More Speakers Join TEDxAuckland Line-up

Tuesday, 28 August 2012, 10:35 am
Press Release: TEDx Auckland

28 August 2012

More Speakers Join TEDxAuckland Line-up

TEDxAuckland is shaping up to be a sell-out event with the main floor of the ASB Theatre reaching full capacity less than two weeks after the first speakers were announced.

The October event will present a diverse range of speakers that will ignite conversation, encourage new thinking and expose attendees to world-changing ideas from the minds of New Zealand’s top scientists, artists, educators and technologists.

With momentum building, TEDxAuckland is announcing the names of more inspiring New Zealanders who will take the stage alongside an already impressive line-up of speakers.

Event organiser Elliott Blade believes this year’s speakers have what it takes to draw the crowds and spark an inspiring relationship between New Zealanders and the TEDx platform.

“We have chosen to host the event at Aotea Centre in Central Auckland so that we can accommodate the expected demand. For many people this will be their first TEDx experience and I hope that it will be the beginning of an inspiring and thought provoking relationship with TED and the TEDx platform.”

Newly announced speakers for this year’s event include distinguished documentary director of The Last Ocean, Peter Young; Comedian, entertainer and social entrepreneur, Philip Patston; award-winning playwright, Pip Hall; and Aakash Polra, Jade Tan and Mohit Singh, the trio behind software start-up Mobileeye.

These inspiring individuals will present their ideas alongside physicist and political advisor Sean Gourley; change development specialist Paul Wood; physicist and pursuer of the Higgs boson ‘god particle’ David Krofcheck; materials and biomedical engineer Michelle Dickinson; internationally recognised architect Andrew Patterson; Co-founder of medical start-up SIMTICs John Windsor; Founder of the 100 Days Project Emma Rogan; CEO of Arvus Group Matthew Simmons; and dental surgeon and founder of ICARE Assil Russell.

TEDxAuckland will take place on Saturday 6 October at the ASB Theatre in the Aotea Centre. Eighteen speakers are set to take part in the full day event which will run from 10.00am until 5.30pm. A complete speaker line up will be announced in September.

TEDxAuckland is proudly sponsored by Yellow®, Kordia, New Zealand Post, Sony, Powershop, Scoop Media Cartel, Digital Arts Network, Flitter, Deafradio and The Goat Farm.

Tickets are now available for purchase from The Edge for $80 + booking fees. www.the-edge.co.nz/buy-tickets.aspx

For more information about this year’s speakers and all other updates visit www.tedxauckland.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/tedxakl
Twitter: Twitter.com/TEDxAkl

Event Information:
Date: Saturday, 6 October 2012
Venue: ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre
Time: 10am - 5:30pm

MobileEye
MobileEye is a software start-up that is striving to help the blind better experience the world around them. Co-founded by students from Auckland University of Technology Aakash Polra, Jade Tan and Mohit Singh, MobileEye is creating technology capable of translating photographs into audible descriptions using smartphone technology.

Peter Young
Peter Young is one of New Zealand’s most accomplished documentary filmmakers with well over one hundred documentaries to his name. As the founder of Fisheye Films, Peter has impressive film credits to his name including BBC’s Blue Planet series, Discovery’s Giant Squid feature and TVNZ’s award winning Hunger for the Wild. Peter has recently completed his first feature documentary, The Last Ocean, a labour of love to encourage the protection of the Ross Sea.

Pip Hall
Pip Hall has worked as a full time writer in theatre, film and television for 17 years. An accomplished playwright, Pip has multiple awards to her name including New Zealand’s most significant and prestigious theatre honour, the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award. Pip also works extensively in television and film as a writer, story liner, story/script editor, developer, creative producer and actor.

Philip Patston
Philip Patston is best recognised for his ten-year career as a comedian and entertainer, but it’s his passion for social change that is getting him noticed. An alumni of the New Zealand Social Entrepreneur Fellowship, Peter is a passionate believer that we have a powerful opportunity to reimagine diversity. His focus is on engaging people to achieve positive social change by reinventing the labels with which we categorise ourselves and each other.

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, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. 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. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Long Beach, California, along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs; the annual TEDGlobal conference is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, the recently launched TED-Ed platform for students and educators, the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide, and TEDBooks, short e-books by speakers that elaborate on a single idea originally presented on TED's stage. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping 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. Follow TED on Twitter or on Facebook.

ENDS

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TEDxAuckland

Ideas Worth Spreading

Our mission at TEDxAuckland is to celebrate new ideas, innovation and diversity with a global audience, aiming to inspire individuals and communities to create a positive impact.

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