Ignite (event)

File:Logo-ignite.png

The general Ignite logo, which is usually adapted for use in different locales

Ignite is the name for a particular type of event that is held throughout the world—organized by volunteers—at which participants speak about their ideas and personal or professional passions according to a specific format. The event holds the motto, “Enlighten us, but make it quick!” Anyone can throw an Ignite event. The presentations are meant to "ignite" the audience on a subject, whereby awareness, thought, and action are generated on the subjects presented. The largest Ignite event to date is Ignite Boulder 11, which attracted 1,350 attendees on June 24, 2010.

Format

Ignite is a presentation format that’s simpler than Pecha Kucha, a presentation style in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each, but longer than lightening talks, short presentations between five to ten minutes long. In Ignite each speakers gets 5 minutes, and must use 20 slides with each slide advancing automatically after 15 seconds, forcing speakers to get the point, fast.

Ignite’s motto, ‘enlighten us, but make it quick,’ is the perfect balance of form and function. Ignite speakers get five minutes and 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds. Speaking at a just-comprehensible clip of 160 words a minute, you get about 40 words per slide for a total of 800 words.

Presenters are screened, which keeps the quality high enough to draw a “geeky-creative-techy-designer-startup kind of crowd”.

History

The first Ignite was held in 2006 in Seattle, Washington, United States (US), and was the brainchild of Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis. It was sponsored by O'Reilly Media and MAKE magazine.. The “brain child” of Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis, the first Ignite event was held in Seattle, Washington in 2006. Ignite has two main sponsors, O’Reilly Media and Make Magazine. The event mirrors the open-minded attitude of its founders Pettis and Forrest; however, O’Reilly Media has since taken responsibility over the operation. O'Reilly Media , established by Tim O'Reilly, publishes books and Web sites and produces conferences on computer technology topics. Their distinctive brand features a woodcut of an animal on many of their book covers. Furthermore, Ignite has held over 50 events since its creation in 2006, many of which supported by the loyal O’Reilly Media. In fact, O’Reilly held an Ignite event at a company Open Source Convention in 2009.

File:OReillyOwl.jpg

O'Reilly media is one of Ignite's main sponsors. They work to publishe books and Web sites and produces conferences on computer technology topics.

Since inception, more than 50 Ignite events have been held worldwide. O'Reilly Media has continued to support Ignite—one occurred during the company's 2009 O'Reilly Open Source Convention—but each Ignite is independently organized at the local level. Ignite events are often free to attend and may be supported financially by sponsorship

The end of the fifth Ignite Portland

Ignite is not only supported by major initial contributors but also by free sponsorship organized at the local level.

Event Planning

Plan it

Planning an Ignite event starts with gathering a team, securing a location, and picking a date. There are numerous jobs that must be fulfilled – Venue Liason, Ignite Talk Coordinator, Ignite Talk MC, Ignite Contest Coordinator, Ignite Contest MC, Videographer, and Onsite Helper are more important positions. Because Ignite events and positions are held by volunteers, it is important to communicate with Ignite organizers prior to the event. Thus, leadership can better guide volunteers through the process as a whole.

Secure Venue

To hold an Ignite event, the venue must meet these requirements – has a bar, has a stage with lighting and sound, will work acoustically to accommodate a large crowd as well as sound equipment, and is a reasonable size. Event planners recommend planning the convention for a Thursday, Wednesday, or a Tuesday (in this order). Fore the first Ignire event in your area, you may want to aim smaller than larger. It's better to have an overflowing house than to have empty seats.

Promote it

Ignite will provide instructions to start your Ignite blog and a Ignite-in-a-box containing logo and templates for signage In addition to posting an Ignite Blog, promoting the event on personal blogs, and other local blogs is recommended to increase event awareness. Typically, half the speakers will be recruited and the other half will be through submissions. Aim to create a program with a balance of genders, topics, and serious vs fun presentations.

MAKE contest

Most Ignite events start with a Make contest-a fun project for attendees to participate and intermix.

Produce it

When selecting speakers do both open calls and invitations, strong speakers are necessary. Based on the size of the venue, there should generally be between 8-16 talks. Prepare to run PowerPoint presentations. Do a thorough walk through of your Venue – hand signs, sound checks, machinery, etc.

Broadcast it

Naming Conventions for Igniteshow.com requires:

Hierarchy

• Cities are the top-level group
• Events are under one city
• Videos are under one event (and city)
• Tags and search are global

Videos

• Title - Keep this field to just the talk title. Remove the speaker's name.
• Description - be fun, be informative.
• Speaker - Put your speaker name in here. Add to their bio if possible. Check if the speaker already exists as many people speak at multiple events.
• Date/Location - will come from the associated city and event

Events

• Ignite events are global. They need to have unique names.
• Name your event "Ignite " eg. “Ignite Sebastopol 6”

Cities

• Name your city with as much detail as needed.

Tags

• Tags are keywords that help users find your video
• Try to keep tags topical; try to reuse tags when adding videos
• Do not use a city name as a tag unless the talk is about that city
• Do not use the speaker name as a tag because their name is automatically tagged

Stream your Ignite Event with UStream

• Create a “Live Embed” with your UStream account and embed it on igniteshow.com page

References

• Oppenheimer, Laura (February 5, 2008). "Attention Deficit theater". The Oregonian.
• Guzman, Monica (February 19, 2008). "Ignite Seattle 5: Big ideas and really fast talking hit Capitol Hill". Seattle Post Intelligencer.
• "Much Needed Tech Event Lands At CHAC". Seattlest. November 2006.
• "Ignite Lights Up Web 2.0 Expo". VentureBeat.
• Neznanski, Matt (November 14, 2008). "Sharing ideas quickly". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
• Reynaud, Cynthia (November 6, 2008). "Ignite DM event gives business a new spark". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
• Guzman, Monica (April 16, 2009). "A Seattle geek fest spreads its wings". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
• Salkin, Allen (August 3, 2008). "Night Life Reprogrammed". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.

• Berkun, S (March 21, 2014). "How To Give A Great Ignite Talk".
• Ignite Berlin co-organized by Peter Bihr
• "Plan It". O'Reilly Media, Inc. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
• "Promote It". O'Reilly Media, Inc. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
• "Produce It". O'Reilly Media, Inc. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
• "Broadcast It". O'Reilly Media, Inc. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bre_Pettis. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Reilly_Media. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• igniteshow.com
• Anatomy of an Ignite talk