TEDx Returning to Portsmouth in May

Submitted by TEDxPiscataquaRiver:

TEDxPiscataquaRiver, a TEDx event which debuted in Portsmouth last year, is coming back to Portsmouth May 9th, 2014. TEDxPiscataquaRiver is a community-organized event dedicated to reflecting the rich community of the Seacoast of New Hampshire and broadening its perspective by bringing together community representatives and showcasing local, regional, and national voices expressing ideas that will spark new, meaningful, and continuing conversations.

TEDxPiscataquaRiver will be a day-long conference where big ideas are shared, and challenges that affect the Seacoast community will be openly discussed. “Our goal is to highlight an impressive lineup of speakers who are not typically heard from, but who are doing incredibly creative, innovative, and provocative work in their fields across diverse disciplines locally, regionally, and nationally,” said Nick Allen, event organizer.

"Our goal for TEDxPiscataquaRiver last year was to spark new and meaningful conversations between people in the Portsmouth community,” said event organizer, Crystal Paradis. “Our expectations were completely blown away by the quality lineup and impact both during the event and the conversations continuing throughout the following weeks and months. Building from this success, we are excited to bring a new and exciting lineup to Portsmouth in this May."

"This area is already ripe with so much energy and creative thinking, that to have such an exciting forum as TEDx allows us to contribute to keeping our community connected, inspired, and moving forward with thoughtfulness, innovation, and imagination,” said Kate Martin, event organizer. “I am truly honored to be a part of making that happen for our community.”

Ticket Distribution: Independently organized versions of the larger TED events, TEDx events are limited (by TED rules) to 100 attendees. In order to ensure the greatest impact of the ideas shared at the event, the organizers are working hard to make sure that all who want to attend can do so either in person, at a live watch party, or streaming online. Invitations are being sent out to community representatives in academic, artistic, nonprofit, local and state government, and local business fields, as well as students from area high schools and colleges. There will also be a number of tickets available by a public lottery, which all residents of the Seacoast area will be eligible to enter. More details on the public lottery will be announced soon.

Location: TEDxPiscataquaRiver 2014 will take place at St. John's Hall on Chapel Street in downtown Portsmouth. The location was chosen  because of its central downtown location, accessibility, and capacity. The hall will be transformed for the event, welcoming the 100 attendees (the maximum allowed by TED rules), 10–15 speakers and performers, and event staff and volunteers. "I am thrilled that St. John's is involved in hosting the TEDxPiscataquaRiver event this year,” said Rob Stevens, Rector at St. John’s. “This event is a great gift to our Seacoast community, as it seeks to inspire all of us to share our ideas and listen intentionally to others. It's truly a great movement."

Updates: Anyone interested in event updates should stay tuned to TEDxPiscataquaRiver’s Facebook Page (facebook.com/TEDxPiscataquaRiver) and Twitter account (@TEDxPiscataqua) where breaking news on speakers and ticketing will appear. TEDxPiscataquaRiver also has an event app available for download at tedxpiscataquariver.com, which will notify of updates and have the event’s schedule and link to live webcast.

The presenting sponsor for TEDxPiscataquaRiver is the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Other sponsors include Proximity Lab, Borealis Ventures, University of New Hampshire, and Smuttynose Brewery.

For more information, or to view last year’s TEDxPiscataquaRiver talks and performances, please visit www.tedxpiscataquariver.com.