Reimagine Possible at TEDxFIU Nov. 7

Apply by Sept. 13 to be a speaker and share your great idea

Get ready for a night of “riveting talks by remarkable people.”

FIU will host its second TEDx event Thursday, Nov. 7. The theme for this year’s TEDxFIU is “Reimagine Possible.” Organizers are looking for eight speakers – students, alumni or faculty, from any discipline – who do this on a regular basis.

“Our speakers this year will have to demonstrate not only a great idea, but they will need to take the audience on a journey and have them reimagine their own sense of what is possible,” says TEDxFIU organizer Eduardo Merille, who is also the FIU director of marketing and new media.

FIU student Ximena Prugue received a standing ovation after her 2012 TEDxFIU talk on energy poverty.

FIU joined the global TED movement last year to resounding success. Nearly 600 people attended the inaugural event and TEDxFIU talks have received more than 100,000 views on the TEDx YouTube channel.

TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED- like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. FIU was a natural fit with TED. The university’s Worlds Ahead students, alumni and faculty have a lot to contribute to the global conversation.

“The whole idea of TED is ideas,”  says TEDxFIU organizer Deborah O’Neil, who is also the editor of FIU Magazine and associate director of News and Communications. “Every innovation in science and art and entertainment and technology and education and community begins with an idea. The FIU community is brimming with ideas.

“TEDxFIU is the stage for the free thinkers and the innovators among us.”

Eight of these free thinkers and innovators, as chosen by TEDxFIU curators, will take the stage at 5:30 p.m. in the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center. Audience members will have the opportunity to mingle with speakers at a reception to follow.

Tickets will go on sale to the FIU community Sept. 30. Building off the success of last year, organizers are also seeking sponsors for this year’s event.

Do you have what it takes to be a TEDxFIU speaker?

Anyone interested in being a speaker should visit the TEDxFIU.com. To be considered, first, you’ll need a story worth sharing about an experience, project or idea that has the potential of taking us beyond the world we know. Then, you’ll need to be able to connect with a discerning audience. And, finally, you’ll need to inspire organizers.

“Blow my mind. That’s what I want our speakers to do at TEDxFIU,” says O’Neil. “Share an original idea about an unoriginal topic. Dazzle us with a world we’ve never imagined. Speak from the heart so authentically that we want to rush on the stage and hug you.”

If your idea is ready for primetime, apply by Sept. 13. Don’t forget to include a video of your talk. Speakers will be announced Sept. 30.

Application Tips

• Have a big idea worth sharing

• Be prepared to tell us your idea in 5 to 18 minutes

• Create a video to submit with your application

• Consider whether your talk can be enriched by visual aids

• Watch a few TEDTalks for inspiration

• Don’t sell your product or service

• Be genuine

To receive regular TEDxFIU updates, follow the TEDxFIU blog. For any additional questions, contact organizers Eduardo Merille at emerille@fiu.edu or Deborah O’Neil at oneild@fiu.edu.

This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED.