5 of the best TEDxStormont talks you need to see

Started as a four-day conference in California in 1984, TED has grown to support world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives, including the TEDx programme which is a series of locally and independently organised events happening around the globe that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

The Belfast edition brings the TEDx brand back to the iconic Stormont buildings next week (November 2) and we’re delighted to be involved this year with Belfast Live as a key partner. ‘Bridges’ is the theme for our TEDxStormont Women, talking about the ways in which we build them, traverse them, and sometimes even burn them, for better or worse.

So in the spirit of ‘ideas worth spreading’ (that’s the TED slogan FYI), we’ve pulled together our Top 5 TEDxStormont Talks you need to see.

But how would you like to be there - did we mention the event is sold out?! We want to give our one remaining ticket to you reading this. Just head back over to our Facebook/Twitter page, like the post to this blog article/retweet it and we’ll pick someone at random to join us next week.

Now, back to our Top 5:

Gary Lightbody

Snow Patrol frontman, no introduction needed.

 

Sinéad McSweeney

Now VP of Twitter in Europe, Sinéad was previously Director of Communications for An Garda Síochána (Ireland’s national police service) for almost five years, having been Director of Media and Public Relations for the Police Service of Northern Ireland between 2004 and 2007.  

 

Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Born in Co. Armagh, Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell is a Northern Irish astrophysicist who inadvertently discovered radio pulsars as a graduate student in radio astronomy in Cambridge, opening up a new branch of astrophysics. Her work was recognised by the award of a Nobel Prize to her supervisor.

 

Dorcas Crawford

Senior Partner at Edwards and Co Solicitors in Belfast since 2005. In 2014 she launched the highly successful #Belfasthour, a Twitter initiative for SME’s to network and promote each others businesses, free of charge.

 

David Meade

Officially, David is a researcher and lecturer in international business with one of Ireland’s leading Universities, whose personal interests have always focused on aspects of popular psychology, consumer behaviour, and choice.  Unofficially, he’s one of the world’s best mentalists (and we’re not just saying that because he’s from here!)

 

View this year’s TEDxStormont Women line up here: http://www.tedxstormont.com/