Tickets are now on sale for next month’s TEDxDouglas, the first ever TEDx event to be staged in the Isle of Man.
TEDxDouglas will take place at the Youth Arts Centre in Kensington Road, Douglas, on Monday, November 10th.
There are three sessions on the day - 2.00pm-3.30pm, 4.00pm-5.30pm and 6.00pm-8.30pm - with tickets priced at ?30 for one session, ?40 for two and ?50 for the full day. Tickets are available from the Villa Gaiety Box Office - http://villagaiety.ticketsolve.com/ - or by calling 600555.
Speakers for TEDxDouglas include NASA astronaut Colonel Ron Garan (USAF ret.) and Manx blues star Davy Knowles, with Davy also performing on the day.
For a full line-up of speakers and performers for each of the three sessions, along with their bios, please visit http://tedxdouglas.im/
TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is a non-profit organisation devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short talks, normally no longer than 15 minutes. The movement has developed a worldwide following of millions since the first one-off event in 1984. TEDx events are independent from the main TED conferences, but operate under the same banner and follow similar principles and guidelines. There are more than 30,000 talks in the TEDx online library from presentations in 130+ countries.
Chris Stott, CEO of Manx satellite company ManSat Ltd, is the licence holder for TEDxDouglas.
He said: ‘We have a wonderfully diverse spread of speakers and performers, with the general theme being “100,000:1” – this being the approximate radio of Isle of Man residents to the rest of the world, and do we have something to offer to the rest of the human race?
‘The ethos of TED is to bring together bright minds to deliver idea-focused talks that inspire, foster learning and provoke conversation, and we are thrilled to be staging the first TEDx event for the Island.’
TEDxDouglas will have its talks streamed live on the internet and they will be uploaded to the main TED website afterwards for worldwide viewing.
Curator Emma Quirk said: ‘The subjects will range from Manx Language Development Officer Adrian Cain discussing “What is the point of the Isle of Man?” to Davy Knowles talking about the influence and impact of folk music, including Manx folk music, around the world – and how it as just as important today as it ever was.
‘Other subjects covered by speakers will include the major role played by the Isle of Man in the rise of the Confederation of Independent Football Associations, the importance of “gut reaction” for those competing in dangerous sports and the role it plays in the TT, and the challenges of small countries as they punch above their weight in the global community.
‘In addition to the talks, there will be performances in each of the three sessions, including Davy performing music from his new documentary, Island Bound, and performance poet Georgia Zapparoli, who defended her Poetry Slam title at last month’s Manx Litfest.’
Any companies, organisations or individuals interested in sponsoring or supporting TEDxDouglas can contact Emma at tedxdouglas@gmail.com or by calling 341823.
You can keep up to speed on the latest news on social media at www.twitter.com/tedxdouglas and www.facebook.com/tedxdouglas.
Photo - Davy Knowles - Photo courtesy of Alex Mealin.
