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October 25. 2012 12:12AM

TEDx event aims to position city as hub of innovation in Granite State

MANCHESTER — Get ready Manchester — TED is coming to town.

Not the potty-mouthed teddy bear from this summer’s hit Mark Wahlberg movie, but the TEDxAmoskeagMillyard conference focusing on technology, entertainment and design.

Featuring an impressive lineup of guest speakers, the event takes place Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, 400 Commercial St.

“TEDxAmoskeagMillyard will provide an unparalleled opportunity to position the Manchester community locally, regionally and in the global TED community as one that values the exchange of ideas, embraces innovation and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Chris Wellington of Manchester’s Economic Development Office. “No other platform provides equal educational value and targeted reach to an audience of leaders, entrepreneurs, academics and young professionals.”

TED is a global foundation devoted to a concept — Ideas Worth Spreading. It was launched in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from the worlds of technology, entertainment and design. In the 28 years since, its scope has grown. Through two annual conferences, the video website TED.com, initiatives and community projects, TED has transformed into a global movement.

TEDx is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. At TEDx events, a screening of TEDTalks videos — or a combination of live presenters and TEDTalks videos, such as the Manchester event — kick-starts conversation and connections.

In 2011, Manchester hosted its first TEDx conference (only the second time one was held in New Hampshire) at UNH-Manchester. The organizing committee seeks to build on the success of last year’s conference and create a bigger and better event.

“This will really help establish Manchester as the epicenter of technology and design in the state,” Wellington said. “Last year’s event was very successful, which was a relief because we weren’t sure what to expect. This year, we expect it to be just as successful, and it’s good to have that infrastructure, that blueprint, already in place from last year as far as planning.”

Virginia Prescott, of New Hampshire Public Radio’s “Word of Mouth” program, will host the event.

Every TEDx conference must develop a theme. The theme for this year’s TEDxAmoskeagMillyard is “CO-Innovation” and will feature a lineup of speakers discussing a range of issues focusing on innovations that have been achieved through collaboration. Speakers will focus on examples of CO-Innovation occurring in New Hampshire, showcasing achievements made in the Granite State and how they are impacting the entire world.

Speakers include Paul Leblanc, president, Southern New Hampshire University; Dana Dakin, founder, Woman’s Trust Fund; TJ Obrey, founder and president, PixelMedia; Paul Schuepp, president, Animetrics; John Herman, writer, actor and teacher; Angela Chang, MIT Media Lab; Claudia Rippee and Ed Aloise, owners, Republic Café; Travis York, president, Griffin, York & Krause; Michelle Goldsmith, professor, SNHU; and Lara McCormick, professor, New Hampshire Institute of Art.

“In my business, the world is changing every day, and many of the ideas I will be discussing seem to be better suited for Mission Impossible and James Bond movies,” stated Schuepp, president of Animetrics, a leader in facial recognition software.

For a complete list of speakers visit tedxamoskeagmillyard.org.

Attendance at a TEDx event is limited to 100 people. A limited number of tickets are available at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, visit tedxamoskeagmillyard.org/.

TEDxAmoskeagMillyard will be streamed on the Internet during the conference. A link to the live stream will be available at the event’s website. Viewing parties are being held around the state, including the Red River Theatre in Concord. More information is available at the website.

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Paul Feely may be reached at pfeely@unionleader.com.

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