TED as closely as possible, with the resources we have available.” 

“There seems to be a hunger for [TED], globally,” Casey said. “Worldwide, there have now been over 4,500 TEDx events held in 1,200 cities and 133 countries.”

Casey said that providing a well-designed platform developed specifically to encourage the sharing of ideas is very helpful to everyone and that while open sharing of ideas has not been stifled in recent years, there is more that people can do to get good ideas and a healthy intellectual conversation out there. 

“It’s through sharing ideas that progress is made,” Casey said.

Each speaker is chosen by the event organizers based on the quality of the speaker’s work, the degree to which his or her work aligns with TEDxOrlando’s vision and mission, the speaker’s availability and willingness to work collaboratively to develop their talk and the organizers’ judgment of the speaker’s ability to develop a talk in the TED format. The speakers are generally chosen by organizers, but in a few cases the organizers have selected self-nominated speakers providing they meet the high standards set by TED.

This particular TEDx event features 11 speakers, though that number may be subject to last-minute changes. The speakers include social “Eco-paneur" Chris Castro; strategist, organizer and marketer Ian Cole; zoologist Scott Gass; data scientist and senior TED fellow Jonathon Gosier; publisher Wae Nelson; disc jockey Mary Nichols; gerontologist and entrepreneur Amy O’Rourke; teacher Amy Selikoff; organizer Eddie Selover; innovation expert Karen Tilstra; and leadership expert Brian Uzzi.

With an eclectic and accomplished group of individuals speaking, organizers hope the conference will provide attendees with new ideas and solutions, the push needed to get their own ideas out and accomplish something big or perhaps just have a good time. Though this is an event aimed at deep and intellectual conversation, it is not intended to be tedious or boring, nor is it like a classroom-style lecture. Casey said that the first reason people should want to attend is because it’s fun.

Meetings called TEDxOrlandoSalon have been held monthly during the past two and a half years, and information on these meetings can be found on the TEDxOrlando website, tedxorlando.com. Tickets to the event are $75 and are also available on the website.