We had a fantastic time at the event. Some things worked really well, like the awesome presentations. Other things could have been better, like a faster-moving line for drinks.
Let us know in the comments: What did you think of Ignite Portland?
- What was awesome? (we’ll try to keep these the same)
- What could we do better?
I thought the venue was awesome. Perfect as a matter of fact. I’m afraid that anything bigger would lose the feel.
The energy of 750 creative Portlanders in one room was awesome.
The catered food was great!
The presentations were great!
As I drove home last night listening to some of my favorite tunes, it occurred to me that we needed prelude music and interlude music. I would also like to see a little more creativity allowed in the slides (e.g. animation).
Thanks for putting on a great event. You guys are awesome!!
gw
LOVED IT!! The content was very interesting and it was a great venue. I feel bad for all the folks who didn’t make it in.
Would have been nice if the start time was closer to what was advertised.
SUGGESTION: In the future, instead of a long queue out in the cold that has no chance of getting in, how about tickets we could download/print online. No ticket, no entry. This also lets you issue a set number. When the ticketed attendees are in, you should be at Fire Marshall’s capacity. If someone visited your site too late, they would be informed all tickets are gone but they go to a website to view the event.
I didn’t attend, only saw the live stream from Alpha Geek (and now have a video running on another tab…). Really made me wish I was there in person. My few suggestions:
Have a monitor that the presenter can see without having to turn around.
Have a wireless lavalier mic for the presenter. With two mics, the next presenter can be getting hooked up while the current one is speaking. Fresh batteries would be a must.
Having a live stream was awesome. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see the presentations. Either a wider view of the stage, screen, and presentation or a link to download the presentations would help.
The live stream would have been better if it received its sound input from the mic the speaker was using. The mic on the camera couldn’t handle the dynamic range and clipped every time the audience responded (which was often).
All in all, a great job! I’m looking forward to the next one.
Small suggestion: Let the speakers in on the plan a couple days ahead of time. Since I don’t check my personal email at work, I missed the speaker’s email that was sent out late the night before and I stood in line instead of coming straight to the door.
Other than that, Ignite Portland 2 was a blast! I’ll definitely be back for the next one.
That was my fault, Sarah. We techies forget that not everyone is connected 24/7. I also had someone tell me they had never made a slide presentation before. I’m proud of the techie diversity we gathered, but that means remembering that not everyone is like me.
Great suggestions, folks. Keep them coming!
Fabulous event. Agree with the other suggestions. . my addition is that I’d bring the house lights up during the breaks though so people could see each other during the networking time. Also have the advantage of bringing them back down to “start.”
Advanced registration would have been nice, only to avoid the long line out in the cold.
The (seemingly) 2 hours of seating announcements was a bit much. How about a slide show or videos or some kind of distracting content during the wait?
I was about to riot when they started reading the “Andre the Giant” winners during the second act. I didn’t know (or missed) that it was only a select few. With ~750 in attendance, I expected about 300+ names to be read one-by-one. Thank Bacon it was only a handful.
You could have moved the “Ignite” signs from the 2 corners out of the way (or pulled the projector image in a bit from the sides) the slides overlapped the signs on occasion and blocked content.
An A/V expert sitting next to me noted that the brightness of the picture was too high, washing out detail (I didn’t mind.)
Oooh, last thing: how about checking slides in advance? Seems like a lot of graphs either didn’t appear, or weren’t rendered like the speakers intended.
Other than negative feedback, I thought it was a great event and I’m glad I went. Can’t wait for the next one!
It was wrapped in bacon good.
Waiting to get in as a drag and could have been ugly if we didn’t luck out on the sky’s parting at just the right time.
The presentations were awesome!
The venue was awesome (I’d hate to see it at a larger venue)!
The food was great!
The energy was incredible!
The Portland energy was captured and displayed with pizazz, power, and panache!
It would have been nice for the presenters to have a montior.
Prelude and interlude music would have been good.
Please allow animation (or video) on the slides - let’s use the power of media
more, more more - I’m ready for IP3!
It was totally awesome! I agree that shorter housekeeping announcements and music during the breaks would be great.
Some ideas…
A display showing Twitter updates from attendees (folks sending direct messages to @igniteportland) would be neat, or maybe projected onto the screen during the breaks.
Pre-registration for half the available seats (with a printable tag that the attendee can show to get in) would be awesome and speed up the queue outside, and leave the other half for walk-ins.
One drink ticket per attendee, and three tickets equals a pitcher. (Challenge people to combine tickets with strangers and share a pitcher while networking).
Quicker blurbs from the sponsors. Have them prepare their slide and 15 second pitch ahead of time (it seemed like most just winged it).
Small printed 1-sheet programs for attendees, with info on the back like sponsors, URLs, flickr tags, etc.
Items from local area crafters and makers as special door prizes.
Sell T-Shirts!
Encourage people whose presentations don’t make the cut to do it YouTube-stylee and then post those videos on the site for folks to check out after the show.
Good stuff abounded!
- Muy thanks for the wonderful catering, esp. the wide variety of veg/vegan options. That peanut-hummus dip-sauce-stuff made my week.
- Everybody had great energy; the staff, volunteers, speakers, sponsors and audience were all friendly and warm. It was a very Portland-style vibe.
- The live stream was fantastic for those who couldn’t make it or got turned away cuz of that silly “max capacity” thing.
- I love the total explosion of media options related to the event: the blog, Twitter, YouTube, etc etc etc. If I want to submerge myself in Ignite, I can go headfirst.
Thanks for letting me speak. Turn your sushi upside down.
I thought the whole idea of ignite portland is great. Yesterday was awesome but I believe since it was mostly sponsored by High-Tech companies than it should have related more about technology.
I personally would have loved a presentation on some Twitter features or how people are using technology in their daily lives or projects.
I just believe it seemed a little like an “open mike” night at a club or a stand up comedy routine["How to be and undercover hooker"?]
Again, the concept is good. But maybe a few changes in May.
I had a blast presenting at the event and the audience was awesome!
- Great food!
- Great venue!
- Great presentations!
Suggestions from a speakers POV:
- A monitor for the speakers would have been great. You need to know where you are in the deck to pace yourself.
- Wireless mic! Or even a headset mic: I wish I could have been hands free up there.
- PDF preview of the final slide renderings: some of my photos were arranged funny even when submitting as an odp.
- A way to edit/preview a proposal before submitting.
Thanks for the awesome event!
Brandon
I thought the event was superb: great venue, great atmosphere, great mix of presentation topics (thankfully for a non tech-head like me it wasn’t all tech geek stuff - otherwise I would have been bored to sleep - and my g/f is one of the Ignite organizers and a bona fide GEEK herself).
The only thing I thought of last night that could have made things smoother was a later start time. 6pm on a weekday, I had to come straight from work (and for me that’s an easy bus ride from downtown), and when I got there there was already a line literally halfway around the block(!). I would say either start the event later (say, 7:30) or hold it on a weekend - though I know both of these alterations would probably cost you a lot more money, so I understand why it was scheduled when it was.
Overall, great job. I am looking forward to Ignite Portland 3.
I really enjoyed it. Even from the last row up by the camera crew, the audio and most of the slides were clear (except the oft-mentioned missing graphs). My wife, who was trying to follow along online agrees with the microphone comment. Recorded audio should be on the speaker, not ambient.
But, as a viewer from up in the balcony, bring the shirt cannon.
Make the venue appropriate to the weather. As cold as it was waiting in line, at least it wasn’t raining.
I know there are a lot of techies about, but there’s nothing wrong with using paper for your registration (unless you’re the person doing the data entry).
Before the drawing, there was a LOT of confusion about the wrestling imagery. Make it more clear before-hand.
Enough food and enough space for lines and food for the masses. (I know attendance was higher than expected.)
Sorry, it’s me again.
I just remembered something else my wife mentioned.
Viewers only could not see the slides.
The Best… very impressed. Loved the rapid fire format and the topics. Great vibe.
Hi Joe,
The event was open for anyone to record so the vids you’ve seen with the ambient sound were from some really cool folks in the audience recording the event from their seats. So the sound and picture quality is going to vary depending on whose recordings you see - we’ll be posting more video links as we find them.
Unfortunately there were some technical problems with the Bagdad’s soundboard so we weren’t able to grab the audio from the board this time.
Thanks for the comments and suggestions.
Wow! What fun! I started thinking right away about what MY topic could be for the next one.
I agree with a lot of the feedback posted…
• venue was great; wouldn’t go bigger (Mission might work too)
• same venue every time helps with smooth setup & such
• sell tickets
• monitor for presenters
GREAT job. Can’t wait for the next one!
Venue was perfect! Presentations were great. A perfect balance of tech and off-the-wall topics. Good time. Here, Here to the organizers.
Thanks to the volunteers and coordinators for another fantastic evening. I appreciated the energy and diversity of the presentations.
I would echo an early comment, that this felt plenty large - a bigger venue may lose the magic. While I liked the W/K space, the Bagdad had a great feel for such a gathering!
A few responses about presentations…
I think the constraints of the 20 simple slide format is one of the coolest things about the event. And as we saw when a few slides weren’t what the speaker expected, the content that was missing wasn’t nearly as important as what the speaker had to say about it.
But, full disclosure, I was the guy in charge of presentations. If I did it next time (and I think we’ll continue passing this job around), I would go even more static, requiring PDFs of the slides that I could then import in and know they’d look exactly like the speaker expected. I spent hours trying to fix formatting issues in those 300 slides, and still there were problems.
A lot of what has been said I agree with. In particular, the video monitor for speakers. I was thinking the same thing during the event. It would be an undertaking to set that up, but it would be worth it.
On a similar note, it would be useful to have a view of the stage from the projection booth, too.
While Ingnite was a nice riff on Pecha Kucha I personally think the original premise 20 slides 20 seconds is superior. Overall I though the event was rather poorly handled. It’s clear the promoters are not event planners, and while I have no issues with long lines as a means to create buzz, despite assurances to the contrary I have no doubt a fire marshal would have shut it down had they happened by. You’ve got some heavy weight sponsors, tap them or the community for a good event planner or manager.
The presentations overall were weak. If this is the best the “creative” community in Portland can come up with, then its no wonder that Portland is still “Waiting to Take its Place”. I won’t belabor the specifics of any individual presentation, but the whole thing had the feel of a junior high school science fair. Overall the slides were clumsy, and the presentations not very polished - maybe they need a chance to do a rehearsal before the actual event. If the intention is to do a “think rant” a trip up the block to the Blue Monk for the poetry rant could offer some tips for provocative performance.
The one presentation that really tweaked me was Open Source Rockets. I like rockets, and I like the fact that model rocketry is being promoted in our schools, however it seemed a little ironic that Open Source Rockets offered what was effectively online blueprints for guided missles. If this presentation had taken place in Gaza or Baghdad its certain the event would have been targeted for Israeli rockets or at the very least at trip to Abu Ghrab or Guantanamo. I love the fact that we live in a country that allows such freedom of expression, and I want to see more but a little context might be interesting. For Portland to avoid turning into Los Angles we need to stop congratulating ourselves on how “cool” we are and start pushing the envelope in ways that I know this town and its creative forces can.
Keep having these events, big, small or in between, but lets try to turn them into something more than a circle jerk.
it tasted better *and* was less filing !
@Alain - thanks for sharing your opinion.
Pecha Kucha is a similar but different concept than Ignite. It’s hardly the first or only fast paced presentation format - Lightning Talks have been a long tradition in the open source community. The SXSW conference has done 20×2 (20 presenters have 2 minutes each) sessions for something like 8 years.
Ignite Portland 2 came off exactly like we wanted it to (better, really). If you want to learn more about what we believe in, and the foundation of Ignite Portland, please go read http://www.igniteportland.com/about. This is an open, community event. None of us are professionals, on purpose. It’s not like “professional” events. On purpose.
As for fire code, the staff of the Badgad was in charge at all times, and they made the decision about how many people was enough. We trust their experience and judgement there - is it their theater, after all, and I’m sure it wasn’t the first time it had ever been filled up.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the presentations. I’m sure the people that put hard work into them are disappointed by that. I’m honestly a little shocked and offended at your suggestion that the Open Source Rockets talk was equivalent to “guided missles”, and the insinuation that someone should go to Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo for it. Was that really necessary, or are you just trying to rile people up? At the very least, I’d love to see you submit a presentation idea for the next Ignite.
Bottom line is, Ignite is what it is - it has a very strong identity, and was a huge success by the standards of we who organized it. There are other similar events. Maybe you’ll find them more to your taste. Or maybe you’ll organize and present one of your own. We do things by what’s in our hearts, and judging by the 26 comments before yours, and the other feedback we’ve gotten, there are plenty of people who agree with us. No one will force you to come to Ignite Portland 3.
@alain
Keep in mind that the organizers are all volunteers and work other jobs the rest of the time.
Something else worth keeping in mind is that Portland is not New York and not the Valley. We are laid back here, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we give just as much attention to “pleasure” as we do “business.”
I will admit I did not make it to the event but from my interactions with the organizers and attendies, I think you may have the wrong impression of what Ignite Portland is all about.
As a member of the Badge Trifecta (Speaker/Staff/Sponsor) I am thrilled to pieces about Mark Gross’ comment. I agree it would have been nice to see the slides, that was one advantage to W+K was the ability to see the slides change. Even that would have helped! All the rehearsal in the world (and believe it or not I did rehearse) didn’t help me stand in front of 700+ people and know how long 15 seconds was. I like the idea of the lavalier mic too, I’m a hand waver and attaching one of them to the mic feels like I can only talk half as effectively. (:
I thought it was a fantastic evening-as a volunteer it was a great crowd, as an attendee for the rest of the night I saw some fabulous talks, and @kveton quoted me in his presentation. I met some net.friends for the first time in person, I made new friends, and I got to tell a lot of people some stuff they didn’t know. Bring on The Third!
Don’t get your nose bent out of shape, of course it was my intention to rile, you guys got to toughen up a little. If it’s a complete Love Fest there is no growth. Read what I said. I never suggested anyone should go to jail for a presentation on Open Source Rocketry, simply that context is a jumping off point for the kind of free association that you are trying to promote. If you think about it for a second, you can appreciate the irony. Palestinians fire a homemade rocket from Gaza and Israel responds with an attack that usually results in more than a few innocents being killed. College students fire a rocket and they get do a performance at Ignite, and get a round of applause for it. A coed from the local college pimps guidance systems, high performance fuels, freely available on the internet surely you have to appreciate the incongruousness of it all. The whole point of Ignite was to provoke thought, particularly in directions that you had not been considered. Thats what is supposed to be about. Listen I love the concept, I love what you are doing, ‘I understand its volunteers - after all I went and will go again, and yes I will work on a proposal for Ignite 3. The numbers you got show there is a genuine need for such a forum and i want you to succeed beyond your wildest expectations. Nothing but love. Alain
@jabancroft Hey man, I know it’s hard not to take this stuff personally (I’ve organized 3 major national conferences and a number of smaller events - I know), but dude, the kind of feedback given by @Alain is too valuable to blow away. Savor these comments and realize there may be dozens of people who agree with him - then weigh the feedback against other feedback received and adjust accordingly.
I had a fabulous time and I thank the organizers for all their time and effort. I wasn’t at all disappointed by the “rough around the edges” feel of the presentations; perhaps it’s just what I expected. And I’m not sure I think we need any more “context” around the presenations to avoid…missle strikes? Imprisonment? I’m a little lost, I guess.
I was grateful that someone on Twitter mentioned the doors opened at 5:15 because I would have missed that otherwise and likely not gained entrance if I’d arrived at 6 like I’d originally planned. Perhaps a little more talk about that in the days leading up to the event would be helpful to some. Then again, you may get people camping out at 8 AM, and the venue may not appreciate that.
I was able to do a little networking, mainly meeting Twitter friends in person. But some games/challenges are often fun for the naturally introverted art/tech community.
Overall, great event. Can’t wait for the next one.
Man, I hate it hen I miss something that gets such great reports. Maybe next time I’ll get to fulfill my RSVP and my kids’ school won’t “plan” a rush parent meeting at the last minute.
Ignite 3? I’ll be there!
The only presentation that I actively disliked with the biofuels guy. I thought there weren’t supposed to be sales pitches? His whole argument was basically: keep wasting energy driving but if you give your money to me rather than Shell you can feel good about it. “Help me rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic cause it feels good… No, don’t look over there at the rising water…”
If you’re like me, when you’re out on the town and you see a show thats less than spectacular, part of you is always paying attention to how the show might be improved. And if you’re really like me, sometimes you smuggle in a six pack. You know, ‘cuz you’re a young guy on his way up and you can’t afford ten dollar cocktails yet. Now, of course, some shows are just plain doomed from the get go by bad writing or no talent, but when that’s not an issue, the secret to improving your show is nailing the oportunites. Here are a few words on that subject as it relates to a show I caught recently at the Bagdad Theatre called Ignite Portland 2.
The “2″ denotes that it was the sequel to a smaller show developed and presented in an advertising office. The original premise was this: People give five minute presentations on a subject of their choosing to an audience just like office people do in office meetings. You know, with powerpoint slides, and some guy standing up doing the “I’m not used to people looking directly at me” bit. But, all the uncomfortable pauses are played for laughs because … here’s the twist … the presenter gets only twenty slides, and they are rotated and advanced at the whim of the projectionist.
Of course, this simple smart ass gag could never sustain a packed house for two hours, and I was relieved when it was dropped right out of the gate. Quite simply, the caliber of the presenters was too high for the gag to work. What did work was the audience really seeing themselves in almost all of the presenters, because everyone in the room was a geek.
Yet there were still some missed opportunities, which I’ll point out here. There was no beginning. A show begins with a curtain or a drum roll or a lighting cue or a fart or something. Ignite lurched and halted while every sponsor did their little number in front of their thirty foot logo (which I’m not knocking, the show was free after all) and the projectionist still thought his gag was funny the sixth time.
But, as the first presenter was announced I was preparing to laugh. It turned out the first guy didn’t show, but this being the digital age, they had his slides, so they pushed some other dude on stage with a handful of notes. That’s a recipe for laughter folks. They told us what was going to happen before he even opened his mouth: he had to ad lib, and the audience went right along with it.
So ten seconds into the show, I’m thinking, man they should make more of these presenters ad lib in front of someone else’s slides … maybe not everyone, but it could be like the lightning round or something. Speaking of which, here’s the rest of my suggestions for Ignite Portland 3: Not all the presentations are going to be great, so get a gong for when the energy sags, or better yet, really commit to the slide rotating idea but chose your moments. Don’t tell the audience to boo people off stage. Clearly, Portland geeks are way too polite for booing someone off. Oh, and get me involved, my part can be drinking beer after beer and making sound effects, except on stage this time.
Thanks for the show and the all that you did and are doing, I think it came off great! That said, and all the other positive comments, I’m going to toss out a suggestion. It would be cool if organizers/announcements were under the same slide constraints as the presenters…that would help to maintain the pace and spirit of the rapid-fire presentations, and help the audience understand what Ignite is before the presentations begin.
It was very good, but overall I think I enjoyed the first Ignite more. Part of it might have been the more intimate space of the first one, among other things. Mainly I feel the presentations at the first one generally had more “substance.” I.e., they made me think more, and made more of an impression. (Of course there were exceptions. “Imagination” was a standout for me.)
Again, it was very enjoyable, and the shortcomings have already been discussed. Thank you very much to the organizers and sponsors for a great evening!
@Derrek “slides… are rotated and advanced at the whim of the projectionist”
That’s not how it works, it just seems that way sometimes when the speaker goes too fast or too slow to sync with 15 sec/slide.