TEDxTraverseCity, which sold out in less than 30 minutes last year, will return to Traverse City on May 15, this time adding a second venue to accommodate a larger audience. TEDxTraverseCity will be held on May 15 from 8:30am to 5:00pm in the Milliken Auditorium at Northwestern Michigan College (NMC).

The 2012 TEDx event's success prompted organizers to decide to simulcast this year’s event at the State Theatre. Tickets for the NMC event will be $99 each. State Theatre simulcast tickets will be $50 each.

TEDx events combine live and video speakers to spark discussions about topics of the day. TEDx is an offshoot of TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design), a global nonprofit founded in 1984. Hundreds of TEDx events have been held around the world since its inception.

The day-long TEDxTraverseCity is intended to “educate, inspire and connect great minds.”

This year’s theme – Time and Change – will also incorporate sub-themes of Transformational Change, Futurism and Embracing the Human Condition. Twelve speakers will headline the day, including:

• New York Times bestselling author Marianne Williamson
• South Bronx-based green educator Stephen Ritz
• 2012 CNN Humanitarian Hero Twesigye “Jackson” Kaguri
• Crisis mapper and innovator Patrick Meier
• Author and director of the environment program at the Political Economy Research Institute James Boyce
• Founding Master Teacher at the Acton School of Business Steven Tomlinson

Additional speakers will be added in the coming months. The event will also include musical performances by an Interlochen Arts Academy percussion ensemble and local musicians Blake Elliott, Don Julin and Billy Strings.

Sara Harding, one of the event’s curators, tells The Ticker, “We are honored to be going into our third year with a line-up of top-tier speakers that will be sure to push boundaries and provide significant inspiration to the attendees.”

Harding adds that a new advisory board has also been formed this year, including several local leaders in education, business, and philanthropy.

TEDxTraverseCity tickets go on sale April 8. Visit www.tedxtraversecity.com for more information.