Theme: New Belfast New Ideas

The first ever evening TEDxBelfast will give a whole new audience an opportunity to participate in a TEDx conference. The speakers are drawn from a wide range of disciplines. Our vision is to encourage and facilitate the unleashing of ideas which have the power to change our world.

Come along to hear some incredible stories and lessons from an eclectic mix of innovators, explorers, visionaries, teachers and learners all sharing their inspiring stories with us.

We'll be hosted by Town Square, a new space in Botanic who's vision is to be the Town Square that Belfast doesn't have - a space where ideas are shared and ventures are started.

Town Square
13 Lower Crescent
Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NR
United Kingdom

ALYSON HOGG

Entrepreneur of the Year Award finalist in 2015

Alyson Hogg’s professional career has spanned broadcasting, academia, hospitality, politics and beauty. In 2007, she launched Vita Liberata luxury tanning, differentiating her offering with award winning technologies including Moisture Locking for 72 hour hydration, Odour Remove™ for zero smell, pHenO2™ for the longest lasting tan, HyH20™ anti age hydration and Trystal3™ technology which tans from a dry crystallised formula. She was hailed for developing the first non-toxic tan in 2011, with zero chemicals of concern. Alyson's drive to create premium products that actually work has secured listing in the world's top spas including Viceroy, Ritz-Carlton and Burj Al Arab. Her products are sold in over 26 countries, and in April 2014 she debuted on QVC USA with a sell out launch. This was followed by an incredibly successful Today’s Special Value in April 2015 that sold 51k units. Vita Liberata has recently won a second consecutive Queen’s Award for Enterprise

Gavin Millar

Photographer

Photographer, provocateur and purveyor of pith. Born in Belfast in 1984, Millar galvanises the city’s reputation as the omphalos of the gifted maverick. His work drops the viewer into an uncompromising world of jarring narrative, presented in gelatinous, suffocating colour. Millar’s audacious imagery sits on a platform of deft technique, proclaiming a call to excellence. Gavin turns shutter clicks into pounds and pence in Belfast, Dublin and London.

Geraldine ÓKane

Poet

Geraldine is a poet, creative writing facilitator, arts administrator and mental health advocate. She has been successfully writing and having poems published for years. She has recovered from with mental health issues herself and cares for her mum who also has poor mental health. She currently works for the John Hewitt Society and has worked with Community Arts Partnership, Kids in Control and Artists Disability Forum (ADF), alongside many festivals. She is co-host of Purely Poetry a monthly poetry open mic night run in partnership with the Crescent Arts Centre open to all capabilities and backgrounds. She is delighted to have been asked to give talk on poetry and mental health in this year’s TEDx Belfast. She is part of Poetry NI an online and in print platform offering news and opportunities for poets in Northern. She is working towards her first full collection of poetry and was awarded the Artist Career Enhancement Award by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Kathryn Willis

Administrator for Belfast Community Gospel Choir

Kathryn Willis is the Administrator for Belfast Community Gospel Choir (BCGC) one of the greatest musical phenomenons to emerge from Northern Ireland in the last decade. With a Bachelor of Education in Communication Studies, Kathryn has been involved in cross-community arts projects for over 20 years, including initiating and directing the successful Creative (Culture) Crosslinks project which brought together over 700 young people from different religious and ethnic communities to write and perform their own unique stage shows using drama, dance, music and various forms of visual arts. Kathryn continues to write short plays and sketches mainly for youth. She is also a speaker at various cross-community, cross-border Christian women’s forums and volunteers for CAP (Christians Against Poverty) which aims to help people find a way out of serious debt.

Neil Morbey

Psychiatrist

Neil Morbey spent most of his youth on a rock face, risking his life in the pursuit of ‘the feeling being alive’. What he learned changed his life and lead him to into teaching mindfulness, with the hope of empowering others to enjoy the adventure of their lives.

Paul Miller

Playfulness and presence

Paul William Miller, MD DMH MRCPsych – Psychiatrist, EMDR Consultant, Facilitator & Trainer-in-training. I served on the EMDR UK and Ireland Association Council: chairing the training subcommittee. I have spoken Internationally on ‘EMDR therapy in schizophrenia and other psychoses’ and have just published a book with Springer of the same title. I introduced EMDR therapy to the NHS in Northern Ireland & founded Mirabilis Health: the first private psychiatrist-led clinic specialising in EMDR therapy. I am the recipient of: The Galloway Award, Presented by the National Schizophrenia Fellowship (2000), The International Society for Psychiatric Genetics – Travelling Scholarship (2001), and The NI Section of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Research Prize (2002). I have been an Honorary Lecturer in Birmingham University, and Queen's University Belfast; currently I have strong links with Ulster and Worcester Universities that both have strong support of EMDR therapy.

Paul Stapleton

Senior Lecturer at the Sonic Arts Research Centre

Dr Paul Stapleton is an improviser, sound artist, instrument designer and critical theorist originally from Southern California. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Sonic Arts Research Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, where he teaches and supervises research in performance technologies, improvisation and site-specific sound art. Paul designs and performs with a variety of modular metallic sound sculptures, custom made electronics, found objects and electric guitars in locations ranging from Echtzeitmusik venues in Berlin to remote beaches on Vancouver Island. His album FAUNA with saxophonist Simon Rose has received acclaim from critics such as Ken Waxman (Jazzword), Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg (Orynx), Mark Corroto (All About Jazz), and Marc Medwin (New York City Jazz Record). Paul also co-directs the Translating Improvisation research group with Sara Ramshaw and the QUBe music collective with Steve Davis. www.paulstapleton.net

WALEED ALSHERI

Speaking about Refugees

Waleed is a Syrian refugee who worked on a ship for three years, saw ten of his friends die due to working conditions, one jump of the side and swim to Turkey. He saved up 3 years wages to bribe the captain to smuggle him into Belfast and now is studying engineering in Glasgow. He has an incredible story!