TEDxDetroit Announces the Detroit Opera House as Venue Location; Call for Speaker Submissions for 2014 Event

DETROIT, Aug. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDxDetroit today announced the historic Detroit Opera House will serve as the official venue for its 2014 ideas, innovation and inspiration conference, to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014. TEDxDetroit will feature local entrepreneurs, educators, scientists, musicians and artists who are pushing their industries forward.

The call for presenters and attendees is officially open. Potential speakers may submit their innovative idea for a talk to the selection committee through TEDxDetroit.com. Attendees may also request an invite to the event through the website.

"Detroit is the city of reinvention and TEDxDetroit brings together the thinkers and doers in our community who are making it happen," said Charlie Wollborg, curator of TEDxDetroit and Chief Troublemaker of Curve Idea Accelerator. "We're excited to fill the Detroit Opera House with a creative spark that will forge new connections and collaborations."

"The Detroit Opera House strives to offer the region a continual source of music, culture and education," said Jason Warzecha, Director of Operations for the Detroit Opera House. "We're excited to host TEDxDetroit and contribute to the spread of Detroit's greatest ideas."

This is the sixth year of the TEDxDetroit program. The conference has featured an eclectic array of speakers sharing their wit and wisdom, passion and breakthrough ideas.

Notable speakers in previous years have ranged from innovators like Greg Gage of Backyard Brains and Veronika Scott of the Empowerment Plan, entrepreneurs from Andy Didorosi to Dan Gilbert, journalists such as Jaclyn Trop and Charlie LeDuff, artists like Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., and Jocelyn Rainey plus TV personalities such as Dr. Partha Nandi of "Ask Dr. Nandi" and Les Gold of "Hardcore Pawn."

The deadline for speaker submissions is Wednesday, Aug. 20.  The list of speakers will be released on Wednesday, Sept. 3, although there are always a few surprise presenters that aren't revealed until the day of the event.  

"We're excited about the future of Detroit and Michigan," said Wollborg. "It's hard not to be optimistic after learning from the bright minds at TEDxDetroit."

To learn more about the conference, please visit www.tedxdetroit.com.

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, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. 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 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 organize 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 program 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.

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

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

SOURCE TEDxDetroit