TEDxWarsaw is an independently organized TED event, run annually since March 2010. It was the first and it currently is the largest TEDx event in Poland.
TEDxWarsaw was founded in August 2009 by Ralph Talmont together with Adam Liwiński and Maciej Michalski. Łukasz Alwast, Julian Kozankiewicz, Małgorzata Minta and Mateusz Nowak joined the Team soon after. As at March 2017, close to 40 individuals, and numerous partners are involved on a voluntary basis in organization of public TEDx events in Warsaw.
Apart from the annual, invitation only, day-long conference, a number of smaller events are also created by Team members, notably TEDxYouth@Warsaw, TEDxWarsawSalon and TEDxWarsawPresidentialPalace - the first TEDx event in the World to be held inside such an institution. All of these are free to attend, while guests are usually required to go through an application process.
As at March 2017 well over 200 speakers and artists have appeared at the various TEDxWarsaw events, including well-known scientists, actors and performers as well as less well-known thought leaders and achievers in fields ranging from business to photography and personal development to microbiology.
| Date | Venue | Theme | No. of guests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 March 2017 | Multikino, Złote Tarasy | Crunchtime | 850 | |
| 31 March 2016 | Polin, Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich | In a Heartbeat | 550 | |
| 18 March 2015 | Teatr Polski, Warsaw | The Little Things | 850 | |
| 13 March 2014 | Multkino, Złote Tarasy | Embrace the other | 1400 | |
| 21 March 2013 | Multikino, Złote Tarasy | Poke the Comfort Zone | 850 | |
| 22 March 2012 | Multikino, Złote Tarasy | Inspire to be Inspired | 800 | |
| 24 March 2011 | Copernicus Science Center | Looking In Looking Out | 550 | |
| 5 March 2010 | The Old Library, University of Warsaw | Collaboration | 350 |
The conference has grown continuously and expanded its audience size to meet demand. The fourth edition of TEDxWarsaw was watched via a live stream by a total of 42,000 people worldwide with peak viewership of 14,000 at the opening.
The 2013 event received "live" [1] in Gazeta Wyborcza one of the main Polish newspapers and was a trending topic on Polish Twitter. As noted in one of the blog posts about the event, TEDxWarsaw's hand-picked audience is very diverse, ranging from high school students to the elderly, and includes many different professions, from public servants to entrepreneurs and artists to scientists.
| Year | Name | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Joanna Bagniewska | Zoologist |
| Mark Borkowski | PR expert | |
| Zofia Borkowska | Choir leader | |
| Małgorzata Chmielewska | Nun and community organizer | |
| Mikela Eskanazi | Mobile strategist | |
| F.O.U.R.S. | Jazz quartet | |
| Andrzej Godlewski | Journalist and TV executive | |
| Zuzanna Lewandowska | Social entrepreneur & innovator | |
| Benny Lewis | Blogger, "language-hacker" | |
| Adventurer | ||
| Johnathan MacDonald | Strategist and digital consultant | |
| Katarzyna Miller | Psychotherapist | |
| Audrey Scott & Daniel Noll | Travel bloggers | |
| Kacper Nosarzewski | Foresight consultant | |
| Adrianna Patłaszyńska | Dancer | |
| Hanna Paulomäki | Oceanographer | |
| Kristin Pedemonti | Storyteller | |
| Piotr Skowroński | Nuclear physicist | |
| Agata Szostek | User experience design consultant | |
| Kuba Urbański | Biologist | |
| Wojciech Urbański | Sound designer | |
| Adam Wajrak | Journalist | |
| Cezary Wójcik | Professor of leadership | |
| 2012 | Brien Barnett | Journalist |
| Tom Bieling | Industrial designer | |
| Christian Dumais | Writer, humorist and lecturer | |
| F.O.U.R.S. | Jazz quartet | |
| Karolina Glazer | Vocalist and composer | |
| Jamie Keddie | Writer and educator | |
| Pepe Kabana Kijachi | Artist, writer, storyteller | |
| Krzysztof Klincewicz | Academic, professor of management | |
| Aga Kozak | Film critic, popular culture journalist | |
| Jakub Koźniewski | Designer | |
| Ola Lazar | Food blogger and author | |
| Anna Lichota | Banker, mountaineer, philanthropist | |
| Barbara Majewska | Voice artist and singing coach | |
| Renata Mieńkowska-Norkienne | Political scientist | |
| Kuba Pogorzelski | Percussionist and sociologist | |
| Edi Pyrek | Traveller, author and personal coach | |
| Michael Schudrich | Chief Rabbi of Poland | |
| Karolina Sulej | Fashion researcher | |
| Rafał Trzaskowski | Member of the European Parliament | |
| Karol Wójcicki | Astronomer | |
| 2011 | Marianna Bednarska | Musician |
| Wojciech Eichelberger | Psychotherapist | |
| Paweł Golik | Geneticist | |
| Tomasz Grzywaczewski | Adventurer | |
| Marcin Jamkowski | Writer, photographer, adventurer | |
| Stanisław Karpiński | Molecular biologist | |
| Marcin Kobylecki | Computer graphics producer | |
| Oskar Korkman | Consumer insights director | |
| Mark Krawczyński | Architect and pianist | |
| Social entrepreneurs | ||
| Grzegorz Niedźwiecki | Paleontologist | |
| Karol Okrasa | Chef | |
| Grzegorz Piątek | Architecture critic | |
| Grzegorz Piechota | Journalist and editor | |
| Krzysztof Rybiński | Economist | |
| Tomek Sikora | Photographer | |
| Wojtek Sówka | Artist and musician | |
| Tech entrepreneur | ||
| Kushtrim Xhakli | Education entrepreneur | |
| 2010 | Journalist and current affairs commentator | |
| Actor, singer and coach | ||
| Sandra Bichl | Coach and educator | |
| Zbigniew Braniecki | Computer scientist and social activist | |
| Actress and philanthropist | ||
| Anna Giza | Sociologist | |
| Ivan Hernandez | Digital consultant | |
| Hodg Hodgson | Architect and sustainability activist | |
| Lori Kent | Artist and art professor | |
| Stephen Kines | Lawyer | |
| Monika Konieczny | Computer programmer | |
| Noam Kostucki | Education entrepreneur | |
| Musicians | ||
| Michał Malinowski | Storyteller, curator, oral historian | |
| Marek Minakowski | Genealogist and historian | |
| Jacek Olechowski | Entrepreneur | |
| Johnathan Ornstein | Community organiser | |
| Sebastian Straube | Sustainability consultant | |
| Paweł Szczęsny | Biologist | |
| Alek Tarkowski | Sociologist, Creative Commons leader | |
| Patrick Trompitz | Educator and community builder | |
| Piotr Wardawy | Monk | |
| Agata Wiatrowska | Horse-assisted educator | |