It’s not necessarily the number of people in attendance, but the quality of ideas those people bring that concerns Alex Grgurich, organizer of TEDx Des Moines

In the third year of the event, Grgurich is hoping to triple the crowd from 100 people in 2010 to 300 people in 2012. TEDx Des Moines, an independently organized event associated with the international conference TED, will take place on July 15 at the Science Center of Iowa.

The purpose of TEDx Des Moines is to bring inspirational speakers together to share ideas with a room of “thought leaders.”

“I think a lot of talk gets paid to building social capital in the community,” Grgurich said. “We’re building that social capital. We’re allowing (people) an opportunity to be exposed to a wide range of speakers to shift their perspective and really just help build Des Moines into a world-class city.”

This year’s speakers include former Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, president and CEO of CEOs for Cities; Ben Milne, founder of Dwolla Corp.; and business consultant Mike Wagner. Attendees have to be approved by event organizers. The goal is not to be exclusive, Grgurich said, but to ensure that people are attending in order to add value to the event, and also to get a diverse group into the conference.

TED, which stands for technology, entertainment and design, started in 1984 with the theory of having people give an inspiring talk in 18 minutes or less. Thousands of independently run TEDx events have formed around the world.

To apply for a ticket, which is $40, go to www.tedxdesmoines.com.