Further speakers for this year’s TEDxBristol – the UK’s largest event of its kind – were last night announced at its official launch party.
Among the largest TEDxs in Europe, TEDxBristol will take place over two days in November following the success of the inaugural one-day event in 2015. 
The full line-up of 16 speakers, who will present talks under the theme ‘Dare to Disrupt’, will not be announced until late October when the name of a final mystery speaker will be revealed.
The two speakers announced last night at the party, hosted at the Temple Quay offices of launch event sponsor OVO Energy, are Clayton Planter and David McGoran.
Clayton Planter is a Bristol entrepreneur with successful track record of working with young people and adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. He is the founder of Street2Boardroom, a programme that teaches young adults at risk of being caught up in a criminal lifestyle the knowledge, skills, and confidence to apply the things they’ve learned on the street to the ‘legal hustle’.
David McGoran from Bristol robotics company Rusty Squid will talk about the necessary communication that should be taking place between technologists and artists. He will argue why emotions, human behaviour and culture are as important as technological innovation when designing robots – and why Bristol is leading the way.
Also announced this week was Dr Madge Dresser, who joins the line-up of positive disruptors on November 2 and 3 with her talk on the prevalent subject of history and hate groups.
Other recent additions to the billing include Antonia Forster, whose fascinating talk on LGBTQ in animals will question the view that polyamory and different sexualities are ‘unnatural’, and Alan Bec, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferer and inventor of the Wellbeing Indicator Badge (WIB), which helps him deal with the irritations of being unwell.
TEDxBristol curator and creative director Mel Rodrigues said: “I am so thrilled by the line-up. The most exciting part is that these are all Bristol and the West’s homegrown disruptors, whose ideas and projects all have the potential to make an impact on a global scale. This TEDx is about showing the world the quality of innovation and break-through thinking that is coming out of this region – ideas that have the power to change the world.”
Eight speakers will take to the stage at the Colston Hall each day, separated by interactive workshops and ‘salons’ where visitors can get involved between talks, and will be encouraged to consider the ways in which they could become a positive disruptor themselves, whether it be socially, in the workplace, or on a larger scale altogether.
Disruptive Bodies, Disruptive Minds is the focus for day one, with Disruptive Innovation, Disruptive Planet talks taking centre stage on day two. The 16 speakers will start a dialogue around how and why they Dare to Disrupt, challenge the status quo, and do things differently to make the world a better place. Other TEDxBristol partners include law firm Burges Salmon, Floating Harbour Films and Newicon.
