TEDx Tallinn gives birth to the future today

The third TEDx Tallinn, held today, brought together pundits from Estonia and abroad, discussing the shape of the future. VIP attendees included the alternative economist Nic Marks, author of the Global Happiness Index, an alternative to the mainstream economic metric, the GDP.

TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading." Held since 2006, the short 20 minute talks offered under the TED banner have been posted online and viewed by more than 50 million people worldwide. TEDx, on the other hand, is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

TEDx Tallinn, held for the third time today, was titled "The Future is Born Today" and it brought together professionals, artists and intellectuals from Estonia and abroad in order to analyze, to imagine, to plan and to realize our common future.

The Tallinn event included foreign participants such as Nic Marks, an internationally-recognized expert in the field of well-being and the author of the Global Happiness Index, an alternative metric for the GDP. Other guests included the rector of the Umeå Institute of Design in Sweden Anna Valtonen. Rector of Tallinn University Rein Raud, local pop singer and actress Iiris Vesik and many others also took to the stage. Each speaker outlined plans and analyzed ideas for a better life for future generations, according to ERR News.

Approximately 600 people attended the conference, which was also broadcast live via the TEDxTallinn website. The speeches were held in both Estonian and English and included simultaneous translation.

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