Welcome to TEDxRoyal Tunbridge Wells 2025
Sunday 16th March 2025 - 13:15 to 16:15 - Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells
2025 Programme
We’re so excited to have you join us for our first event in five years, themed around Next Steps! Before we get going, here’s a few guidelines for today:
Seating
Seating is allocated, so please follow the Trinity signs to enter based on where your ticket indicates. If you need to go to the loo, or head into the foyer for any reason, please do so in the breaks between talks, and not while our speakers and performers are onstage.
Phones
We encourage you to share your experience today on social media, so feel free to tag us on Instagram (@TEDxRTW), Facebook and LinkedIn (@TEDxRoyalTunbridgeWells). However, when our speakers are delivering their talk, please avoid taking photos and videos, and ensure your phones are on silent when you’re in the theatre.
WiFi
Please use the Trinity Public Wifi throughout today:
Network Name: Trinity_Public
Password: EatDrinkRelax
Refreshments
The Trinity Cafe will be open for food and drink before our sessions, and in the interval, so feel free to grab a bite to eat if you need. Post-event, the bar will be open for a post-event chat if you’d like to stick around.
Content Warnings
One of our talks contains content that may be triggering or upsetting to some audience members. We feel the ideas within these are important, so we encourage you to stay for them, but if you feel like you would like to step out, we entirely support this. Please take note of the warnings beneath each speaker, and exit the auditorium before their talk. There’ll be a moment afterwards where you’ll be able to re-enter.
Any Questions?
If you have any questions throughout today, please ask one of our team wearing white lanyards and red cards. They’ll be happy to help you. If you have any feedback for us, there’ll be a post-event survey sent out by TED where you can share your thoughts - we read all the feedback we receive, so nothing is too small to share with us!
Thank you to our sponsors and partners!
Headline Sponsor
Partners
Pre-Show – 12:15 to 13:15
Grab a drink before we begin
The Trinity cafe is open with a range of food and drink before the house opens at 12:45.
Take a picture with our banner
Show off on social media with a picture with the famous red X on the mini-stage in the foyer.
Meet some new friends
TEDx events are all about making new connections - Strike up a conversation with someone completely new as you take your seats.
Session 1 – 13:15 to 14:30
This Is Us Dance Group
Returning to our stage, This Is Us open our programme with a specially created performance piece just for TEDxRTW. Featuring performers from their talk back in 2019, their piece centres around our theme for today, “Next Steps”.
Julian Abel
Dr Julian Abel spent his clinical life as a palliative care specialist doctor. He is Director of Compassionate Communities UK, a charity which aims to share the lessons learnt in both palliative care and primary care more broadly.
Gianluca Zucchelli
Gianluca is a Head of Operations with Together for Mental Wellbeing UK and a trustee for YMCA DLG. He’s a board member of the English Subbuteo Association and one of the organiser of the 2024 Subbuteo World Cup played in Tunbridge Wells.
A Talk from TEDNext
We’ll be showcasing one of the newest talks from TED’s latest conference, TEDNext. Which one? You’ll have to wait and see!
Interval – 14:30 to 15:00
Reflect on Session 1
During the interval, why not chat with friends, old and new, about the ideas you’ve just seen? Refresh yourself for Session 2 with something from the Trinity Cafe, support This Is Us at their merchandise stall, or take a picture on the mini-stage with the famous red X!
Session 2 – 15:00 to 16:15
Nicolette Kay
Nicolette Kay is a British theatre director, and the Artistic Director of New Shoes Theatre, a theatre company which produces powerful and inspirational work written by women.
Content Warning: This talk discusses violence against women and girls, and includes some description of abuse, and strong language.
If you’ve been affected by the topics discussed in this talk, you can find more resources through the Domestic Abuse Volunteer Support Services, either on their website at DAVSS.org.uk.
A talk from the TEDxRTW Archive
TEDxRoyal Tunbridge Wells has an archive of over 40 talks spanning 2015 to 2020. As part of our return, we’ve chosen one that resonates with the moment, so we can revisit that idea in the context of today.
Paul Cheese
Expanding on the explorations from his 2017 talk, Paul combines the sounds of the Trinity Clocktower with some of his newest discoveries, in a brand new performance exclusively for TEDxRoyal Tunbridge Wells.
Sally Henderson
Sally Henderson is an entrepreneur and High-Stakes Leadership Mentor with over 25 years of experience working with C-suite leaders at global brands including Coca-Cola, NatWest, Nestlé and Saatchi & Saatchi.
The Wrap Up – 16:15 to 17:00
Let us know your thoughts
Fill out our post-show survey to let us know how we did today, and what you want to see from us in the future. Your feedback directly shapes our future events.