It's that time of year again... The area’s leading creators, catalysts, entrepreneurs, artists, technologists, designers, scientists, thinkers and doers will gather Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013 to share what they are most passionate about – positive ideas for the world from Detroit.

Who is TED?
TED isn’t a who, it’s a what. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, three broad subject areas that are shaping our future. TEDxDetroit is an independently produced offspring of the annual TED gathering of big brains and cool creators. Learn more about the TED conference at TED.com. To learn more about TEDxDetroit, keep reading or see the FAQ.

What’s with the X?
We are the X. The multipliers. The catalysts. The connectors. The amplifiers. We challenge the status quo. We come together to collaborate, to share fresh ideas and to find inspiration. We are optimistic about our future. We believe Detroit’s best days lie ahead. We are the people who are making it happen. We believe that is an idea worth spreading.

Why in Detroit? Because we love Detroit. And we’re not alone. Innovation, artistic expression and entrepreneurship in Detroit are on the rise. Detroit is where the young, bright, creative & entrepreneurial are making it happen. But don’t take our word for it: Read The New York Times,The Atlantic and The Wall Street Journal. This is the fifth year of the TEDxDetroit conference.

Speakers at TEDxDetroit (source):

• John U. Bacon, Ann Arbor sportswriter and author Greg Gage, biomedical engineer who co-founded Backyard Brains, an Ann Arbor maker of science projects for K-12 students. He spoke at last year’s TED conference in California. 
• Les Gold, owner of American Jewelry and Loan 
• Jason Hall, co-founder of Detroit Bike City & Slow Roll Detroit, a weekly event drawing up to 1,300 riders 
• Angela Kilgore, teen community organizer who graduated this year from Denby High and is active in the Better Detroit Youth Movement
• Kevin Krease, co-founder of Assemble, a summer 2014 sports event (X Games Detroit bid successor) 
• Ryan Landau, co-founder of Chalkfly.com 
• Dr. Partha Nandi, Troy gastroenterologist who hosts a TV talk show he created last year. He'll discuss how technology can ease health care access. 
• Jacques Panis, Shinola director of business development and strategic partnerships 
• Rich Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations, an Ann Arbor software developer. He'll discuss how workplace culture and morale are a key part of Detroit's recovery and reinventon. 
• Jaclyn Trop, New York Times business writer and former Detroit News reporter 
• Jackie Victor, Owner, Avalon International Breads
• Nathan Hughes, a programmer who graduated from UM-Dearborn in 2003 and co-founded Detroit Labs in May 2011
• John Capp, electrical and control systems research director for Cadillac. His talk, “The Age of Automated Driving is Already Here,” will focus on the auto industry's future as computers take on more driving tasks and how this will affect society
• Ryan Landau, co-founder of Chalkfly, a Detroit-based online source of classroom suppliers since last year. He'll share startup business tips
• Ishita Gupta, a Detroit native now living in New York, who founded a digital magazine called Fear.less
• Norman Witte, web developer at Crain’s Detroit Business, who'll talk about commuting by bike and public transportation as a carless Detroiter
• Jason Vazzano, co-founder of Vectorform in Royal Oak. His talk, “Wearable Computing and Getting Intimate with Your Devices,” is about incorporating technology into eyeglasses, watches and other accessories
• Mary Lore, a Denver motivational trainer who founded a business called Managing Thought. Her interactive talk, “Words Matter,” will show how changing one word of a thought can influence whether we are creative and inspired
• Amy Kaherl and Elizabeth Garlow will talk jointly about nurturing social change. Kaherl founded Detroit Soup, a crowd-funding organization, and Garlow is executive director of Michigan Corps, a nonprofit
• Asia Newson, a 10-year-old Detroiter, will talk about her business selling candles