There's still plenty of time to get on board for the second version of TEDxPhilly. The 2011 Technology, Education and Design conference takes place all day Tuesday Nov. 8, starting at 9 a.m. at the Temple Performing Arts Center.

Flying Kite recently sat down with TEDxPhilly organizer and local web professional Roz Duffy to get the inside scoop on this year's program. Read on for how you can get your hands on discounted tickets.

Flying Kite (FK): What's new and different about this year's TEDxPhilly?
Roz Duffy (RD): The biggest difference is our event theme: The City. Last year's theme was 'Right Here, Right Now' which was our interpretation of highlighting what's happening right here in Philadelphia. The City is about all aspects of urban life from people making a difference in Philadelphia and cities across the country to our collective experience of city life from the soundscape of our environment to the way we work, play, eat, live and breathe in the city.

This year, TEDxPhilly moves to the Temple Performing Arts Center on North Broad Street. The venue, a former Baptist Temple, is a magnificent historic landmark which reopened in 2010 and has been beautifully repurposed today as a midsized concert hall and cultural space. The most major difference with this venue, besides the location, is that we have the room to accommodate twice as many people. TEDxPhilly sold out last year and we were bummed to have to deny people tickets leading up to the event due to capacity. At Temple, there should be more than enough seats for anyone who wants to attend.

FK: What did you learn from last year's event that is changing the way you are running things this year?
RD: I learned so much I don't even think I'd have time to tell you all of it. We've worked out a lot of technical details with our venue so that we can deliver a high quality production, we've established better systems for speaker and audience management, we've kept our team intentionally small to to help us stay hyperfocused on the needs of the event

FK: How many people do you expect in the audience and on stage?
RD: We have over 20 speakers this year which is quite a few more than last year. The audience is incredibly important to the success of the event. We had over 500 of the city's most passionate and creative individuals in attendance last year, and we're once again looking to fill the space with an equally inspiring group of participants.

FK: Of the speakers, whom are you really excited about? Returning speakers, new additions?
RD: People like to ask me this question and I can't ever say I am more excited about any one speaker over others. Our curation team has been meeting for several hours every week for months, sifting through hundreds of nominations, our own and from the community, trying to find the most compelling and interesting speakers. Each speaker we select is special in their own way and we're honored that they have accepted our invitation to be a part of TEDxPhilly.

I think the speakers that we choose first really set the tone for the theme and helped us choose our direction going forward. The first speaker that I went after was Jen Pahlka from Code for America. I had been following their project in Philadelphia for the last year and was truly impressed by its potential impact on cities. Earlier this year, I watched artist Janet Echelman's TEDTalk and since she's about to create an impressive artistic installation at City Hall's Dilworth Plaza, which is such an iconic space in our city, I was hoping she could participate in our event. We were thrilled that she will be joining us, alongside Susan Weiler, who is a partner at the landscape architecture firm OLIN and working closely with Janet.

As we have gotten to know our speakers, we have come to really get a sense of their vision, work and aspirations for the future. Sometimes we can't even believe how lucky we are to get to spend the day with these amazing and inspiring individuals. I hope our attendees feel the same!

FK: What are you looking for in terms of audience participation or volunteers for the upcoming event?
RD: As with any TEDx event, it's important to us that those who attend are invested in the experience. We would like them to commit to being there for the entire day, open their minds, turn off their phones and just take it all in. We hope that they leave inspired to act on an idea, to lend support to a project they just learned about, or simply tell one person something that inspired them at TEDxPhilly.

Flying Kite readers get an exclusive 20 percent discount on TEDxPhilly, an independently organized offshoot of TEDTalks. Just enter code flyingkite at checkout.

SUE SPOLAN is Innovation and Jobs News editor for Flying Kite. Send feedback here.