VISALIA –  The community-based version of the popular video conference organization TED Talks is coming to Visalia for the first time.

TEDx will have its first event in Visalia on Sept. 30, where local speakers will share their thoughts on life and issues in the Central Valley and potentially with the broader audience the TED.com platform provides. TEDx events are locally organized to share a TED talk experience within their own community. Visalia TEDx will take place at the Visalia Fox Theatre and has 100 available tickets. Tickets are $100 each and are sold on a first-come first-serve basis.

TED, named after the technology, entertainment and design center where the original event was held, is an annual event that brings together the world’s leading thinkers and doers to share ideas that matter in any discipline — technology, entertainment, design, science, humanities, business and development. The talks at the conference, called TED Talks, are then made available to watch for free on TED.com.

“We need to be willing to have open minds and hear all sides of topics in order to come together and develop solutions that benefit everybody,” Visalia TEDx event coordinator Stephanie Heiser said.

In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” TED Talks videos and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connections. Visalia’s TEDx event is not organized by TED Conferences, but is operated under a license from TED.

TEDx events give local speakers a chance to reach a larger platform since the official TEDx YouTube alone has 38.2 million subscribers. The Visalia TEDx event is still accepting sponsors to reach their goal of $10,000 for the TEDx event.

Speakers will share their perspectives on wellness, agriculture, innovation and conservation developed in the Valley. The event will feature confirmed speakers such as Dr. David Diehl who will share his experience as director of student and community services as well as his previous time serving as a teacher and police officer. He will also share his outlook as someone with a doctorate in the sociological and educational factors of minority communities.

“It’s really about bringing awareness to students we tend to lose and disengage early in our educational system, and the importance, power and impact that a caring educator can make in a student’s life to have positive outcomes,” Diehl said.

Other speakers include Lisa Marie who guides meditation and sound healing baths, as well as local business owner Steve Cory. The event is still adding speakers to the list but tentatively expects 10 speakers.

While the theme being promoted is water, the event will instead highlight the importance of fluidity of perspective and open-mindedness. The speakers will call attention to a variety of issues they have said will better the community but also explain that wisdom is not always cut and dry.

“Fluid perspective is what I really wanted the event to focus on,” Heiser said. ”I have water as the theme because the Central Valley is the pinnacle of the water rights debate.”

Those interested in more information on Visalia TEDx can visit https://tedxvisalia.com.