Last night, a lot of people showed up without any idea what to expect with Ignite Wilmington, including the speakers.
I’m pleased to report that from all accounts, Ignite Wilmington was a success! It brought together creative and technical people from all around Wilmington for a night of sharing, laughing and learning.
Special thanks to all the speakers who drummed up the courage to get in front of 120 people and race the slide show, Mark Mobley for MCing and setting the right vibe, and all at The Archer Group for getting the place ready.
One nice note from someone who attended shows that IW1 hit the mark:
“I just wanted to take the time this morning to commend you on an amazing, educational, enlightening, and entertaining event last night.”
The best comment of all was heard over and over again when it was all done:
“When is Ignite Wilmington #2?”
We will have pictures and video of the night posted soon. We will also start the countdown for Ignite Wilmington #2, to be hosted just up Market Street in the Shadows of the Queen Theater.
Thanks to everyone for making it such a great night!
Ignite Wilmington #1 is coming together nicely. It’s a sold out show, so those who can’t make it, might enjoy checking in on Twitter-ers tweeting from the show. Thanks to Bart Hook at The Archer Group for makign it happen!
Ignite Wilmington has given out all of its tickets. Sure they were free, but it still says something that so many people are interested in giving up their Wednesday night to hear some people ramble for 5 minutes a piece.
I’ve got to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect for the presentations, but they look fantastic! From homebrewing beer to David Hasselhoff and even a dose of Ninjas, Wednesday night looks to be a ton of fun.
Didn’t get your ticket? Check back after the event for videos and photos of the night.
With IgniteWilmington less then 10 days away, we thought everyone might enjoy seeing the video from IgniteGoogle. Google hosted an Ignite event in May at the IO Developer’s Conference SanFran.
Looking forward to seeing everyone at IgniteWilmington #1, Wed July 22nd! Get your free ticket!
WILMINGTON, June 15, 2009 — With a format that seems rather like Twitter on stage, the international Ignite event comes to Wilmington on Wednesday July 22. This event is the first of its kind for the state, bringing together technical and creative people for a night of rapid-fire presentations, laughs and sharing.
Up to 18 speakers will present in a structured, rapid-fire format, with each one armed with 20 Powerpoint slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds, giving the speaker just five minutes to talk passionately as they share information about their lives, their work or things they just plain enjoy. Ignite Wilmington #1 starts at 6.p.m. July 22 at The Archer Group’s Wilmington Studios, 233 King Street.
The presenters will cover a wide array of topics, ranging from living in San Francisco during the heyday of the dot-com era, going green with IT, photography, Wilmington architecture, home-brewing beer and more. Master of ceremonies for the program will be Mark Mobley, director of community engagement for the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. Interested speakers can submit ideas on the website, www.IgniteWilmington.com, where the list of presenters is regularly updated.
The Archer Group, a Wilmington-based interactive agency, decided to organize this event after witnessing it in other cities. “We loved the concept of getting the area’s Creative Class together to share ideas”, explains Lee Mikles, Archer Group CEO. Best-selling author on urban studies, Richard Florida, coined the term “Creative Class” to represent knowledge-based workers, whom he feels are essential to the revitalization of cities.
“For the first event, we reached out to people we knew had interesting stories to tell. Our criteria was simple: would it appeal to the region’s Creative Class and would it be something we would love to hear about over a beer,” Mikles says. “I couldn’t think of a more perfect place to kick this off than in the heart of Wilmington’s Lower Market Design District, LOMA.”
Yes, beer will be served, along with finger foods, before the presentations start at 7 p.m.
“We’re trying to create a place where artsy-techy people can get together, enjoy themselves and celebrate excellence,” Mikles says.
Ignite Wilmington is cloning a format that was started in Seattle in 2006 and has been launched in dozens of cities since then. There are now thriving Ignite communities in Seattle, New York City, Paris and Portland, Ore., Mikles says.
Admission to Ignite Wilmington is free, but reservations are required, and attendance is limited to 150. To register, go to www.IgniteWilmington.com
Anyone interested in sponsoring or hosting an Ignite Wilmington program may email Ignite Wilmington at IgniteWilmington@gmail.com
If you have ever been to the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and wondered who was that good looking, humorous, golden throated spokesman introducing the night’s festivities on stage, well that is Mark Mobley. We are excited to announce that Mark will be the MC for the Ignite Wilmington #1, on Wednesday evening, July 22nd at Archer Group’s studios in Wilmington’s LOMA Design District.
Mark Mobley is director of community engagement for the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. He is also a frequent contributor to the “Cadillac of” pages at msn.com. While he was musical head of NPR’s Performance Today, the show won it’s first Peabody Award.
If you haven’t been to the DSO yet, you should! Last year had some great nights, including “Bugs Bunny on Broadway” and “Led Zeppelin”. Check out this year’s “Oz with Orchestra” where the Symphony plays while the “Wizard of Oz” plays on the big screen. Find out more about the DSO at www.DelawareSymphony.org.
To kick-start the inaugural Ignite Wilmington event, we reached out to few people who we knew had interesting stories that would make for a great launch event. Here are a few of the confirmed speakers:
Todd Danner arQitecture Wilmington: A Place To Build Something
An architectural study of the pockets of potential within our city limits.
Jeff is a great artist, and he sells a truckload of art, in Europe. He will share a bit about his artwork and how he is making it as an artist.
Phil Jones Homebrewing Beer
Hear how Phil is stinking up the house with homebrew beers. He might even bring some!
We will announce some more next week, but we still want to add more. Remember, 20 slides, 5 minutes, no sales pitches, just have fun! Go to the Speaking section to add your own!
