FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jennifer Milikien, 210.829.1953
San Antonio, TX (July 20, 2011) – Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 15, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. when some of the city’s greatest minds will converge on a single stage. The independently organized TEDxSanAntonio event will once again bring together the San Antonio community to hear a series of dynamic18-minute talks, in the spirit of the theme “It’s time for ______.” How you fill in that blank is up to you. Whether it’s your time for action, innovation, reflection, solidarity or transformation, TEDxSanAntonio has something real to offer you.
Rackspace ® Hosting (NYSE: RAX), a leading specialist in the hosting and cloud computing industry, and Trinity University, an independent, liberal arts and sciences university, are the Genius Level sponsors of TEDxSanAntonio 2011. Both sponsors are returning after participating in the 2010 inaugural event. Alamo City’s TEDxSanAntonio event will take place in Trinity University’s Jane and Arthur Stieren Theater, and the university will provide hospitality for the ancillary events surrounding the event.
“As a global technology company, Rackspace understands the importance of combining creativity and innovation to advance our industry as well as others,” said Lanham Napier, Rackspace president and chief executive officer. “Through TEDxSanAntonio, we have the ability to share ideas being generated in our own community. The concepts being brought forth are awe inspiring, and we are proud to be part of this game-changing, influential initiative.”
At its core, TED brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. The goal is to inspire people to change the world. Past speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Sir Richard Branson, Isabel Allende and many other thought leaders, and idea pioneers. TEDx was created so communities could create their own localized versions of TED events. At TEDxSanAntonio, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.
The first all-day TEDxSanAntonio event was held in October of 2010 and featured some spectacular talent from around the Alamo City, including:
- Alicia Arenas, founder/CEO of Sanera, The People Development Co.
- Julian Castro, Mayor, City of San Antonio
- Jon Hinojosa, artistic and executive director, SAY Si
- Shannon Sedgwick Davis, attorney and president, Bridgeway Foundation
- Roberto P. Trevino, MD, director, Social and Health Research Center, Bienstar/NEEMA school health programs
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TEDxSanAntonio organizers currently are accepting speaker nominations for the 2011 event. Know of someone with a great idea? A world-class thinker working on the next big thing? Or, is that you? Help TEDxSanAntonio get these people on stage. Fill out the speaker application form, available at http://bit.ly/tedxsaspeaker.
TEDxSanAntonio depends on the involvement of the entire community. A limited number of individual and corporate sponsorships for the TEDxSanAntonio event are available at http://bit.ly/tedxsasponsor. Or, if you are interested in participating in TEDxSanAntonio as a volunteer, visit http://bit.ly/tedxsavolunteer. TEDxSanAntonio needs expertise and talent in a number of specialties, so there is bound to be an area where you can make a difference.
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, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. 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 four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland. TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping 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. 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.
About TEDxSanAntonio
We are a small group of organizers licensed by TED to hold San Antonio’s all-day TEDx event. Our goal: To open the minds, hearts and souls of the Alamo City to the most intriguing science, art, literary, technological, social justice and environmental ideas – inspiring participants from all parts of the city to initiate big changes and empowering them to continue the conversations beyond the walls of the event. Visit www.TEDxSanAntonio.com for more information.
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