How To Start An Ignite Event

Thanks for bringing Ignite to your community. Here's some information on how to get started.

What Is Ignite?

Ignite is a fast-paced geek event started by Brady Forrest, Technology Evangelist for O'Reilly Media, and Bre Pettis of Makerbot.com, formerly of MAKE Magazine. Speakers are given 20 slides, each shown for 15 seconds, giving each speaker 5 minutes of fame. Ignite was partially inspired by Pecha Kucha Nights. The first Ignite took place in Seattle in 2006, and since then the event has become an international phenomenon, with gatherings in Helsinki, Finland; Paris, France; New York, New York; and many other locations.

Ignite has two parts: the Ignite contest, where people make things, and Ignite talks, where presenters get 20 slides and five minutes to make their point. You can opt to only have talks, but the contest is fun and can serve as a great warm-up for the talks.

Below is all sorts of information that will help you get started. Once you've picked your date and venue, let us know and we'll provide you with logos and more information on setting up your blog and creating supporting materials.

Before Your Event

Get a Team Together

There are many jobs that need doing to produce an Ignite. One person can do them all (though it's a lot of work), but it's easier, and more fun, if more people are involved. Here are some of the jobs that need to be done:

• Venue liaison
• Ignite talk coordinator
• Ignite talk MC
• Ignite Contest coordinator
• Ignite Contest MC
• Videographer
• Onsite Help—set up, hand out badges and drink tickets, clean up

Find a Location

This is the hardest part. You need to find a space that:

• has a bar
• has a stage with lighting and sound
• will work acoustically to accommodate a large crowd as well as sound equipment
• isn't too big or small

That last point is key. For the first Ignite in your area you may want to aim smaller rather than larger. It's better to have an overflowing house than to have empty seats. Let the space grow with your crowd.

Venues have different ways of ensuring that they make money. Some charge upfront, some have a bar minimum—think carefully before signing a contract.

Pick a Date

This part sounds easy, but you'll want to make sure that there are no competing events. We suggest aiming for a Thursday, Wednesday, or a Tuesday (in that order). It's easier to get people to attend a geek event on weekdays. Mondays tend to be bad, as people are still catching up from the weekend.

Let Us—and the World—Know

Let us know when you've gotten this far and we'll send an email with additional information.

Start Your Blog

The information you'll receive from us will contain instructions on how to start your Ignite blog, which will be a sub-site of ignite.oreilly.com. By using this new blog, your event information it will appear on the main Ignite site, as well as on our calendars.

Get Ignite-in-a-Box

We'll also send you templates for presentation slides and signage. With the logos we'll provide, you can print out signs at a copy shop and send the Powerpoint or Keynote template to presenters.

Promote!

In addition to posting on your Ignite blog, promote the event on your own blog, and ping local bloggers to get the word out. Blog speakers, an upcoming schedule, and other news on a rolling basis. List the event on Upcoming and send it out to various mailing lists. We recommend sending out a "save the date" as soon as you have a set date and venue, another message two weeks before, and a final one the day of.

Decide on a Contest

Think high-school science fair. Look for a project that builds something out of cheap, easy-to-get materials. Pick something that a team can work on together. In the past we've done popsicle stick bridges, paper airplane contests, and egg slams. While you can't always include a contest in Ignite, it's lots of fun when you have one.

Recruit Speakers

Look for speakers who are going to talk about geeky activities. Typically, you'll recruit about half of the speakers and get the other half through submissions. Try to create a program with a balance of genders, topics, and serious vs. fun presentations. For ease of contact, create a Gmail address (e.g igniteyourcity@gmail.com) to manage incoming speakers.

Let speakers know that their talk has been accepted. Send speakers the Ignite Powerpoint template and, for the sake of simplicity, require that they use it. People who were not accepted also need to find that out in a timely manner.

Ask speakers to provide their slide decks (20 slides in total) before the event. Not everyone will, but whatever you get will be a head start.

Schedule

Make sure everyone knows what's happening at what time. Here's a typical schedule:

• 5PM - On-site setup
• 6PM - Doors and bar open
• 6:30PM - Ignite contest begins (we usually get about 1/3 of our eventual total attendees during this time)
• 8:00PM - Ignite contest ends
• 8:30PM - Ignite talks begin
• 11:00PM Event ends

We recommend doing two blocks of Ignite talks. Each one is typically comprised of 8 speakers and takes around 45 minutes. Schedule some sort of short intermission in between to allow attendees to stretch their legs and get another drink.

Once You're at the Ignite Venue

If you've planned it well and you take things in stride, then the night will be easy. Have fun!

Set Up Venue

Do a walk-through. Hang signs. Do a soundcheck. Do a projector check (have a backup, if at all possible).

Set Up Contest

Set out the materials. When you have a good-sized group of people, ask those who want to play to get into teams, announce the rules, and start. The rules are what make the contest fun. They have to be constrained enough that people have to work to win, but still allow for creativity. For example, if you are doing the egg slam contest you might limit the size and weight of the egg container. For a popsicle bridge contest we limited the number of popsicles, but let people use as much glue as desired.

Prepare to Run Powerpoint Presentations

Run all presentations from one machine to help keep the speed going. We recommend using Powerpoint for all presentations. Be sure to rename the files to reflect the order and speaker. Make sure your computer is working and have a backup on hand.

Corral Speakers

You'll be dealing with a lot of speakers. Ask all of the speakers for that particular block to be up front before the block starts. Lure them with drink tickets!

Stay On Schedule

There's a lot of time for padding in the schedule, but try to start on time. You don't want your audience to get bored.

The Talks

The MC can kick things off with an intro, and then bring on the speakers one at a time. Use a wireless hand-held microphone if possible so that the MC can hand it off to each of the speakers. One person will need to staff the laptop. This person will start the next speaker's presentation as soon as the microphone is exchanged.

End of the Event

Say good-bye. Thank everyone involved. Clean up as directed by the venue--don't be afraid to ask the crowd for help.

After

Blog it. Post the presentations. Upload the video (if you filmed it) to your blog.

O'Reilly is showcasing our favorite videos in the Ignite Show. Submit your best videos of the night by sending a URL or download link to ignite@oreilly.com. If any of the videos are chosen for the Ignite Show we'll let you know. We'll also contact the presenters and the videographer to get their permission before posting.
For more information, feel free to contact us.