The TEDxOU conference today in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Meacham Auditorium will feature 14 speakers from diverse backgrounds lecturing some of OU’s brightest students, said event organizers.

TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, began in 1984 as a non-profit conference, according to its website.

TEDx events are independently organized and designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue on a local level.

The all-day conference is sold out, but videos of the lectures will be posted online.

“The goal is to connect the university students, faculty, staff and citizens from across the state to a collection of intellectually curious thought-leaders representing a variety of backgrounds and perspectives,” said Daniel Pullin, vice president at the OU Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth.

The event has its roots in a meeting between Pullin and TED curator Ken Stoner at a TEDxOKC event in April 2011.

Pullin and the CCEW were interested in hosting an event at OU, Stoner said. “They’ve been one of our greatest visionary sponsors,” he said.

Current center interns and students also encouraged the organizers to create an OU event, Pullin said.

“A number of interdisciplinary students interning at OU’s Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth had attended other TEDx events across the state,” Pullin said. “They came away from each of these experiences with a strong desire to bring this opportunity to the OU community.”

The center has a mission to connect students with researchers across the state to develop ideas, which fits with the mission of TED, Pullin said.

“I’m a big believer in the power of connecting curious, creative people in new and interesting ways to discuss big ideas and opportunities,” Pullin said. “The byproducts of encounters like the ones we will create at TEDxOU have the potential to spark and later fuel innovation.”

The committee began choosing speakers in August 2011 and looked at 50 to 60 possible speakers at weekly meetings, event organizer Adam Croom said.

“We seek out extraordinary voices in the local community who have a unique story or an unusual perspective and convey it in a dynamic way,” Croom said.

During the conference, 150 students from all 13 colleges will participate in lectures, as well as 150 members of the public, Croom said.

Nearly 600 people applied for 300 available spots, which were chosen through an online application process that opened in December.

Tickets were $100 for the public and $27 for the students, with total proceeds coming to over $17,000, Croom said. All money from TEDx tickets and sponsorships is used to produce the event.

If TEDxOU is a success today, there is a chance the conference will become a recurring event, Croom said.