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Finding your community | Simran Whitham | TEDxNorthern Quarter

In an age where digital connection increasingly replaces real human interaction, award winning games industry and events entrepreneur Simran Whitham takes us on a powerful journey into how grassroots events are transforming lives. Drawing from his experience building Europe’s leading games industry nightlife and creative events movement, Simran explores how the simple act of gathering - to dance, to play, to celebrate - serves as a revolutionary antidote to the growing epidemic of loneliness and disconnection in the Western world. This is more than a story about events - it's a blueprint for how reclaiming joy, community, and creative expression can help us reconnect with our tribe and, ultimately, with ourselves. Simran Whitham is an award-winning entrepreneur, renown business leader, and CEO of FORMAT Group, the UK’s largest games industry community organisation.With over a decade at the forefront of Europe’s creative industries, he has built one of the most acclaimed community event movements, known for uniting thousands across gaming, tech, and culture under a shared passion for bringing together in a way that has been lost in the events industry.On the TEDx stage, Simran shares his mission to help people rediscover meaningful connection in an increasingly digital world. His talk explores how to build real-world communities, foster belonging, and push back against the rising tide of isolation and disconnection in modern Western society. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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