Stop the presses! As a long-time fan of TED and TEDxPeachtree, I am delighted that TEDxPeachtree just announced the details of its next event. On November 8, 2013, TEDxPeachtree will return to the Buckhead Theatre, where last year’s successful conference was held. Each year, it grows ever larger, and this year is no exception. The organizers have increased capacity yet again. But I remember how much smaller the first one was…

In 2009, I happened across a press release announcing the first ever TEDxPeachtree conference and was intrigued. I’d heard of TED, had seen one or two TEDTalks (Hans Rosling’s 2006 TEDTalk on poverty and hunger is still among my favorite talks). I applied to attend.

The theme was “What if…”, and the idea was what if our reality was different, what changes in the world could there, would there, be? In some cases, the presenters were already effecting change. For instance, in one TEDxPeachtree talk, Kevin and Wendell Adams, a father and son team, spoke about an innovative way to transport water to post-catastrophe or drought-ridden areas. Airliftable Waterbricks could then be emptied of water and used to build homes. The ingenuity and applicability were undeniable. After the 2009 conference, I was hooked. When the organizing team put out a call for volunteers, I answered…and have stayed with the program ever since.

This year’s conference’s theme is “Catalyst.” Speakers can be nominated on the site, and applications are accepted through the end of May. Catalyst, like the themes from prior years (2012 was Transcend; 2011 Breakthrough; 2010 Shift; and 2009 What if…), focuses on change. Change of heart, of outlook, of direction, even personal or professional realizations that things can be different. TEDxPeachtree itself has gone through change and growth, and it has been exciting for me to be a part of it. At its core, TED is transformative. Watching a TEDTalk, attending a TEDx event, volunteering for TEDxPeachtree — any of these holds within the power to change us. Because that’s what “Ideas Worth Spreading” are about.

To keep abreast of TEDxPeachtree news, sign up for the newsletter on the web site, join our Facebook group, and follow us on Twitter. See you in November!

  • Editor’s Note: the formal event announcement can be found here.

Wendy Kalman attended the 2009 TEDxPeachtree event and became hooked, volunteering each year ever since. By day, she works as a Proposal Manager, and by night, her alter ego as involved parent, engaged volunteer, music lover, and Facebook addict emerges.

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