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When
June 17, 2016
Starting 9:00 AM
Where
Splendid Palace
Riga, Latvia

Dare to Be

About the concept


We can achieve greater changes by overcoming realistic or self-created limits. Without the inner fight with our complexes, fears and lack of will power, we’re simply being carried along the stream.

Oftentimes, the stream takes us nowhere, that’s why courage is needed to maintain what’s achieved through hard work.

2016 marks the 5th anniversary of TEDxRiga, and for our 5th conference we will have 23 amazing speakers and performers — each with an idea worth spreading.

WHAT IS TEDx?

x = independently organized event


In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxRiga, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxRiga event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

Our speakers

Dare to be curious: learn more about each speaker


FAQ

What can I expect at TEDxRiga?


You should plan the whole day to enjoy TEDxRiga. We will have 4 awesome sessions from 9 AM up until 6 PM. You’re free to leave and return to venue at any time, but please mind that entering the main hall is allowed in between the talks only.

Yes! We will not only provide food for thought, but also will take care of the actual food. Lunch meal will be provided at halftime, there will be snacks, coffee, tea, water available throughout the day.

While TEDxRiga tends to be about listening to the talks, we create a cool atmosphere around networking, meeting new people and sharing ideas in between the sessions. Various activities will be available, and the Wi-Fi too!

Absolutely! The speakers love networking as much as you do, and will be present during the day. You will also have a fantastic opportunity to meet some of the speakers from our previous four conferences.

There will be drinks served to conclude the event, so don’t leave early. The final networking session is the most fun!

Event schedule

Dare to be on time: see the talk order


Registration & Breakfast

  Registration
  goodmorning, badges, breakfast, coffee
Make sure you arrive early to get your TEDxRiga badge and say hi to everybody before entering the main hall. Note, that during the talks entrance is prohibited. We will also serve coffee and light breakfast in the morning. So there are no excuses for you to skip!

Staņislavs Judins & Asnate Rancāne

  Performance
  worldMusic, opus2, ethno
Staņislavs is inspired by ethno music, Asnate — by improvisation. This is how these two musicians meet and understand how much they can give to each other. Compositions by Staņislavs, knowledge of folk music by Asnate and the ability to improvise, turns into very unique style of music. When improvising, they supplement each other with […]
Austėja Landsbergienė
Educator, visionary

Austėja Landsbergienė

  Talk
  education, parenting, love
Austeja Landsbergiene, Ph.D., is a CEO and founder of a private chain of pre-schools “Vaikystės sodas” (13), Queen Morta schools (3) in Lithuania and Six Senses International Preschool in Riga. In 2015 Dr. Austeja Landsbergiene was awarded by the President of Lithuania and the King of Sweden a Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award at […]
Jonathan Howard
Creativity instructor

Jonathan Howard

  Talk
  creativity, limits, chutzpah
Jonathan is an advertising consultant, startup mentor, and improvisational theatre teacher. Starting his career at Saatchi & Saatchi in London as a strategic planner, Jonathan’s career has moved through the worlds of theatre, TV, startups, politics and renewable energy. He works with many different kinds of groups, from politicians to young offenders, to help them […]
Jānis Jātnieks
3D printing entrepreneur

Jānis Jātnieks

  Talk
  3dprinting, prosthesis, technology
Janis Jatnieks is one of the creators of a new artificially intelligent 3D modeling software, which enables mass customization of designs based on a 3D scan. Janis is a co-owner and CEO at Baltic3D.eu which is the leading 3D printing service bureau in the Baltic States, providing wide range of technologies and solutions. The company […]
Mauro Martino
Leader, Cognitive Visualization Lab, IBM

Mauro Martino

  Talk
  AI, bigdata, design
Mauro Martino leads IBM’s Cognitive Visualization Lab. He is a distinguished Italian artist, designer, inventor, and educator who investigates the impact of artificial intelligence on design. Mauro’s projects have been shown at international festivals including Ars Electronica, TEDxCambridge Thrive, and Art Galleries invluding The Serpentine Gallery (London), GAFTA (San Francisco). His work has been featured […]
Gunita Kuļikovska
Startup architect

Gunita Kuļikovska

  Talk
  VR, architecture, technology
Deeply involved in both architecture and fostering technology startups, Gunita Kuļikovska seeks to expand the limits of communication between client and architect, with every modern medium at hand. With this mission in mind, she founded Go VR Studio, where she experiments with bleeding-edge technology.
Alise Joste
Singer, songwriter

Alise Joste

  Performance
  music, fear, courage
Alise started writing songs when she was 20 years old as a means of self-expression. She published them in a local social network, and her fragile, soothing vocals and delicate guitar playing soon caught the attention of a popular radio DJ. Not long after that Alise established herself as a well-known artist in the Latvian […]
Mikus Āboliņš-Ābols
Evolutionary ecologist

Mikus Āboliņš-Ābols

  Talk
  biology, birds, behavior
Mikus Āboliņš-Ābols studies birds to understand how animals respond to social and environmental challenges. Mikus believes that his research on birds can bring about fundamental insights into how stress and risk affect our social and sexual behavior.
Alisa Kazarina
Biomolecular archaelogist

Alisa Kazarina

  Talk
  microbiome, archeology, cuttingedge
Alisa Kazarina is TEDxRiga Story Hunt 2016 winner and a microbiologist whose desire is to explore how microbes influence human health and how investigating ancient human-related microorganisms could help researchers to study these relationships. In her job at the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Center, Alisa investigates the remains of ancient human-related microbes that can be […]

Danny Doucette

  Talk
  science, teaching, criticalthinking
As a physics and maths teacher, Danny Doucette seeks to understand why science is challenging for students, and works to develop better ways to learn. Danny believes that scientific thinking empowers everyone to better understand their world.
Egils Grasmanis
Entrepreneur, social activist

Egils Grasmanis

  Talk
  refugees, crisis, humanity
In addition to running a board games publishing business, entrepreneur Egils Grasmanis has spearheaded various social activities. In 2015 he founded the Facebook group “Gribu Palīdzēt Bēgļiem” (I Want to Help Refugees) which has evolved into an active movement, trying to help refugees in Latvia and breaking the existing stereotypes.
MNTHA
Music performer

MNTHA

  Performance
  electronicmusic, davidbowie
Project MNTHA started recently – summer of 2014 – when Marija Mickeviča accidentally started experimenting with production and electronic music. This led her to the National finals of Eurovision. New music is still being written, the debut album is being recorded in Spain along with performing at regular concerts. Together with three other talented musicians, […]
Maria Golubeva
Policy analyst and historian

Maria Golubeva

  Talk
  politics, morality, medievaleurope
Maria Golubeva is a policy analyst and historian from Riga. Maria has studied History at Cambridge University (PhD, 1999) and has worked in Latvian public administration, in a public policy consultancy in Brussels, and at the think-tank PROVIDUS. She has published a number of policy studies and the book “Models of Political Competence” on history […]
Ivars Drulle
Sculptor

Ivars Drulle

  Talk
  sculpture, people, soul
Ivars Drulle sees his work as a form of storytelling. The themes include controversial topics from our recent past and subjects we try to avoid publicly but discuss in our kitchens. Most of his projects are either large scale or tiny miniatures, often incorporating elements of sound. But don’t misjudge the playful, toy-like figurines of […]

Ronja Rūta Pakalne & Modris Opelts

  Performance
  contemporary, dance, challenge
People meet with the same goal: full of energy, light and desire to move. Dance helps them connect and make them dare, by challenging and supporting each other, they take the risk of living life and letting the miracles happen. Their bodies become their minds and their minds become their bodies. Feeling each one of […]
Ivars Austers
Professor of Social Psychology

Ivars Austers

  Talk
  experts, psychology, wisdom
Professor of Social Psychology Ivars Austers is interested in the human ability of perspective-taking, namely, under what conditions people are good enough in guessing what other people have in their minds. His research interests are in social identity, perspective-taking, human decision-making, and traffic psychology.
Ernests Jenavs
Co-founder of the EdTech startup edurio

Ernests Jenavs

  Talk
  education, feedback, data
As the co-founder of the EdTech startup edurio, Ernests is seeking to help schools tap into the power of feedback, thereby improving the quality of the education they provide.
Āres
Music band

Āres

  Performance
  indieelectronica, beats, friendship
The music duo ‘Āres‘ is a project by two ex-classmates – Andrejs Irbēns and Jānis Zvīnis. They come from Salacgrīva and their inspiration in music comes from the beautiful nature around their hometown. They having been playing together since 2014 and this year they are planning to release their debut album.
Linda Curika
Feminist, publicist

Linda Curika

  Talk
  stereotypes, gender, activism
Linda Curika is one of the first and most recognizable Latvian feminists. For more than 10 years, Linda has observed and written about the ways the media stereotypes gender and minorities. Recently, she has stopped writing and started talking, by way of stand-up comedy. During her spare time Linda writes stories. Mostly these are not […]
Mārtiņš Otikovs
Structural biologist

Mārtiņš Otikovs

  Talk
  biology, biomimicry, materials
Mārtiņš Otikovs is a structural biologist. He is particularly interested in the application of nuclear magnetic resonance to study the role of biomolecules in a variety of processes occurring in nature.
Ļena Hercberga
Advisor and researcher

Ļena Hercberga

  Talk
  business, diversity, dialogue
Ļena has been helping people within established organisations find meaning in what they do. She assists people who make up large complex organisations to make sense of complexity they work in by engaging them in a dialogue with the rest of society. Increasingly, she is interested in exploring new ways of organising within conventional corporate […]

Sergejs Musatovs / Sergejs Timoņins

  Talk
  cinema, grassroots, entertainment
From what started as special screenings of indie films by cinema bloggers, Sergejs Timoņins and Sergejs Musatovs have sparked a national entertainment movement #kinoblogeri, which aims to enhance and transform the modern cinema experience.  They founded the film festival Spektrs which rebels against established genre traditions. After years of experience in marketing and media, fueled by a […]

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