About TEDx Toronto

TEDxToronto is the official TEDx conference for Toronto, Canada. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, the second annual conference takes place on September 30, 2010 at Glenn Gould Studio with 12 TEDxTalks. It brings together the city’s foremost thought leaders, change makers and everyday people from each discipline – as speakers, attendees and enthusiasts.

A Call to Action

This year’s theme is A Call to Action. After all, an idea without any action behind it merely stays as an idea. This theme is a challenge to both speakers and attendees to transform their ideas into tangible action that will make a positive difference in their communities.

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Last year’s inaugural conference was themed “What’s Next?”. It allowed 150 audience members to attend at no-cost at Theatre Passe Muraille, with an estimated 5000 more across the country joining via 13 satellite locations and live video stream. Speakers included Don Tapscott, Peter MacLoed, Richard St. John, Tom Rand, Mathew Ingram, Charlotte Yates, Waawaate Fobister, Steven Woods, David Makepeace, D’bi Young, and Gavin Sheppard. Watch the 2009 videos now

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxToronto, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxToronto event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

About TED

TED is a non-profit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani,Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California, with simulcast in Palm Springs; TEDGlobal is held each year in Oxford, UK. TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, 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 TEDFellows 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.

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Meet the Team

  • Dan Jacob

    Dan is a passionate organizer and long-time TED enthusiast. An experiential marketer at heart, Dan currently works at TELUS on the experiential marketing and events team.

  • Paul Crowe

    Paul loves ideas, sunshine and highfives. He is also a believer in following your heart, not rules. Director of digital strategy by day, blogger, and TEDxToronto team member by night.

  • Gavin Sheppard

    Gavin Sheppard is the co-founder and Executive Director of The Remix Project, an arts and cultural incubator working with “at-risk” and brilliant youth. Gavin is a 2010 TED Fellow.

  • Darius Bashar

    Darius is a digital storyteller and co-founder of DailyChallenge.org, Apollo Media and Pay It Backward Day (#PIBday).

  • Yafa Sakkejha

    Yafa went to Queen’s, runs the House of Verona Health Resort, plays beach volleyball, and volunteers for Street Haven, Toronto’s first women’s shelter.

  • Satish Kanwar

    Satish is a Partner at Jet Cooper. Entrepreneur. Marketer. Geek. Go-getter. Friend. Evangelist. Listener. Dreamer. Organizes #bmgenTO, #TwestivalTO, and #TEDxToronto.

  • Jan Sterniczuk

    Jan is an East-coaster who has grown to love the vibrant and dynamic city of Toronto. He is leveraging his experience as a Corporate Strategist and Innovator for the conference.

  • Neel Joshi

    Neel is from Starborough. He’s a digital dad, idea tinkerer and is passionate about building resilient communities. He lives in airports & wishes skype had a touch feature so he could e-hug his daughter.

  • Emma Brooks

    Emma is a Digital Strategist working at Publicis Modem in Toronto. Emma enjoys advertising, soccer, and ice cream.

  • Carol Moxam

    Carol is a Certified Special Event Professional, recognized as one of the top three Event professionals in Canada. Carol founded Special Event Boot Camp as an educational forum.