TEDxSarasota, an independently organized, licensed TED event, will bring a full day of "ideas worth spreading" to the Venice Theatre on Oct. 6, 2016.
The theme for the fifth annual TEDxSarasota, Technicolor Journey, brings 10 innovators and creatives from different industries and backgrounds to explore the "many facets that make a whole life, and the whole world a better place to live."
Leaders at the forefront of their field in neurobiology, visual and performing arts, social work, technology and environmental conservation will offer unique insights into their work and spark creative conversations at this year's TEDxSarasota. Among the featured speakers are School for Men Founder Michael Hrostoski; Neurobiologist and Braincheck CEO Dr. Yael Katz; art activist and Chalk Festival Founder Denise Kowal and West Coast Black Theatre Group Director Nate Jacobs.
"TED days are built to have people collide and collaborate. The audience plays a big part in keeping the energy of the exchange going as they actively participate, so these days really are the germ -- or the seed -- of something great on the other side of the event," says TEDxSarasota Founder and Team Lead Judy Winslow.
TEDxSarasota collaborated this year with the Ringling College of Art + Design to create special pieces for the event, and Winslow says that break times between speakers will be filled with food, drink and social activities to stimulate new ideas and connections in the "TED Head" environment.
This year marks the first time TEDxSarasota, formerly held at Sarasota's historic Asolo Theatre, will be held at the Venice Theatre in the south-central Sarasota County region.
"We've always been known as a beach community, but have moved into a more cultural phase in recent years. Now, we're really parenting and fostering the idea of Sarasota as an innovation hub. Let's have Sarasota grow in a way that fosters innovation, inspiration, positivity," says Winslow.
"This is a way for us to shine a light on a different part of Sarasota as things begin to develop [in the south county region]," she adds.
TED is a global, independently planned event that takes place in over a thousand communities across the world. More than a dozen events are scheduled during 2016-2017 in Florida cities including Orlando, Jacksonville and Miami.
Three upcoming events in the Tampa Bay area are TEDxOldsmar Women on Oct. 27, 2016; TEDxUSF on March 29, 2017; and TEDxPasco County Schools on May 6, 2017.
"What's cool is that it's a global community. There's this movement of positivity, and of people who still believe that we can change the world one idea at a time. That's the essence of TED: people who believe, who know it in their bones--people who come out to support that mission and live that possibility," says Winslow.
Get tickets for TEDxSarasota online.
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Jessi Smith (she/they) is a freelance writer who is passionate about sustainability, community building, and the power of the arts and transformative storytelling. A fourth-generation Floridian, Jessi received her B.A. in Art History and English from Florida International University and began reporting for 83 Degrees in 2009. When she isn't writing, Jessi enjoys taking her deaf rescue dog on outdoors adventures, unearthing treasures in backroads antiques and thrift shops, D.I.Y. upcycling projects, and Florida-friendly gardening.