TED Hosts First-Ever TEDSalon in Germany

NEW YORK, April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TED, the nonprofit known for "ideas worth spreading," is hosting TEDSalon Berlin, the first official TED event in Germany on June 23, 2014. Curated by TED European Director Bruno Giussani and organized in collaboration with TEDxBerlin, TEDSalon Berlin is a half-day event open to the public and featuring two sessions of speakers from across Europe and around the world.

Themed "Bits of Knowledge," TEDSalon Berlin will take place at the historic AdmiralsPalast theatre – one of the few venues in the city that has been preserved from before World War II. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting http://on.ted.com/TEDSalonBerlin. 

"As we continue our celebration of TED's 30^th anniversary and expand our footprint internationally, we are proud to bring the first TEDSalon to Berlin. Berlin is a vibrant city bursting with rich cultural life, a thriving artistic community, and exciting innovation," said Giussani. "We look forward to showcasing a line-up of progressive speakers who will fuel conversation around some of the key ideas and issues impacting our world."

"Berlin is proud to host the TEDSalon. Especially this year, which marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, we make use of the opportunity to show how Berlin and the Berliners have reinvented themselves," added Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin. "We believe Berlin is an excellent fit for TED: The city is a place of new ideas and developments and is full of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit." visitBerlin and several other city agencies are supporting the event, as well as TED partners Daimler, BCG and StateStreet.

TEDSalon Berlin speakers include:

• Simon Anholt, on the good country
• Heather Barnett, on the intelligence of a single-celled organism
• Kenneth Cukier, on what's really big about big data
• Katie Davis, on the "app generation"
• Rose Goslinga, on insuring the rain
• Erica Hagen, on putting Kibera on the map
• Jeremy Heimans, on what new power means
• Sergei Lupashin, on camera drones
• Adam Magyar, on photographing the unfolding of daily life
• Hans Rosling and Ola Rosling, on fighting ignorance
• Max Schrems, on what Facebook really knows about you
• Daria van den Bercken, on spreading Handel

On the morning of the TEDSalon, TEDx organizers from around the world will gather in Berlin for a special TEDx Workshop. The half-day event will bring together TEDx organizers to connect with each other, share best practices, and meet TED staff.

"The TEDx Workshop is a unique opportunity to convene our growing global community of TEDx organizers," noted Salome Heusel, TEDx Deputy Director. "We are excited for organizers to meet face-to-face and celebrate the fifth anniversary of the TEDx program while experiencing the wonderful city of Berlin."

TEDx events are independently organized local events that inspire communities to discuss big ideas in a wide range of subjects – education, health, community, science, design, technology, entertainment and more. There have been more than 9,000 TEDx events in 157 countries since TEDx launched in 2009.

For more information about TEDSalon Berlin, visit http://on.ted.com/TEDSalonBerlin. For more information about TEDx, visit http://www.ted.com/tedx.

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California almost 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes on a diverse mix of topics. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The TED2014 Conference takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with the TEDActive simulcast in neighboring Whistler. TEDGlobal 2014 will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; and TED Books, short e-books on powerful ideas. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED.

For information about TED's upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration.

Contact: Margaret Sullivan, 646-833-0205, [email protected]

SOURCE TED