A new event will bring together some of Birmingham’s brightest thinkers in the spirit of sharing ideas and sparking discussion.

TEDxBrum, which takes place on March 24 at the Midlands Arts Centre, is an independent spin-off of the annual TED Conference held in Long Beach, California, which has hosted speakers such Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson and Al Gore.

The theme for TEDxBrum is “The Next Revolution” – exploring what will be the 21st century equivalent of the Industrial Revolution for the city.

The event is organised by a group of volunteers from Birmingham who began collaborating via Twitter after seeing videos online from TED Conference.

Anneka Deva, organiser and licensee of TEDxBrum, said: “After seeing such inspirational speakers via TEDTalks, I wanted to bring a little piece of this to Birmingham. I began talking to other TED fans in the area and we decided to meet up at Urban Coffee Company to plan how we could organise the first TEDxBrum event.

“Birmingham has a reputation for great political, industrial and social thinkers throughout history as well as groups like The Lunar Society dedicated to advancement.

"We also live in an interesting time with The Localism Bill offering Birmingham’s citizens the chance to influence how the city develops and flourishes over the next century. TEDxBrum is about bringing brilliant people together with brilliant ideas – and inspiring action.

“Over 80 people put themselves forward as potential speakers and we are thrilled by the calibre of the individuals who we have to choose from.

"We are now in the process of shortlisting these speakers, and are looking to focus on vibrant and innovativeminds - some fresh faces who can offer bright new ideas.”

For further information visit www.tedxbrum.org  or email organiser Anneka Deva on anneka@tedxbrum.org.