Five Nights, 100 Cities, 1000 Talks, 10,000 Participants
Sebastopol, CA—O'Reilly Media announces Global Ignite Week 2011. From February 7-11, over 100 cities will host community-powered Ignite events attended by upwards of 12,000 technologists, entrepreneurs, DIYers, and creative professionals on at least six continents. Participating cities include Seattle, Boston, Phoenix, Mumbai, Manila, Bucharest, Amsterdam, Bristol, Sydney, and Wellington.
Global Ignite Week happens online as well as in person, which makes Ignite talks available to the whole world. Local Ignites will stream live video during their events, and then add those talks to the 1300+ five-minute videos archived on igniteshow.com.
What actually happens at an Ignite? Inspired by the Ignite motto, "Enlighten us, but make it quick," each local Ignite consists of an evening of talks by community members who share their knowledge, passions, and obsessions in exactly five minutes. By turns funny, deeply personal, informative, or quirky, Ignite talks cover the gamut from technology to the arts to idiosyncratic personal interests (samurai swords, pneumatic tubes, ballroom dancing). Most cities start the night with the friendly competition of a MAKE contest, challenging teams of audience members to build something on the spot—a popsicle-stick bridge, marshmallow shooter, or other DIY project from the pages of MAKE magazine.
The constraints of the Ignite format—each talk is accompanied by 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds—transform every five-minute presentation into a game of beat-the-clock. That turns out to be a boon for the audience. Presenters realize they need to prepare and rehearse to keep up with their slides, which leads to well-thought-out talks. In the words of Ignite veteran Raffi Krikorian, "Presenting at Ignite is awesome. You're forced to be concise and entertaining. When it comes together the audience goes wild, and you've communicated something potentially world-changing. In five minutes."
Global Ignite Week is an annual celebration of the energy, interaction, and fervor of the Ignite community. During the 2011 event, Ignite presenters will create over 1000 new five-minute shots of enlightenment to share with the world.
To find or lead an event in your city, or get information about Global Ignite Week, see: http://igniteshow.com/global-ignite-week
For information about sponsoring Global Ignite Week, contact Scott Harvey at scotth@oreilly.com.
A sampling of Ignite videos:
- Scott Berkun, a popular speaker and author of Confessions of a Public Speaker and The Myths of Innovation, offers great advice on "Why and How to Give an Ignite Talk." http://oreil.ly/dyeoBm
- With humor and grit, Ceci Ervin tells the story of "My Polish Catheter: The Tireless Search for a Cure for MS." http://oreil.ly/dA98Fz
- NASA roboticist Heather Knight explains "How To Make Robots More Social." http://oreil.ly/b4iufe
- Steven Walling, fanatical volunteer turned staffer at Wikimedia, on "Why Wikipedians are the Weirdest People on the Internet." http://oreil.ly/azHRtq
- Science comedian Brian Malow entertains with "Hydrogen and Helium: A Tale of Two Elements." http://oreil.ly/9OpwnU
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