A while back, I stumbled upon Idea Week on Facebook. Now comes the full explanation, with a  complete look at the programming in the week leading up to the TEDxSMU conference at the Wyly on Oct. 16.

TEDxSMU organizers realized  that there are just a few more ideas floating around our area than will fit neatly into their annual day-long conference. Not to mention the conference is sold out. Dallas groups like Spark Club, Carrotmob, Cyclesomatic and Pecha Kucha have been sparking conversation and connections all year. Why not bring them all together and give everyone a chance to participate in events that will, hopefully, not just generate talk, but also, eventually, action – whether it’s a new collaboration, entrepreneurial idea, volunteer opportunity or, well, who knows? The result is Idea Week, more than 30 events starting Oct 11.

Lots to be excited about here. I’m especially looking forward to Spark Club, Pecha Kucha and the State of the Arts conversation with Kevin Moriarty and Anne Pasternak, who’s presenting at TEDxSMU on Saturday.

The complete IDEA WEEK lineup, and more about TEDxSMU, after the jump.

Events Showcase Some of Dallas’ Most Exciting Ideas Worth Sharing

Inaugural “Idea Week” Launches as Lead-In to and Extension of TEDxSMUWith 22Free-to-the-Public Events

Events Showcase Some of Dallas’ Most Exciting Ideas Worth Sharing

(DALLAS) – October 5, 2010 – Creators of the widely acclaimed TEDxSMU announce the launch of Idea Week, a week of 31 events from Oct. 11 – Oct. 17 aimed atwidening access to the TED experience and philosophy of bringing people together to share ideas worth spreading. The week features multiple daily events – many of which are free to the public – designed to spotlight some of the most exciting conversationsoccurring throughout Dallas.

“There is a growing hunger for new ideas, new ways of thinking and doing: the overwhelming appeal TEDxSMU developed in one year proves that,” saidTEDxSMU producer and Idea Week co-founder Sharon Lyle.“But, there’s just too much creativity out there, and too much opportunity to limit people to a single event that happens once a year. Idea Week begins to fill that need, giving Dallas a platform for showing off more of the smart conversations already occurring in Dallas.”

The events are presented in a variety of formats, ranging from moderated discussions in restaurants to 20-second presentations, “speed ideating,” public performance art and more. Some early participants include groups like Big Thought, Carrotmob, Cyclesomatic/Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, Dallas Social Venture Partners, D Magazine,Pecha Kucha Dallas, Spark Club, and SMU Skunkworks Innovation Gym.

Public Event Schedule

Monday, October 11

Midnight – 11:59 am – Premiere of Net Impact DFW + DFW Green TV “Idea Casts” webcast series. Launches with “Dallas Goes Green – Really!” – a look at Dallas’ multi-pronged approach to setting and implementing national standards for cities going green. View online at NetImpactDFW.org, DFWGreenTV.com or dallasideas.org.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm  – TEDxTuesday on Monday. Watch Wade Davis’ TEDTalk, “Endangered Cultures.” Moderated discussion follows by Nathan Huntoon, Director of the Skunkworks Innovation Gym. Bring-your-ownbrown-baglunch. SMU Skunkworks Innovation Gym, 3145 Dyer St.Free to public; space limited; RSVP required.

6:30 – 8 pm – Spark Club Speed Networking. See the power of speed ideating, where ideas become better when a group collaborates. City Walk, 511 N. Akard St. Free to public, donations encouraged to cover beer and food provided by Smoke. Space limited; RSVP required.

Tuesday, October 12

6:40 – 7:30 am – AmeriCorps Hands-On Volunteer Day. Prepare and serve meals at Stewpot with Dallas AmeriCorps alumni volunteers. The Stewpot, 1818 Corsicana Street. Open to public; RSVP required.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm – TEDxTuesday on Tuesday. Watch Gregory Stock’s TEDTalk, To Upgrade is Human. Moderated discussion follows by Nathan Huntoon, Director of the Skunkworks Innovation Gym. Bring-your-ownbrown-baglunch. SMU Skunkworks Innovation Gym, 3145 Dyer St.Free to public; space limited; RSVP required.

6 – 9 pm – Co-Habitat + TEDxSMU Mobile Technology SalonIn a TED-like atmosphere, Dallas thought leaders exchange ideas on the future of mobile technology; across all platforms, applications, and disciplines. CoHabitat, 2517 Thomas Street. Free to public; space limited; RSVP required.

Wednesday, October 13

11:30 am – 12:30 pm – TEDxTuesday on Wednesday. Watch Matt Ridley’s TEDTalk on When Ideas have Sex. Moderated discussion follows by Nathan Huntoon, Director of the Skunkworks Innovation Gym. Bring-your-ownbrown-baglunch. SMU Skunkworks Innovation Gym, 3145 Dyer St.Free to public; space limited; RSVP required.

5 pm – midnight -Carrotmob Texas Launch. When consumers act together and reward socially conscious businesses with their patronage, good things happen. La Grange won in a bidding war over Bolsa by offering 81% of every tab at this event to go directly to improving La Grange’s energy efficiency. La Grange, 2704 Elm St.Open to public, NO RSVP required. Attendees pay for their own food/drinks.

6 – 9 pm – Pecha Kucha Vol. 4. An international phenomenon in over 340 cities world-wide, the Dallas event is a grab bag of eclectic and diverse presenters sharing their best ideas via 20 slides, 20 seconds per slide. Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora. $7.50 in advance. Space limited; RSVP required.

Thursday, October 14

11:30 am – 12:30 pm – TEDxTuesday on ThursdayWatch Majora Carter’s TEDTalk on a Tale of Urban Renewal. Moderated discussion follows by Nathan Huntoon, Director of the Skunkworks Innovation Gym. Bring-your-own brown-bag-lunch. SMU Skunkworks Innovation Gym, 3145 Dyer St. Free to public; space limited; RSVP required.

7 – 9 pm – Death of a Penalty: The Decline and Fall of Capital PunishmentAustin Sarat, Professor of Political Science and head of the Legal Studies program at Amherst College, presents a lecture on the state of capital punishment. Speakers include Sam Millsap, a former Bexar County District Attorney who abandoned his support for the death penalty over fears of wrongful convictions, and Jordan Steiker, the co-director of the University of Texas Law School’s Capital Punishment Center.SMU Hughes-Trigg Forum, 3140 Dyer St., Free to public; space limited; RSVP required.

7:30 – 8:30 p.m. – State of the Arts: Kevin Moriarty and Anne Pasternak Presented by the Dallas Museum of Art in partnership with KERA. KERA host and senior producer Jeff Whittington explores the creative process and the nature of performance, leading thought-provoking conversations about the arts and cultural landscape of the Metroplex. Horchow Auditorium, Dallas Museum of Art. Open to Public; Fee included in general admission ticket to the Museum and FREE to DMA members. Space limited; reservations recommended.

Friday, October 15

Depart 8 am; Arrive at City Hall at 8:30 am – Cyclesomatic Presents “Bike to City Hall”Bike Friendly Oak Cliff continues Cyclesomatic with trip to City Hall. City Council members Angela Hunt and Delia [edited] Jasso will ride and present the Dallas Bike Plan draft, which spotlights the future citywide Complete Streets initiatives. Union Station, 400 S. Houston. Free to public; No RSVP required.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm – TEDxTuesday on FridayWatch Martin Rees’ TEDTalks asking Is This Our Final Century. Moderated discussion follows by Nathan Huntoon, Director of the Skunkworks Innovation Gym. Bring-your-ownbrown-baglunch. SMU Skunkworks Innovation Gym, 3145 Dyer St.Free to public; space limited; RSVP required.

5:30 pm – 6:15 pm – AmeriCorps Hands-On Volunteer DayPrepare and serve meals at Stewpot with Dallas AmeriCorps alumni volunteers. The Stewpot, 1818 Corsicana Street. Open to public; RSVP required.

Saturday, October 16

6:30 am  – TEDxSMU Run with RayFormer TED speaker(and current TEDxSMU Speaker) and extreme athlete and runner Ray Zahab starts the morning leading a run with Dallas Running Club. 1130 Beachview near White Rock Lake. Free to public; No RSVP required.

6 – 10 pm – Cyclesomatic Presents “Bicycle Block Party on Bishop”Bike Friendly Oak Cliff continues Cyclesomatic with beer, BBQ, bands, Gold Sprints, and more. Bishop and Davis Streets. Free to public; No RSVP required.

7 – 7:30 pm – Woodbox Beats and Balladry(WEATHER PERMITTING) TEDxSMU, in conjunction with AT&T Performing Arts Center’s TITAS and the SMU Meadows School of the Arts, presents a dazzling performance by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) and Elan Vytal (a.k.a. DJ Scientific) in the Winspear Opera House’s reflecting pool. Booker T. Washington High School and SMU dancers will perform alongside. AT&T PAC’s reflecting pool, 2403 Flora St. Free to public; No RSVP needed.

8 pm (with live music beginning at 7 pm) – AT&T Performing Arts Center and Dallas Film Society host an outdoor screening of “Casablanca” See the next evolution of Dallas Arts District in a screening of “Casablanca,” the 1942 silver screen classic starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, in the AT&T PAC’s newly opened outdoor amphitheater, Strauss Square. Families invited to bring their own blankets. Food and beverages are available at concession stands on the premises. Presented in partnership with WRR and D Magazine’s Front Row. Strauss Square, 2403 Flora Street, between the Winspear Opera House and Meyerson Symphony Center. Free to public; space limited; reservations required.

Sunday, October 17

10 am – 1 pm – Cyclesomatic Presents Photopol’s  Bicycle Polaride  Scavenger HuntTeams of four compete in a “shoot and ride” city-wide scavenger hunt on bikes where proof of found items is documented on camera. 408 N. Bishop Ave, Suite 103. Free to public; RSVP required.

2:30 pm – Cyclesomatic Presents Bike Friendly Oak Cliff Group Bike Ride: On the Trail of Lee Harvey Oswald

(WEATHER PERMITTING) The ride starts at Sixth Floor Museum in Downtown Dallas, passes the infamous residences of JFK’s alleged assassin and stops at pivotal spots from that fateful day in 1963. The ride passes through the Bishop Arts District and stops for drinks at Eno’s.Sixth Floor Museum, 411 Elm St. Free to public, No RSVP required.

7  – 10 pm – Cyclesomatic Wrap-Up Party at Eno’s Bike Friendly Oak Cliff winds down Cyclesomatic with beer, BBQ, bands, Gold Sprints, and more. Eno’s, 407 N. Bishop Ave. Free to public; No RSVP required.

To RSVP for any eventand get additional event information, visit dallasideas.org/ideas.Fans and followers can get new ideas, inspiration and information at twitter.com/ideaweek, facebook.com/ideaweek, flikr.com/ideaweek, youtube.com/ideaweek.

SOLD-OUT OR NON-PUBLIC EVENTS

10/12 – 6 – 7 pm – Fashion 2.0 Dallas Launch.Online media is drastically changing the fashion industry and the way consumers interact with fashion brands. Meet the people that lead the fashion revolution online – fashion bloggers, new media publishers, entrepreneurs, industry insiders, fashion PR reps, and web savvy trendsetters.Kenichi, 2400 Victory Park Lane. NOT A PUBLIC EVENT – Fashion industry professionals only with an online presence. RSVP required.

10/14 – 6-8 pm – Digital Dallas LaunchDigital and creative professionals share what’s new and amazing being worked on now. La Grange, 2704 Elm Street. NOT A PUBLIC EVENT – Free to technology/creative professionals. RSVP required.

10/15 – 12:30 – 5 pm – TEDxKIDS @ SMUSecond annual TEDx event for students. Watch the explosion of what happens when you put TED speakers in the room with 410 middle and high school students. Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora. SOLD OUT.Live streaming from 1-5 pm at http://www.TEDxSMU.org.

10/16, 9 am – 6 pm – TEDxSMUBringing together ideas and interesting people from around the world and around the corner exploring issues around human survival and how we move beyond merely surviving to creating vibrant, healthy communities Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora.SOLD OUT.Live streaming 10 am – 6 pm at http://www.TEDxSMU.org.

About Idea Week

Idea Week is a grassroots effort by the producers of TEDxSMU and several of Dallas’ leading social enterprises and individuals to showcase some of the most new and exciting conversations occurring in Dallas. Designed to extend the TED experience and philosophy of spreading ideas worth sharing, Idea Week features more than 25 events – most of which are free and open to the public or streamed live online – as a lead-in to TEDxSMU. Idea Week’s inaugural year is 2010. An event of this magnitude being conceived and launched within three months on a $1,000.00 budget exemplifies its own mission to reflect a new-order way of thinking and doing. Ideas, inspiration and information at dallasideas.org, twitter.com/ideaweek, facebook.com/ideaweek, flikr.com/ideaweek, youtube.com/ideaweek.

About TEDxSMU

Bringing together ideas and interesting people from around the world and around the corner, TEDxSMU and TEDxKids @SMU are single-day conferences in Dallas, Texas. Now in its second year, TEDxSMU is jointly produced by Southern Methodist University and the Idea Fund of the Communities Foundation of Texas. Both 2010 events – TEDxKids @SMU on October 15 and TEDxSMU on October 16 – will take place at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. TEDxKids @SMU (the first TEDx event designed for students) hosts 350 middle school students for a free four-hour conference, in exchange for completing four hours of community service. The 600 TEDxSMU attendees must apply and be selected in order to participate in the full-day conference.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California, with simulcast in Palm Springs; TEDGlobal is held each year in Oxford, UK. TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TEDFellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

TED2011, “The Rediscovery of Wonder,” will be held February 28 – March 4, 2011, in Long Beach, California, with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs, California.

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