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TEDxGainesville: Courageous Conversations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 28, 2018

Media Contact: John Coffill, john.s.coffill@rrd.com

GAINESVILLE – Members of the Gainesville community are invited to experience the inaugural presentation of TEDxGainesville. This event will be hosted at the Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention on February 9th, 2019 and is supported by the Leadership Gainesville Alumni Association. Tickets go on sale mid-January, and include parking, entrance, refreshments, participation in open discussion sessions and a cocktail reception.

The mission of TEDxGainesville is to inspire courageous conversations that open minds and transform the Greater Gainesville community. Participants will have the opportunity to be immersed in both live and video presentations, and to participate in facilitated discussion sessions that will take place in open social spaces. Live presentations will consist of some of the most inspirational speakers and performers from the Gainesville area. The event is limited to 100 participants.

A central goal of TEDxGainesville is to build bridges between the major institutions in the Greater Gainesville community, between the wide range of industries in the area, and between the people that make up our diverse population. In recognition that engaging in tough conversations opens doors, the event is conceptualized along these four themes:

  • P2P – Person to Person Conversations: The P2P theme challenges us to begin the difficult, often uncomfortable, conversations that might occur between two people or a small group people.
  • Societal Conversations: The societal conversations theme brings to light issues that highlight inequities in our world and present innovative solutions.
  • Innovative Conversations: The innovation theme envisions conversations that challenge us to think about something in a new and different way.
  • Breakthrough Conversations: This theme invites speakers to challenge us to engage in conversations that tackle novel ideas. 

TEDxGainesville is accepting applications for speakers and performers through December 14, 2018. Those interested in presenting are encouraged to apply:

TEDxGainesville Presenter Application

TEDxGainesville is an independently produced event, operated under license from TED, and organized by local volunteers. Sponsorship opportunities for local businesses are available. For sponsorship information, please contact: Kevin Spellicy, spellicy@campbellspellicy.com.

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, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. 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, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today’s leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED’s annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available, free, on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

TED’s open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; the TED Translators Program, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from thousands of volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; the annual million-dollar TED Prize, which funds exceptional individuals with a “wish,” or idea, to create change in the world; TEDx, which provides licenses to thousands of individuals and groups who host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

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

More Information

Event Website: https://tedxgainesville.org/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxGainesville/

Media Contact: John Coffill, john.s.coffill@rrd.com

Presenter Info: Ester de Jong, edejong@coe.ufl.edu

Sponsorship Info: Kevin Spellicy, spellicy@campbellspellicy.com

Volunteer Info: Jennifer Phelps, jphelps@digitalbcast.com

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