TEDxOrangeCoast Releases Full Line-Up of Speakers for Fourth Annual Conference

NEWPORT BEACH, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 26, 2014) - TEDxOrangeCoast today announced the complete line-up of speakers slated for its fourth annual fall conference at Soka University of America Performing Arts Center September 19-20. Speakers will follow the famous TED Talks format: a compelling presentation in which they share their greatest idea in 18 minutes or less.

Highlights of this year's conference include speakers Jack Andraka, world-renowned teen researcher who invented an early detection test for pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancer; former Olympic medalists swimmer Janet Evans and fencer Tim Morehouse; Kevin Surace, Inc. magazine "Entrepreneur of the Year"; Chris White, SVP, Internet of Things at Cisco; Gregory Washington, dean of engineering at UCI; textPlus President Nanea Reeves, recognized by Digital Media Wire as one of the "25 Executives to Watch in Digital Media;" Alex Dickenson, SVP at Illumina, the world's largest DNA sequencing company; Ronald Rotunda, former assistant majority counsel for the Watergate Committee and co-author of the most widely used course book on legal ethics and Johnny Schillereff, founder and CEO of Element skateboards, as well as many others who will take the TEDx stage.

"Inspiring speakers are, of course, the essence of TEDx," says TEDxOrangeCoast executive producer Mojdeh Eskandari. "This year we have 25 speakers who are coming from across the country to share their incredible stories with us."

TEDxOrangeCoast chose speakers whose Talks will spark audience engagement and continue conversations among participants even after the event. To facilitate those connections, the TEDxOrangeCoast team has incorporated networking events in Social Spaces, themed outdoor areas and galleries designed to spark innovative conversation among guests and speakers. Themes will include wearable technology, Internet of Things, women entrepreneurship, food sustainability, the genomics revolution, and more. In addition, this year the TEDx team has prepared original immersive experiences and food discovery.

Since speakers are the heart of a TEDx conference, preparing them for the exact format is a must. "We have a unique process that helps our speakers distill their message into an interesting talk while also helping them share their inspiring ideas and solutions to world problems," says Amir Banifatemi, founder and curator of TEDxOrangeCoast.

Preparing speakers is the second phase in this complicated process; finding them is the first. "We look for an eclectic mix," says Eskandari. "The promise of TED is the revelation of someone or something the audience didn't know. So the fun is in finding the obscure inventor, artist or entrepreneur and giving them this amazing platform."

Find the complete roster of speakers and their bios at http://www.tedxorangecoast.com/all-speakers/.

Additionally, TEDxOrangeCoast will host Innovation Alley, a series of exhibits that allow attendees to experience new products and innovative ideas stemming from our communities, and TeenChallenge, a competition to showcase inspiring ideas from Southern California teens.

Tickets for this conference start at $85, with discounts offered to students. To register please visit: TEDxOrangeCoast.com. 

About TEDxOrangeCoast:
TEDxOrangeCoast is a non-profit, independently organized TED event devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading through annual conferences featuring fascinating doers and thinkers. Its scope has broadened to include the TEDxTeenChallenge, which promote Ideas Worth Doing. TEDxOrangeCoast brings together a like-minded community of curious, highly engaged learners committed to inspiring change through positive actions. Learn more at www.TEDxOrangeCoast.com.

About TEDx, 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.

About TED 
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California almost 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes on a diverse mix of topics. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The TED2014 Conference was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with the TEDActive simulcast in neighboring Whistler. TEDGlobal 2014 will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; and TEDBooks, short e-books on powerful ideas. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED