BOLDtalks, a UAE-based event management company, has announced the launch of its first initiative, 'BOLD 2010,' that will feature high-profile speakers presenting fascinating discussions on very diverse intellectual topics.

'BOLD 2010, to be held on May 1 at the Dubai Community Theater and Art Center in the Mall of the Emirates, is set to become the first carbon neutral conference in the Middle East, said the company.

The event will also raise awareness on children's humanitarian crisis in Gaza and all proceeds from the sale of tickets will be donated to this cause through the Red Crescent in the UAE, it added.

Speakers lined up for the event include the celebrated photographer of the ‘Afghan Girl’ picture Steve McCurry, Al Jazeera International senior news anchor Riz Khan, independent historian of archeology Michael Cremo, and senior Theoretical Physicist at European Organization for Nuclear Research, Dr John Ellis.

McCurry will give a presentation on his 2002 quest with a National Geographic team in Afghanistan to locate the subject of one of the world’s most recognized photographs.

Dr Ellis will introduce The Large Hadron Collider, the world’s biggest and most global experiment and explain its objective, update its current status and give an insight on the expected results.

BOLD 2010 will also host the scientist behind the world’s 'first cloned camel' in Dubai Dr Nisar Wani, the first Arab woman from the UAE now attempting an unassisted and unsupported expedition to the North Pole Elham Al Qasimi, Steve Sosebee of Palestinian Children Relief Fund, and legendary Lebanese composer, singer, oud player and Unesco artist for peace Marcel Khalife, who will recite a poem by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.

Tamer Nahas, executive director, BOLDtalks, said, “All BOLDtalks events will be community-focused, either as small forums or larger conferences. Each event will present discussions by expert speakers on topics that are likely to impact all members of the community."

“BOLD 2010, our flagship event, will challenge the audience with an experience to learn and understand disciplines vastly different from their own. Speakers include some of the world’s most renowned scientists, doctors, archaeologists, artists, activists, journalists and adventurers," he added.

All discussions at the conference will be moderated by Riz Khan. Dr Cremo will join the platform to present an alternative to Darwin’s theory of evolution that is met with much controversy by the mainstream scientists.

Steve McCurry, the celebrated photographer of the ‘Afghan Girl’ picture will give a presentation on his 2002 quest with a National Geographic team in Afghanistan to locate the subject of one of the world’s most recognized photographs.

Dr Ellis will introduce The Large Hadron Collider, the world’s biggest and most global experiment and explain its objective, update its current status and give an insight on the expected results.

From the UAE, Dr Nisar Wani, who heads the Reproductive Biology Laboratory at Camel Reproduction Center in Dubai, will elucidate the efforts behind the world’s first cloned camel (Injaz) in Dubai.

Also from Dubai, Dr. Melanie Schlatter will examine key studies from medical literature that highlight the supremacy of the mind over the intimidating nature of illness and disease, and how human thoughts have the capability to harness even beyond the imagination.

Elham Al Qasimi, the first Arab woman from the UAE now attempting an unassisted and unsupported three-week expedition to the North Pole, will also share her experience with the BOLD 2010 audience.

Steve Sosebee will join other speakers to tell the audience of his own personal account of befriending a 10-year-old triple-amputee back in 1990 for free care in the US, which led to the creation of Palestinian Children Relief Fund (PCRF), one of the region’s most active and effective relief organizations.

BOLD 2010 will also use its platform to highlight the topic of global warming. Therefore, the organisers have partnered with Ecobility, a UAE-based clean technology company, to monitor, reduce and offset all carbon emissions associated with BOLD 2010.

Karim Aly, director, Strategy and Innovation, co-founder, Ecobility, said: “As BOLD 2010 sustainability partner, we will be spearheading the process of making it the first carbon-neutral event of its kind in the region.

“Ecobility will realise this objective by auditing the projected carbon footprint and implementing reduction strategies to decrease the associated emissions wherever possible," he explained.

"The balance portion of the event’s carbon footprint which cannot be reduced and is thus effectively unavoidable, will then be accounted for and offset by investing in emission reduction projects through carbon credits," he added.-TradeArabia News Service