TEDxSMU 2015:

DALLAS (SMU) – Tickets are on sale for TEDxSMU 2015, the seventh incarnation of the program that challenges assumptions and expectations through compelling stories and performances that communicate “ideas worth spreading.”

The all-day event is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Dallas City Performance Hall.  Doors open and breakfast is served at 9 a.m., and the after-party at 6 p.m. is a chance to mingle with the speakers. Tickets, more information, and links to past  TEDxSMU talks are available at www.TEDxSMU.org.

“We all know that stories have the power to change the way we feel, to move us to action,” said Heather Hankamer, director of TEDxSMU.  “Every year, we seek out speakers and performances from all over to get people thinking and talking about new ideas – stories of success, big ideas, and big failures.  And every year, we find that some of the best people on our stage are from right here in and around Dallas.”

For example, this year’s TEDxSMU attendees will hear from these Dallas presenters:

• a group of extraordinary Collin County high school students who are building a “living roof” at their high school. 

• the “mother of meat fight,” who turned a backyard barbeque into a bigger-than-life annual fundraiser that delivers a seriously smoky competition between chefs, and a big financial bonanza for  multiple sclerosis research

• the community coordinator at a Dyer Street coffee shop where patrons can sample a good story or a compelling cause to go along with their java

• a street poet raised in East Dallas who uses his manic performances to capture the duality of Chicano culture

Some of the speakers are traveling further:

• a Chernobyl survivor whose definition of wealth starts with a copper penny

• a globe-trotting Public Radio International writer and producer (full disclosure: a Dallas native) whose Trinity River tale starts with a 19th century photo and a dream of the Gulf of Mexico 

• two student scientists, one studying in Canada, the other in Pennsylvania, whose agriculture bio-tech company is finding solutions for ocean plastic pollution and overfishing

Find the full speaker list at http://www.tedxsmu.org/tedxsmu-2015-unxpected/.

 TEDxSMU is an all-day TED-style conference presented by SMU, but designed to engage the greater Dallas community. An active participant in the TEDx program since its inception, TEDxSMU has built its reputation on bringing together ideas and interesting people from around the world and around the corner. The seventh annual TEDxSMU conference's theme is "Unexpected," and promises to bring a day full of mind twisting turns and discoveries. The program ranges from personal discussions of physical and mental journeys to demonstrations of high-tech gadgetry. 750 pre-registered attendees gather in the world’s largest urban arts district to hear these TEDx Talks.

###

 About TEDxSMU

Bringing together ideas and interesting people from around the world and around the corner, TEDxSMU and TEDxKids@SMU are single-day conferences in Dallas, TX and is now in its seventh year.

TEDxKids@SMU (the first TEDx event designed for students) hosts 450 middle school students for a free four-hour conference in exchange for completing four hours of community service. TEDxKids @SMU is scheduled for October 16 at City Performance Hall.

TEDxSMU programming ranges from personal discussions of physical and mental journeys to demonstrations of high-tech gadgetry and inspirational musical performances. Great visuals are the common denominator. Modeled on the TED (Technology, Engineering and Design) conference mounted annually in Long Beach, Cal., TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 27 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, Cal. (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.
TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

For information about TED's upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED.

21348-nr-10/2/15-kc