Ignite Phoenix 6 - Fun!
The first time I heard about Ignite Phoenix, I thought it was an intriguing idea but didn't attend. I regretted that decision so when Ignite Phoenix 6 was announced, I was all over it. (Can't believe I didn't discover it until 5.) There were many reminders on Facebook and Twitter to get your tickets early and for good reason. I actually set a text alarm and got online a few minutes after they went on sale. I think they sold out within an hour so I was feeling fortunate I had my tickets.
The day before the event, I started following #ignitephx on Twitter. Lots of chatter about the event from the attendees, participants and staff. Also, lots of people looking for tickets. The satellite viewing party was at Dave's Electric Brew Pub and it seemed like a lot of people were going to be on hand for that.
My companion and I met up at the Mesa Arts Center a few minutes before the action started (damn 202 traffic) and we were both curious about the crowd. It was mostly what I expected...lots of guys who looked like they could be on Big Bang Theory but also some folks in suits and cocktail dresses. Also, many visible Smart Phones and even some laptops. This was one wired event.
The pre-show entertainment was a troupe of belly dancers. I could have done without that but it's certainly not something you see every day.
It was finally showtime and the first person on stage was Jeff Moriarty, the organizer. He did his intro in the same format that all of the presenters had to use. He had 5 minutes and 20 slides. He used his time to explain how the process worked. The short story is that each presenter had chosen a topic and submitted it to a committee. Eighteen presenters were selected from over 70 submissions. Each slide was up for 15 seconds on a big screen behind the presenter though they also had a monitor at their feet to see the screen.
Then we were off! As one presenter walked off the stage, the next went on. The slides were not your traditional PowerPoint types. There were many photographs and drawings and most were well tied in to the presentation. Each presenter had their twitter account listed and some had additional websites as well. All too soon we were at intermission.
Intermission was a break to get a drink and peruse the New Age looking stuff for sale in the lobby. We moved from our floor seats to the balcony for the second half which provided a different, and interesting, perspective. As we settled in, I saw that they were displaying tweets from the event on the screen. My tweet even made it up there "$6 beer. Ouch. #ignitephx". Sounds like me, doesn't it?
Before they started they second half, they had Slide Karaoke. Very fun. Three volunteers were given six slides that they hadn't seen before and did some improv with them based on a theme. The first woman up killed it - she was really good.
The final nine people presented and the wrap up was an announcement that the next event will be June 11th at the Phoenix Art Museum and that submissions were going to be accepted immediately after the event ended. A big chunk of the crowd headed across the street for the After Party but I had to head home. School night and all. However, the next one is on a Friday so I expect I'll stay later for that one.
What were the topics, you may be asking?
Trust Your Gut - Marvin Forte
Fist of the Southpaw: Initiation into the Secret Society of Sinistrality - Malik R Robinson
Your Really CAN Support The Troops - Scott Tiernan
Mastering the Pomodoro Technique in 5 Minutes - Greg Head
How Improve May (Or May Not) Save the World- Jose Gonzalez
Life Lessons I've Learned from Cows - Amy Heisler
Eat Better, Be Better - How Changing My diet Changed My Life - Kristi Setzer
Presentation slide text can make you look stupid - Eric Reid
Weird Time - Evo Terra
Up For Grabs: The Claw Game Philosophy - Charles Choueiri
Your Office Coffee Sucks - Matthew Petro
Get Pissed Off And Fight Back - The Power of The Purse and Social Connections - Leo Godin
Nachos: A Metaphysical Journey - Dallas Gold
Genetically Unemployable - Emily Leach
The Greatest American Who Ever Lives: Emperor Norton & The Comforts of Madness - Ashley Naftule
Welcome to Arizona, the surveillance state - Ross Trumble
You'll Never Watch Star Wars the Same Way Again! - Dustin Diehl
What do the hard hat and Wonder Woman have in common? - Stacy Holmstedt
The presenters ranged from just a little rough to extremely polished with most towards the polished side. I can understand the nerves that a few displayed. It's not easy to stand up to 550 people in front of you and also know that you're being broadcast to who knows how many others. It also looked like some of the presenters had been up there in prior events and they seemed the most relaxed. Some of the presentations were factual (here's how to make a great cup of coffee), some were philosophical (live life like cows do or in the way you play the claw game or trust in the nachos(!?!?)) and some were just plain fun (Greedo being ground into a drink for Jabba).
Did I think about submitting an idea for the next one? Hmmm, on stage with a microphone and all eyes on me...now, that does sound like me, doesn't it?
The day before the event, I started following #ignitephx on Twitter. Lots of chatter about the event from the attendees, participants and staff. Also, lots of people looking for tickets. The satellite viewing party was at Dave's Electric Brew Pub and it seemed like a lot of people were going to be on hand for that.
My companion and I met up at the Mesa Arts Center a few minutes before the action started (damn 202 traffic) and we were both curious about the crowd. It was mostly what I expected...lots of guys who looked like they could be on Big Bang Theory but also some folks in suits and cocktail dresses. Also, many visible Smart Phones and even some laptops. This was one wired event.
The pre-show entertainment was a troupe of belly dancers. I could have done without that but it's certainly not something you see every day.
It was finally showtime and the first person on stage was Jeff Moriarty, the organizer. He did his intro in the same format that all of the presenters had to use. He had 5 minutes and 20 slides. He used his time to explain how the process worked. The short story is that each presenter had chosen a topic and submitted it to a committee. Eighteen presenters were selected from over 70 submissions. Each slide was up for 15 seconds on a big screen behind the presenter though they also had a monitor at their feet to see the screen.
Then we were off! As one presenter walked off the stage, the next went on. The slides were not your traditional PowerPoint types. There were many photographs and drawings and most were well tied in to the presentation. Each presenter had their twitter account listed and some had additional websites as well. All too soon we were at intermission.
Intermission was a break to get a drink and peruse the New Age looking stuff for sale in the lobby. We moved from our floor seats to the balcony for the second half which provided a different, and interesting, perspective. As we settled in, I saw that they were displaying tweets from the event on the screen. My tweet even made it up there "$6 beer. Ouch. #ignitephx". Sounds like me, doesn't it?
Before they started they second half, they had Slide Karaoke. Very fun. Three volunteers were given six slides that they hadn't seen before and did some improv with them based on a theme. The first woman up killed it - she was really good.
The final nine people presented and the wrap up was an announcement that the next event will be June 11th at the Phoenix Art Museum and that submissions were going to be accepted immediately after the event ended. A big chunk of the crowd headed across the street for the After Party but I had to head home. School night and all. However, the next one is on a Friday so I expect I'll stay later for that one.
What were the topics, you may be asking?
Trust Your Gut - Marvin Forte
Fist of the Southpaw: Initiation into the Secret Society of Sinistrality - Malik R Robinson
Your Really CAN Support The Troops - Scott Tiernan
Mastering the Pomodoro Technique in 5 Minutes - Greg Head
How Improve May (Or May Not) Save the World- Jose Gonzalez
Life Lessons I've Learned from Cows - Amy Heisler
Eat Better, Be Better - How Changing My diet Changed My Life - Kristi Setzer
Presentation slide text can make you look stupid - Eric Reid
Weird Time - Evo Terra
Up For Grabs: The Claw Game Philosophy - Charles Choueiri
Your Office Coffee Sucks - Matthew Petro
Get Pissed Off And Fight Back - The Power of The Purse and Social Connections - Leo Godin
Nachos: A Metaphysical Journey - Dallas Gold
Genetically Unemployable - Emily Leach
The Greatest American Who Ever Lives: Emperor Norton & The Comforts of Madness - Ashley Naftule
Welcome to Arizona, the surveillance state - Ross Trumble
You'll Never Watch Star Wars the Same Way Again! - Dustin Diehl
What do the hard hat and Wonder Woman have in common? - Stacy Holmstedt
The presenters ranged from just a little rough to extremely polished with most towards the polished side. I can understand the nerves that a few displayed. It's not easy to stand up to 550 people in front of you and also know that you're being broadcast to who knows how many others. It also looked like some of the presenters had been up there in prior events and they seemed the most relaxed. Some of the presentations were factual (here's how to make a great cup of coffee), some were philosophical (live life like cows do or in the way you play the claw game or trust in the nachos(!?!?)) and some were just plain fun (Greedo being ground into a drink for Jabba).
Did I think about submitting an idea for the next one? Hmmm, on stage with a microphone and all eyes on me...now, that does sound like me, doesn't it?
