FLORENCE – The minds behind TEDxWilsonPark say the idea for the program, slated for Sept. 8, 2018, in Florence, started with discussions about change.
“We noticed that our little corner of the world, the Shoals, has been growing,” said Kristen Mashburn, TEDxWilsonPark event chair. “This small metro area nestled along the banks of the Tennessee River has a combination of music, arts and culture that rivals cities like Austin and Nashville, and now the word is getting out,” she said.
Because of that, Mashburn recruited Wes Wages, Janyce Fadden, Chris Anderson and Bryan Rachal to discuss the possibilities of bringing a TEDx talk to the Shoals.
“We felt like this was the perfect time to bring something like this to the Shoals,” said Wes Wages. “You know Florence is known as the Renaissance City and it feels like there has been a renaissance of sorts here in the last few years.”
So what has changed in Florence and the Shoals to make it feel that way? Well, it appears to be a combination of “makers,” who have been leaving their mark on the area.
“And we wanted to meet them,” said fellow event organizer Chris Anderson. “You know, get to know them and find out what it is about them and the area that has allowed their ideas to flourish,” he said.
That spawned the idea for TEDxWilsonPark and the theme for the event, “Making Change.”
“To do this, we’re bringing together a stellar, wide-ranging lineup of innovative thinkers and doers to share their ideas with the Shoals and the world,” said Curation Committee Chair Janyce Fadden.
“The goal of TEDxWilsonPark is to bring together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused, and on a wide range of subjects, to foster learning, inspiration and wonder – and provoke conversations that matter,” she said.
A speaker application is currently available here: https://tedxwilsonpark.com/speaker-application/
If selected, the speaker’s talk would be filmed and an edit would be hosted on the TEDx YouTube channel.
Just as with all speakers, it is imperative and required that if chosen, speakers work together ahead of time to craft their talk.
The speaker application deadline is Feb. 22.
For more information: https://tedxwilsonpark.com/
Media Release/TEDxWilsonPark/ Bryan Rachal
