Downtown Salisbury will welcome its inaugural TEDxSBY event this weekend, with a full day of speakers hoping to spark deep discussions and lasting connections within the local community. The event, which will be held at Headquarters Live from 10am until 3pm this Saturday, January 30, is the first of its kind on Delmarva, and is based on the widely popular TEDTalks. We decided to take a closer look at TEDxSBY this week, with a Q&A with Salisbury Mayor Jacob Day and a look at what to expect from the community-minded event.
The first question you’re probably asking yourself is what is TEDTalks? And if you are already familiar with TEDTalks; how does TEDxSBY differ? We’ll start with TEDTalks. TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Sharing. What started as a four-day conference in California 30 years ago has grown immensely over the years, giving rise to bi-annual TED Conferences, TED.com, TED Prize, TED Fellows program, TED-Ed, TEDGlobal, and TEDx. The two annual TED conferences invite speakers and leading thinkers from around the world to speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are available for free at TED.com, which is what most of you are probably familiar with. TEDx operates under a similar mantra, but with the aim of supporting individuals or groups in hosting local, self-organized TED-style events around the world. Enter, TEDxSBY…
“In 2013 we organized the ‘IgniteSBY’ ideas event and it was truly inspiring for people to participate in a community affair of big ideas being presented as real for our city,” explained Day. “This is a follow up to that event. We are also acknowledging out city’s responsibility to be a thought leader for Delmarva communities, as the largest city and metro area on the peninsula. This, the first on Delmarva, will be a great highlight of the big ideas living in people right here on the Shore.”
Mayor Day has played an integral role in organizing TEDxSBY, along with the help of Kacey Martin of GreenSBY and the Eastern Shore Regional Library, Alison Pulcher of Salisbury Neighborhood Housing, Chris Mcintosh of SBYDigital, local photographer Tony Weeg, videographer Jesse Campbell, and the team at Headquarters Live. Tickets for the full-day event are currently on sale for $50 said Day, adding, “For $50 you can not only enjoy an incredible conference and get a number of goodies, but you will have access to snacks and coffee from Main Roots Coffee and lunch from Acorn Market.”
The event will include nine live speakers and three videos. According to Day, there were 30 applicants, but the deciding factor came down to crafting a group that was diverse and unique. “People will hear about the youth empowerment through neighborhood community gardens, the power of kindness, and the possible future of libraries, and from some incredibly talented and very young musicians, and the national champion beatboxer,” said Day. This year’s speakers are: Kathy Kiernan, Jonatan Lopez, Joe Frigolette, Grace Foxwell Murdock, Corey Blake, Buddy Audley, Andrea Berstler, Martin Hutchinson, and Mark DeLancey.
“The most important thing is to inspire people to think big and act on their ideas,” concluded Day. “As a community, we have a tremendous need for people to step up and improve the world around them. This is one way to inspire big thinking and to empower action.”
For more on TEDxSBY, visit tedxsby.com.
