TEDxUniversityofNevada organizers have announced their fifth annual event will be Saturday, January 21, 2017, and the call for speakers is open from now until June 24. Local speakers interested in participating in the event are encouraged to submit proposals to share their "big idea worth spreading."

TEDxUniversityofNevada will once again raise the bar by moving the program to the Grand Theatre at the Grand Sierra Resort. With the Grand Theatre's ability to hold 2,700 people, the change in venue will allow more people than ever before to participate in the event.

"After selling out the 1,200-seat Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts last year, we recognized the strong support for this event in our community," Bret Simmons, College of Business associate professor and TEDxUniversityofNevada organizer, said. "Our goal this year is to assemble the highest caliber thought-leaders in our community mixed with nationally recognized speakers and performers."

As for the types of speakers the event is looking for this year, Simmons said event organizers are looking for interesting big ideas from passionate local community members.

"Big ideas are thriving in Reno. Our goal is to find local people with perspectives the global TED community needs to hear. We're determined to present quality community and University speakers year after year. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. We try to make sure and incorporate each of these elements into our program."

Speakers such as Sherry McConkey, Tony Slonim, Shane Wickes and Mexican rock band The Warning all shared their big ideas worth spreading during the January 2016 event. The University of Nevada, Reno also showcased its own researcher and host of National Geographic's television series Monster Fish, Zeb Hogan.

The call for speakers can be found at the TEDxUniversityofNevada website and is open from now until June 24. Those interested in applying are encouraged to do so early. The event's programming committee is hoping to have the majority of the speaker line-up selected and announced by September 1.

Presenting sponsors of TEDxUniversityofNevada include the University's College of Business Online Executive MBA program, the Associate Students of The University of Nevada, Grand Sierra Resort and Bristlecone Holdings. Sponsorship opportunities are available for this year's event. For more information visit the TEDxUniversityofNevada website. Tickets for the event will go on sale in early October.

All TEDxUniversityofNevada talks will be posted to the TEDx YouTube site.

"There's no telling how far these talks can reach," Simmons said. "The TEDxUniversityofNevada talk by Logan LaPlante on Hackschooling has become one of the most popular talks ever uploaded to TEDx Talks with more than 9 million views and counting."