Opportunities reign at TEDxPortofSpain

TWELVE distinguished speakers will meet on the TEDxPortofSpain stage on Friday at the Queen's Hall Auditorium, St Ann's, where they will discuss opportunities.

A sexologists, world-renowned DJ, web designer, entrepreneur, digital media professional, finance expert, surfer girl, sustainable energy consultant and others will discuss the full spectrum of ideas on opportunities be they pursued, lost or stumbled upon.

Dennise Demming, co-licence owner and event manager said the overarching theme of TEDxPortofSpain has always been changing conversations, and on Friday they seek to introduce opportunity as a new level of discourse.

Sexologist Onika Henry will talk about the healing Carnival has brought to the country. What some would describe as overt sexuality, Henry will take the opportunity to look at it as sexual healing and how it has impacted citizens.

Susan Francois, attorney-at-law who focuses on corporate finance and offshore company finance, will talk about a cashless society and how that can impact on crime by minimising the opportunity for crime and making the transactions traceable.

Carver Bacchus, managing director of Sustain TT, a not-for-profit organisation that develops creative communication tools for environmental and sustainability education, will talk about historical systems that were created by the Merikins community and the opportunities that can be learned from ancestral practices.

David Abdulah, head of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) will discuss the “second republic.” Demming said he will look at the opportunities that got the country to the position it is and where the country is going in the future.

On top of the individual 15-18 minute speeches there will be a new TEDx feature where successful people in their field will be interviewed on stage to have their journeys and opportunities probed.

Ryan Alexander, also known as DJ Private Ryan, an internationally-acclaimed Caribbean DJ and Elizabeth “Lady” Montano, a businesswoman and brand developer who learned how to commodify pop culture in TT, will be interviewed.

The T in TED stands for technology, and as such, this year a Tech Hub will be introduced to highlight some of the innovative technological uses people in the country are deploying. IAMovement for example will be in the hub. TEDx speaker Siana Teelucksingh has been producing REthinking Energy video series with IAMovement to highlight how the energy sector in TT works.

TEDxPortofSpain was started eight years ago. Friday will be its ninth convention. Within those eight years TEDxPortofSpain’s YouTube channel has gotten a cumulative hit of over three million views.

TEDxPortofSpain is one of 1,500 licensed TEDx events. And Demming says is in the top 100 of the events with three past videos making it to the official TED.com platform.

Demming says this is because they have developed good quality product over the years.

"We are batting way above our weight in the global TEDx community."

Activist and chartered surveyor, Afra Raymond's Three Myths About Corruption; first vice president from the Caribbean of the International Confederation of Midwives Debrah Lewis’ talk on Why Fathers Should be Present at Birth; and Mark Raymond's architecture talk on Victims of the City are all featured on TED.com.