TEDx Salt Lake City is coming to Kingsbury Hall this Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. At TEDx, speakers and performers connect with the audience to talk about the local community while giving a TED-like experience.
“We look for all of our speakers to talk about something in Salt Lake City,” said Camille Winnie, partnership team lead of TEDx Salt Lake City.
TEDx started as a way to bring TED, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “Ideas Worth Sharing,” to local communities. The TEDx events are organized by partners, volunteers and speakers.
A day-long event, participants will be immersed in “stimulating concepts and entertainment,” said Winnie, with thirteen speakers and four performances.
Speakers this Saturday include Austen Allred, Ben Rollins, David Eyer Davis, David York, Erik Brunvand, Hala Saleh, Ivy Estabrooke, Ken Grover, Kevin Jones, Nalini Nadkarni, Nate Bagley, Nicole Roundy and Thea Holcomb. Performers included in the event are Aerial Arts of Utah, Bboy Federation, cellist Chase Ferry and illuminator Topher Horman.
This year’s theme, “Upcycled Thinking,” argues with the phrase “out with the old, in with the new.” The idea is to “take an idea, update it and make it better,” Winnie said.
Winnie has heard many of the speakers’ speeches and calls the event “intellectually stimulating.” She said she is particularly excited to hear from David Eyer Davis on the Salt Lake Bicycle Collective, Eric Brunvand on his creative use of electronics, Nalini Nadkarni, who is known as the “Queen of the Forest Canopy,” 17-year-old Thea Holcomb on peer mentoring for sex-ed and Nate Bagley, who will talk about love.
Students and community members attending TEDx Salt Lake City have the opportunity to listen and network with accomplished speakers. Filled with “inspirational ideas and experiences,” the event will encourage the audience to learn more about what is going on in Salt Lake City.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to see what’s happening, learn what’s happening in the community,” Winnie said.
Kingsbury Hall wanted to specifically host the TEDx event, Winnie said. Moving to Kingsbury has quadrupled attendance size, and the event sold out in less than a day. Though tickets are currently sold out, there are still a select amount of $5 discounted tickets specifically for U students. Tickets can be picked up at the box office at Kingsbury.
Interested in being a part of TEDx Salt Lake City? Go to tedxsaltlakecity.com and apply to be a partner, volunteer or speaker.