“Thank you for coming to my TED Talk” ⁠— It’s a viral phrase that has become synonymous with sharing something engaging, enlightening, or informative.

It’s been nearly three years since Savannah has hosted its own TED Talks at a TEDx speaking engagement. But now, with life returning to somewhat normal, the event is returning as a range of speakers gear up to drop some knowledge.

TEDxSavannah is coming Friday, June 24, to the Yamacraw Performing Arts Center, with this year’s 11th-anniversary theme: STANDARD DEVIATION.

Organizers say it’s an independently organized, day-long celebration of ideas they believe are worth spreading. Tickets are $95 for the all-day event, which includes parking, breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

Savannah actress, singer, and marketing professional Cecilia Arango will serve as the 2022 TEDxSavannah emcee. Arango is the Marketing Manager at Thomas & Hutton and a performer with the Bay Street Theatre, The Collective Face Theatre Ensemble, and Savannah Repertory Theatre.

This year’s speakers will include a host of notable authors, journalists, doctors, professors, business, and government leaders.

TEDxSavannah speakers will include Chris Hanks, Fire Captain of the Savannah Fire Department; Mark Bowen, Programs Director, Forsyth Farmers’ Market; Bertice Berry, Ph.D., Sociologist, and Author; Jay Brandes, Ph.D., Professor, University of Georgia Department of Marine Sciences and Skidaway Institute of Oceanography; Maxine Bryant, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Africana Studies and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Center, Georgia Southern University; and more.

A full list of speakers can be found on the TEDx Savannah website: tedxsavannah.com.

The event is based on the international TED Talk phenomenon, where influential thought leaders gather to share stories, spark discussion, and foster connections.

TED Talks, an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, Design, began as a four-day conference in California in 1984. Since that time, TED has grown to include two annual TED Conferences bringing together the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes or less.

Many of these talks are then made available online and free for the public. Past TED speakers have included business and thought leaders including Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, and more.

TEDx events are an offshoot of the original TED incarnation. They are local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience, organizers note.

The official TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized and take a deeper dive into the issues and developments in the communities they serve.

In addition to the roster of thought-provoking speakers exploring the event’s “Standard Deviation” theme, TEDxSavannah will also include live poetry and prose performances by local Deep Center Youth Artists as well as family-friendly comedy by Odd Lot Improv.

After a three-year break, organizers say they are ready to bring the community back together to take a deep dive into the ideas and programs that impact the low country, with a few stories and jokes thrown in for good measure.

This year’s TEDxSavannah should prove to make up for lost time as community leaders tackle some of the biggest issues affecting Savannahians today. For more information, visit tedxsavannah.com.