The theme of the event, which will take place at Staffordshire University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus, is “Thinking through Making” and any potential speakers with ideas worth spreading are being invited to pitch to a TEDx panel made up of movers and shakers in the region.
Chairing the panel for TEDxStaffordshireUniversity is Vice-Chancellor Professor Martin Jones. He said: “As a civic university and an education hub, it’s a privilege for us to host this independently organised TEDx event at Staffordshire University and especially in The Catalyst building which is a thriving hub for knowledge exchange and sparking new and original ideas.”
“While this is an open call for TEDx speakers, we hope our selection process and the event will uncover people whose experiences and ideas fit the ‘thinking through making’ theme, some of which help make Staffordshire ‘the creative county’ and others with the potential to change the world.”
To apply, potential speakers are being asked to complete an application form and send in a three-minute video to pitch the idea for their presentation. TEDx talks should be less than 18 minutes long and delivered by a single presenter to fit the theme.
Earlier this year, Staffordshire University marketing lecturer Dr Joe Hazzam delivered a TEDx talk for the British University in Dubai to address some of the realities of engaging with the world via social media.
He said: “For me this was a career highlight that allowed me to share my ideas beyond academia to a worldwide audience. I am very excited that Staffordshire University is hosting TEDx and think the theme seems especially fitting for Stoke-on-Trent – the world capital of ceramics.”
The call for TEDxStaffordshireUniversity applications will close on Sunday 11 December and speakers confirmed following a meeting of the panel in January.
Tickets for the TEDxStaffordshireUniversity event on Wednesday 1st February will be made available to the public in the New Year when the full programme of speakers will be announced.
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, often in the form of short talks delivered by leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED conferences, intimate TED Salons and thousands of independently organized TEDx events around the world. Videos of these talks are made available, free, on TED.com and other platforms. Audio versions of TED Talks are published to TED Talks Daily, available on all podcast platforms.
TED's open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; TEDx, which licenses thousands of individuals and groups to host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities; The Audacious Project, which surfaces and funds critical ideas that have the potential to impact millions of lives; TED Translators, which crowdsources the subtitling of TED Talks so that big ideas can spread across languages and borders; and the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED also offers TED@Work, a program that reimagines TED Talks for workplace learning. TED also has a growing library of original podcasts, including The TED Interview with Chris Anderson, WorkLife with Adam Grant, Far Flung with Saleem Reshamwala and How to Be a Better Human.
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