In 2011, Where do we go from here?

TED is a global platform devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. TEDx is a locally organized event that focuses on individuals and innovation in various cities. Once again in 2011, TEDxHouston is introducing Houston’s most fascinating thinkers and doers to a world stage.

Houston is a diverse international community of artists, designers, entrepreneurs, scientists, aerospace architects, medical professionals, and other visionaries who are creating positive change. Our extraordinary schools are changing the way we educate the bright minds of the future. Our artists perform within the second-largest theater district in the country. Texas Medical Center houses the largest concentration of health care and research in the world. As the fourth largest city in the United States, with 2.2 million innovative people buzzing in this epicenter, TEDxHouston will introduce Houston’s Ideas Worth Spreading to a local and global audience.

The individuals involved with TEDxHouston have a passion for this city. We believe in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. We want to expand the perception of Houston, and introduce the public to the Houstonians who are forging a path to the future. Is that too much to ask?

A little history behind TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Starting as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani,Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California, with simulcast in Palm Springs.

TEDx: The 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, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. 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.