TEDxBuffalo is one of the reminders that our city not only produces but attracts extremely bright people, forward-thinking individuals who blend creativity and execution into a glorious genius smoothie. (That smoothie would absolutely include carrots and arugula, by the way).

Scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at Canisius College’s Montante Cultural Center, 2001 Main St., Buffalo, 12 speakers and performers will entertain a select crowd of 100 people by sharing ideas from a variety of genres.

The 2012 theme is “the World in your Backyard,” a phrase that emphasizes the interconnected nature of the world and how local personalities can have a profound impact. While TEDx’s initial focus was “technology, entertainment and design,” the spectrum of topics has expanded considerably.

“This year’s TEDxBuffalo brings more great Buffalo ideas to the stage, and to the worldwide TED brand,” said Kevin Purdy, the event’s organizer, in a press release. “Astrophotography, entrepreneurship, seeing and mapping the city as an archaeology project, turning social media into community action—we’re really excited to show the crowd and the web some really great ideas build up in Buffalo.”

How do you apply to join the exclusive club of 100 who will witness the sessions first-hand for free? Go here to apply, and you’ll be faced with some rather difficult (and amusing) questions intended to narrow the field. Some questions are simple, like “were you involved in the 2011 event?” and “what field do you work in?”, while others like “describe yourself in three words” and “choose a card” border on the bizarre. We’re suckers for the jack of diamonds, but you probably shouldn’t follow our example of using “physiologically impaired trolls” as the three-word description.

Even if you aren’t chosen as an attendee, the full-day of speeches is later streamed online, so you won’t miss out entirely. If you’d rather forget the application process and test your luck, keep tabs on TEDxBuffalo’s Facebook page and Twitter account for giveaways.

Here’s the list of speakers that will present on Oct. 9. Below is a list of their names:

Adrienne Birmingham
Alan Friedman
Kevin Gardner
Geoff Herbert
Joy Kuebler
Dr. Jonathan Lawrence
Tom McManus
James D. Roberts
Chris Smith
Matthew Walter

Now watch one of last year’s speakers, Community Beer Works founder Ethan Cox, talk about beer and other stuff: