26 June, 2014
TEDxAuckland to Return in 2014 with Impressive Speaker Line-up
With an initial line-up of top New Zealand and international talent secured, TEDxAuckland has announced it will be returning to the city for its third consecutive year this August.
Designed to inspire Aucklanders through storytelling, sustainable-thinking and innovation, this year’s think-fest will be held on Saturday, 16 August at the Aotea Centre. The event will celebrate the resilience and courage of individuals who are making the world a better place through this year’s theme, Ascending.
Amongst the 10 speakers already secured for the event are Nelson Mandela’s former chief of security, Rory Steyn; New Zealand adventurer and author, Mike Allsop; and sustainability expert Rebecca Mills, who has been working with Sir Richard Branson and Derek Handley at The B Team.
TEDxAuckland organiser, Elliott Blade, aims to build on the momentum of the previous two events and further strengthen the relationship between New Zealand and the TEDx platform.
“Since TEDxAuckland launched, the event has started to introduce the idea of TED at a local level, and has focused on kiwi thinkers and world-changing ideas. This year we are adding a selection of international speakers to the mix.”
“With further speakers to be announced over the next month, this year’s event is looking to be one of the best yet,” says Blade.
Speakers already confirmed in this year’s line-up include:
Rory Steyn
– Nelson Mandela’s former chief of
security
Matt Stone – Award-winning
Executive Chef at Greenhouse, a Perth-based restaurant
focusing on sustainability and zero-waste
Vaughan
Rowsell – CEO of Vend, an award-winning online
retail POS for brick and mortar stores
Urzila
Carlson – Award-winning stand-up
comedian
Luke Nola – CEO of production
company Luke Nola and Friends, creating inspiring, engaging
and educational content for kids around the
globe
Mike Allsop – Inspiring kiwi
adventurer who has survived a plane crash and run 7
marathons in 7 days on 7 continents. He recently returned
from a marathon around Mt Everest
Rebecca
Mills – Self-described ‘Bruce Lee of
sustainability strategy’, currently works with Sir Richard
Branson at The B Team putting people and planet alongside
profit
Catherine Bell – Founder of
Garden to Table Trust that educates children to grow and
harvest, cook and share good simple food
John
Boone – Rhythm Interactive founder, an
interactive percussion business for the corporate events
industry
Rachel Callander - Award
winning NZ Wedding and Portrait photographer who has just
produced Super Power Baby Project, a photographic art
book due for launch in August 2014
Click here to read more information about the speakers.
TEDxAuckland will be taking place at the Aotea
Centre on Saturday August 16, 2014 between
10:00am-6:00pm.
The complete speaker line-up will be
announced mid-July.
For ticketing information, please visit Ticketmaster or TEDxAuckland.com.
About TEDx
x = independently organised event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a programme of local, self-organised 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-organised events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organised TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx programme, but individual TEDx events are self-organised. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About
TED
TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to
‘ideas worth spreading’. Started as a conference in
California 1984, TED has grown to support those
world-changing ideas with many initiatives.
At a TED conference, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. TED speakers have included Roger Ebert, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates, Elizabeth Gilbert, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Brian Greene, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
On TED.com, talks from TED conferences are shared with the world for free as TED Talks videos. A new TED Talk is posted every weekday. Through the Open Translation Project, TED Talks are subtitled by volunteers worldwide. Through our distribution networks, TED Talks are shared on TV, radio, Netflix and many websites.
The TEDx initiative grants free licenses to people around the world to organise TED-style events in their communities with TED Talks and live speakers. Selected talks from these events are also turned into TED Talks videos.
The annual TED Prize grants $1 million to an exceptional individual with a wish to change the world. The TED Fellows programme helps 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. TED-Ed creates short video lessons by pairing master teachers with animators, for use in classroom instruction or independent learning.
ENDS