Calgary’s own version of TED gets underway later this month with an all-Canadian lineup in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday.
TEDxYYC spokesperson Brooke Boser joined Global Calgary on Tuesday to discuss the event.
“TED is a big conference that is held every year that brings big thinkers and ideas to the stage,” Boser explained. “TEDxYYC is an independently organized licensed event that tries to bring that same concept to Calgary.”
“We try to bring the brightest minds, ideas, concepts to Calgary.”
Speakers at the event include Apoorv Sinha, Janelle Pewapsconias, Wolfgang Tittel, Hayley Wickenheiser, Peter Oldring, Marni Panas, Martin Parnell, Jarett Hooper and Greg Rankin. Calgary musician Michael Bernard Fitzgerald will host.
Boser said Panas will be the first transgender person invited to speak at the Calgary event.
“Through her work she’s impacted both Alberta and Canada’s human rights acts, which is very cool. So she’ll be talking about the courage to stand up and be your true self.”
Meanwhile, Boser described Tittel as Calgary’s “very own, local Einstein.”
“I think we’ll all be smarter after listening to Wolfgang,” she added.
The eighth annual TEDxYYC event will be held at the Jack Singer Concert Hall in the Arts Commons on Friday, June 23.
Tickets are available at the TEDxYYC website and are $84.50 for general admission.