TEDxBatonRouge Announces Inaugural Event

Baton Rouge, LA (May 2, 2023) – TEDxBatonRouge today announced its inaugural event to be held this fall, September 14, at Manship Theatre. An event focused on bringing Baton Rouge ideas to the local stage, the event is themed “Think Again,” where participants will be asked to challenge assumptions, consider possibilities, and cultivate curiosity. More information regarding the event can be found at tedxbatonrouge.com.

TEDxBatonRouge is an independently organized event led by Baton Rouge residents Melissa Thompson and Morgan Almeida. The event will elevate ideas via a staged event that will be recorded live and made available, free, to the public to spark further conversations around the ideas presented.

"We believe that when we come together to share our ideas, we ignite a spark that can transform our community,” said Melissa Thompson, TEDxBatonRouge organizer. “TEDxBatonRouge is a platform for this kind of transformative exchange, and we can't wait to see the amazing ideas that will be shared and the positive impact they will have on our community."

TEDxBatonRouge seeks to elevate ideas from a variety of topics, including TED’s founding three topics - technology, entertainment, and design - plus others, including, but not limited to, business, science, global issues, history, and more. Event organizers will conduct a speaker selection and coaching process, ultimately choosing five to six ideas to feature.

“We want attendees to leave TEDxBatonRouge with a new idea, a challenge to their preconceived notions, and maybe even a new friend along the way,” said Morgan Almeida, TEDxBatonRouge organizer. “The event should be a celebration of homegrown ideas and an incubator for community collaboration and discussion, so we are seeking speakers, volunteers and partners that believe in those same ideals.”

The event is made possible by Baton Rouge volunteers and organizations dedicated to the TED mission of spreading ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility and catalyze impact. TEDxBatonRouge is seeking individuals with various skill sets including communications, graphic design, event logistics and more, to serve as event volunteers. Interested individuals can submit a volunteer application at tedxbatonrouge.com.

Event partners include Neighbors Federal Credit Union, Success Labs, Gatorworks, 4thFLR, WRKF, Baton Rouge Gallery, and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. Additional partnership opportunities are still available and can be viewed at tedxbatonrouge.com/partneropps. TEDxBatonRouge seeks financial and in-kind partners. Organizations interested in partnering can reach out to Partnerships Manager Michelle LeJeune at michelle@tedxbatonrouge.com.

Registration is expected to open in the coming months. Individuals interested in attending the event can sign up for event notifications at tedxbatonrouge.com. Event updates will also be shared on social media via the TEDxBatonRouge Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts.

About TEDxBatonRouge  

TEDxBatonRouge is a community-connecting, idea-elevating, discussion-starting experience. It’s a space for the leaders, thinkers, doers, and dreamers of the Baton Rouge community to gather and explore possibilities for the region and celebrate the brilliant ideas baked right here at home. TEDxBatonRouge strives to cultivate an inclusive audience spanning all walks of life - students and mentors, artists and engineers, entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and more. Learn more at tedxbatonrouge.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 on a mission to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility and catalyze impact. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and engagement with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.

TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged. Today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. Aside from the hundreds of TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated TED-Ed lessons and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, more than 3,000 independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze nearly $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero emission future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.

TED is owned by a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation. Our aim is to help create a future worth pursuing for all. 

Follow TED on: LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Mastodon,  Twitter and Facebook.

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