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The TEDx Creative Coast conference tackled heavy themes in its first three years.
Presenters set out to design creativity in 2010, inspire innovation in 2011 and decode the future in 2012 through 18-minute lectures known as “TED talks.”
The 2013 edition, scheduled for June 7 at the Jepson Center, promises a lighter experience. The theme is happiness, but don’t expect the 14 presentations to be about sunshine and butterflies.
“I think people will be surprised at the different perspectives around happiness,” said local entrepreneur Rad Harrell, the event’s master of ceremonies. “Happiness as a pursuit as a state of the mind and as something that inspires.”
A diverse group of presenters were culled from more than 30 applicants. Among those giving TED talks will be arborist Chris Gerards, musician Marc Garnier and theologians Rabbi Robert Haas and Minister Paul Little.
The TEDx Creative Coast is a localized version of the TED conferences, which take place annually in Long Beach, Calif., and other locations. The acronym TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, and the organization’s theme is “ideas worth spreading.”
TED events date back to 1984 and have featured speakers such as Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Steve Jobs, Paul Simon, Richard Branson and Malcolm Gladwell.
TEDx Creative Coast has become a save-the-date event in Savannah. Limited to 225 tickets, the day-long gathering has sold out three of its four years. Next month’s event is on pace for a sellout as well. Approximately 100 tickets remain.
Harrell calls TEDx Creative Coast a “democratizer” and the “Savannah potluck” because it attracts attendees from across Savannah, including the business, education, health care, government and nonprofit sectors.
“The audience tends to be as diverse as the speaker lineup,” said Charisse Bennett with the Creative Coast, the event’s organizer. “We get asked throughout the year ‘Who’s speaking? What’s the theme?’ We feel like people are really looking forward to it.”
ABOUT TED
The first TED conference took place in 1984 on California’s Monterrey Peninsula and brought together people from the worlds of technology, entertainment and design devoted to “ideas worth spreading.”
Today, TED puts on major conferences in Long Beach, Calif., and Edinburgh, Scotland.
INFOBOX: TEDX CREATIVE COAST
What: A one-day conference featuring 14 speakers lecturing on the theme of “Happiness.”
When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday
Where: Jepson Center
Tickets: $65
For more information or to purchase tickets, go to tedxcreativecoast.com.
Speaker lineup: Tracy Brinson (career coach); Bob Clagett (engineer); Amy Drew (teacher); Ja-Nae Duane (social innovator); Marc Garnier (musician); Chris Gerards (musician); Robert Haas (theologian); Catherine Killingsworth (creative writer, teacher); Dave Lake (academic); Paul Little (theologian); Josh Nichols (software developer); Mary Siceloff (marketer); and Murray Wilson (digital media consultant).
