After we do an event, we like to have a thread where you can comment and tell us what you think we could have done better. We welcome your constructive criticism - it’s led to a LOT of the changes that have made each Ignite Portland a little smoother and better that the last.
So this post is your chance - post a comment below, let us know what you thought of the event, and give us your suggestions for how to make it better. Just like everything else about Ignite Portland, we need you, our community, to contribute here to make the next one the very best it can be. So let us have it! 
IP4 was a lot of fun! Most presentations were done well and the humor quotient was high! My only change to the presentations would be to require every presenter to speak to the audience without notes. If you’re selected for an IgnitePortland lightning talk, you should take that as an honor and prepare-prepare-prepare! No notes allowed!
The event, as iP3, was well organized. Great job LoT!!!!
great night to everyone!
Ditto comment above and add that a dry run in front of people would help, maybe organized by ignite Portland at a few bars/places Tuesday / Wednesday before - nothing required - just suggested.
Shorter intermission
This was a fantastic show and if you changed nothing, I’d still give it a thumbs-up, five-star review! But since you asked, I’d say three things: (1) start on time, (2) make sure the sound is working for everyone (one soft-spoken presenter could have used a slight boost from the mixing board), and (3) cut the intermission by about 15 minutes. Ad-hoc parties sprung up afterward at nearby bars, so I don’t think the break was all the necessary. See you in February!
Great comment and feedback - keep them coming! We’re listening, and we’ll look at all of your suggestions, to see what we can make better. Thanks!
Make sure you also tell us what you liked (we’ll make sure not to mess with the stuff that went really well).
This was my second Ignite, and it is a really great event. I agree on shorter intermission, 15 minutes is plenty. Also think doors don’t need to open so early, I was there at 5 to be sure I got in and then had to wait 2 hours (more considering it started late). Doors at 6 would be better (it would also give people more time to get there from work without worrying about a huge line.)
I liked the sponsor videos, but I didn’t think there was enough focus on the sponsors.
What happened to the little pitch at the beginning by the sponsors? Even though it adds a little time to the evening, I think it was good (for them).
@marc last time there were many more people who showed up early. There was a line for ticketed people that started at around 4:15, so I think the door opening at 5:00 is something the Ignite planners should stick with.
Jason, we experimentally replaced the sponsors getting up on stage with the videos. We’re getting lots of feedback on them, and we’ll use it to decide what we do next time.
Marc, thanks for the thoughts on the timing. I think we have room to adjust some things, and make it a little tighter, given how smoothly things have been going using the tickets + GA system to get people in fast.
Keep it coming!
I have never been to an Ignite, so take my comments with a grain of salt!
How about a more startup/tech version of ignite? The 4 you have had sound like they were all amazing, so not trying to take anything away.
But in addition to what you have, a startup/tech version could be very valuable. I’d go out of my way to attend one if I could extract great value towards my career and side projects.
Curret Ignite looks to be purely entertainment, no? Granted, it looks like some darn good entertainment!
Again, grain of salt…newbie here. Great work on putting together 4 of the hottest events in Portland over the last few years. Keep it up.
I had a great time. Definitely enjoyed using the ticket system. I got there close to 6pm, and had no problem getting in and finding a seat, so I’d say keep opening the doors early.
I agree on starting the event on time and have the sound issues resolved. About the sponsors, I don’t have a preference either live or through videos. My only concern is for next time to be a bit more sensitive in the order that the videos are shown, as not make some sponsors videos seem out of place with the others.
Minor stuff on a very entertaining and well organized event. Keep it up!
Three suggestions. First, use a wireless mic. Although there weren’t any tangles or trip-ups this time, I could definitely see it happening with all the handoffs. Some speakers like to move around while they’re talking to engage the audience and it’s harder with a tether. (I think I have some wireless gear laying around here you can use if you need it.)
Second, as a sponsor I was glad to have the opportunity to contribute, but I do agree with Jason Harris’s sentiments about the 30-second plugs in the break not being much acknowledgment (and I’m not just saying that because I got booed). Legion of Tech should also hold themselves to the same rules… if they get a minute-long video, so should everyone else.
I do like the videos and the effect they have of keeping the event rolling. Maybe just adding an initial tip of the hat and calling out sponsors individually would be good. (I would also enjoy wearing a hat, but maybe that’s just me.)
Third, I’d second Jmartens about the content. This seemed more like a Toastmasters thing than a tech community event. I would still attend and enjoy it regardless; it was an absolute blast. But given the audience and billing, I would like to see a balance of some technical topics mixed with the others.
Having said all that, I do want to emphasize that I thought this was an EXCELLENT event, and I’m personally glad we don’t have to wait long for the next one. Congratulations and keep up the good work!
We would *love* to see more tech topics at Ignite. The sad reality for this Ignite was that we had almost no tech topics submitted for consideration. The submissions really do drive the content. Let’s see some fun, interesting, and engaging tech topics for IP5!
Random thoughts off of the top of my head:
Good:
- the lower house lights made the slides look better (less washed out)
- good variety of topics. Would’ve enjoyed more tech content but as Dawn pointed out, until folks like me get off our butt and submit some tech content I guess we can’t complain too much
- the spotlight on the presenters allowed everyone to see the speakers better
- I didn’t mind the long intermission. I spent quite a bit of time talking to interesting people, some who I already knew, and some who I was meeting for the first time.
Areas for Improvement:
- start on time (pretty sure this is related to my next item)
- beer/food lines were long. Not sure of the solution; it appeared Bagdad was running at full capacity of servers.
- some of the speakers could’ve used some mic coaching (where to hold it, etc)
Rant:
I thought it was very uncool that folks were booing one of the sponsors. Yeah, it’s Microsoft, and it’s not cool to be Microsoft in Portland. That doesn’t change the fact that Microsoft wrote out a check to help cover expenses for the event. You don’t have to like the sponsors, but to actively boo a company that is making a financial contribution so that you can be entertained is quite classless.
Overall, I think it was quite well run and was glad to see a theater full of Portlanders enjoying a great show. A big thanks to everyone involved (speakers, sponsors, staff, etc)
Such a brilliant bunch of people in this community. Last night was my first Ignite. I’m typically worried when I go see a movie after hearing rave reviews because there’s such a risk of it not living up to them. Not so here. The event exceeded my expectations. Great idea well executed.
I think all my points have been covered by others, but I’ll cast my vote:
- don’t boo sponsors; show them the love they deserve
- continue with ticketing
- find the right balance of time from doors open to start
- cut intermission to 15 minutes
- not sure how, but shorter lines for food and beer would rock
All in all, great event — including attendees. Met some very cool people. Congrats to organizers, sponsors and all involved!
I thought it was a great event. I think you should allow more sponsor commercials from sponsors and instead of having them all at once maybe play a few in between every 3-5 talks or something???
Also, I was under the impression that all the talks were supposed to be about something tech? Many of them weren’t so they felt a bit out of place.
Although I’d heard about Ignite Portland previously, this was my first time attending. From the ticketing system to the closing applause and cheers, I enjoyed it a lot. And I’m not just saying that because I’ve either worked with or currently blog with some of the IP4 presenters!
Kudos to everyone involved!! I can’t wait for the next one.
I’ll add to the chorus of starting the event on time. It will encourage people to show up early, get their beers, and sit down so they don’t miss anything.
The sponsor videos were fun. Though, I agree with Aaron that the booing of Microsoft was a low point of the evening. Obviously, you can’t control how an audience will react, but I could see that turning off potential sponsors. Be nice people!
On the lack of tech topics, I wonder if that’s because we are in that community and see this as an opportunity to show another side of ourselves in addition to having time to do some face-to-face networking. I also wonder if people who may want to submit tech-focused proposals feel discouraged that it won’t be as well-received over a presentation that generates a lot of response from the audience.
2nd Ignite for me. I would steer the presentations to being more insightful and less purely goofy as was the case in 4. The cyborg anthropology and 10 things by the Whitehorse guy were the best, with all else distant, IMO. Food for thought can be tasty and delicious (and nutritious).
I think the sponsors can be more creative in their pitches. I thought the LOT and the video ?Extensis efforts were good - if you are a creative company, present like one!
It’s your event, and you can’t argue with success though…
- “No advertising” enforced.
It seemed that lots of the presenters included plugs to their websites where they were offering services based on the topic of their talk. It’d be cool if Ignite staff made sure that didn’t happen. Who wants to see sales pitch after sales pitch? Especially if the person didn’t really tell or teach us anything. We can already link to their stuff from their description online.
- Shorter intermission.
After waiting a half hour in line and then another 20 minutes for the show to start late, it was a long 1/2 hour before the second half began. We had just started to get into the talks when intermission hit. At least 500 of us were there on schedule so yes, please start on time!
- We liked the overall event, the location, the bright screen, and the whole concept. Thanks!
Another excellent Ignite, thank you all for making this possible!
GOOD:
* Spotlight on the speaker was great (Reid?). It was much easier to see the person presenting AND the text on their slides. This was my favorite improvement.
* Great intro from Josh using the Ignite format to prep the audience.
* Fun, entertaining speakers and talks, great job by the selection committee.
* Clever sponsor videos. I was against the idea initially because I wanted sponsors to be on the spot like speakers, but this worked out very well.
* General admission line let everyone that showed up without a ticket in. Great!
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT:
* The booing at Microsoft was embarrassing. I was one of those cheered and yelled “Come on folks, they’re sponsoring this event!”. Maybe the audience needs a quick prep talk before the sponsors videos are shown to remind them whose footing the bill for this free event and explain appropriate behavior.
* The anti-Fox news rant by Abraham Hyatt was inappropriate. Ignite shouldn’t be a place to push partisan agendas and it’s also unfair to have only one side represented. Maybe speakers proposing touchy topics should be quizzed more thoroughly to find out what they’re actually going to say.
* The lines for food and beer sucked. Maybe the venue should be told that we’re going to have lots of people and that they’ll make more money if they have enough staff to serve people, because otherwise, attendees will make fewer trips to the concession stand or begin smuggling in their own perishables.
* Sponsor videos without any video, audio or text sucked. Maybe tell those folks they’ll come off as dorks if they do this, and offer to just record a quick voice-over spiel over the phone with them as a fallback.
* No after parties pre-announced. However, we put together two of them at Imbibe and Space Room during the event, and the Imbibe one that I went to was fun.
* Reservation system needed a waiting list, which would have been preferable to encouraging people to keep hitting the system in hopes that a ticket is available. I’ll try to add that for IP5.
NON-ISSUES:
* Starting late was fine. Many people were in line for food and beer, and having a late start let these folks actually see the beginning of the talks.
* Intermission length was fine. I enjoyed chatting with my fellow audience members.
* “No advertising enforced”. I thought this was fine because these were speakers telling the audience how to learn more about them after the show. I don’t recall any blatant sales pitches.
UNCERTAIN:
* Desire for more tech talks. Portland-area user groups have used something similar to the Ignite format successfully. However, giving proper tech talks at Ignite will likely bore the audience, so any tech talk would have to keep it fairly high-level. We can also do Ignite style talks at the tech social events, BarCamp and such.
It is great that you are taking feedback! That is my first feedback. This was my first Ignite. I enjoyed it. I think it was incredibly well put together, but I likely wouldn’t attend again if the same format is used. Here is some feedback.
1. The ticket system was great. Well done.
2. The free food was awesome. Again, well done.
3. Those who showed up early with tickets had to wait a very long time. We waited almost an hour and a half before the talks started, and we weren’t even that early. We were lucky to get a seat with a table in front of it in the back left of the theater.
4. Intermission should be 15 minutes. I had to convince my friends it was worth waiting versus heading home. We ended up watching about an hour of talks but waited for close to two hours total. Everyone in my group agreed we’d gladly attend again if there is less waiting.
5. Some of the speakers were pretty bad and it seemed like they were only there because they have a reputation on twitter. It’d be great if the presentations were first briefly reviewed to weed out the really bad or really unprepared stuff. Nothing too fancy. Perhaps have 2x the presenters do a preview, rank the talks, then let the top half present at ignite.
6. Most everyone I met was really nice. The event drew a great crowd.
I understand that for the sake of the sponsors it makes sense to have some time to network and perhaps head hunt. Please creatively fill the dead time before talks. Perhaps have the crowd play a game or do some geeky web 2.0 stuff like digg bombing the ignite website via few laptops on stage. The projector could show the real time effects of the digg bomb (or whatever is done). Maybe even let the head hunters have a chance to solicit talent — as long as they make it entertaining.
As always, I really enjoyed the evening. We had to leave at Intermission due to getting the kiddos to bed, but we thoroughly enjoyed what we experienced.
Thanks to LOT for another great Portland night out!
Thanks hugely for the tremendous amount of hard work and thought that goes into preparing for an Ignite event! Ignite 4 was fun, and I’m working today on a possible proposal for Ignite 5.
I generally agree with most of the comments above, so it looks like I’ll just need a few diffs at this point:
* Jason Mauer wrote “First, use a wireless mic.” Better yet, have several. With a solid sound tech running them, this would hugely improve the seamlessness of the very quick handoffs, and give some redundancy.
* The late start and long intermission was a real problem for me. I had planned to do something after the event, based on the published schedule. I finally decided to blow the other thing off and watch the rest of Ignite 4, but it was a close call. I think it’s quite important to publish a schedule and then hit it as exactly as possible.
* I’ve said this before privately, but I’ll say it publicly as well: There needs to be a suggested donation for advance tickets, or a bigger venue, or both. Otherwise, ticket distribution becomes a “who’s the most glued to their IM/Twitter” affair, and the venue gets way too packed. I think that it’s great that so many people show up, but it’s definitely on the edge of unpleasant with the size and occupancy of the current venue.
IMHO, if it’s done right, folks can show up a half-hour before showtime and expect to get a decent seat if they have a ticket, or find out immediately whether there will be a seat for them if they do not have a ticket.
In extremis, the seating could be assigned. I’d be happy to write a little seat planner that runs in real time and meets any seating constraints and priorities folks want to mess with. Somebody else would have to write the web interface, though.
* Posting some clear guidelines about what sorts of talks (both topic areas and types of talk) are particularly sought as part of the call for presentations would be great. I have been avoiding proposing any hard tech topics in the past because I assumed from the accepted talks that this sort of thing was not a priority for Ignite…
Again, thanks for a great event.
I won’t rehash a lot of the previous comments. I really have just one observation as it applies to videotaping the next event.
For IP5, I suggest having the videographer positioned more towards center stage, rather than off to one side. After viewing videos of IP4, it was nearly impossible to get a clear view of the screen from such an angle. And isn’t the information on the screen what viewers most want to see?
By being in the center of the venue, the videographer can capture both the speaker and his/her presentation in better detail. Seems like an easy thing to accomplish, even from the back of the theater.
We do enjoy having the videos for future reference, and whatever you can do to make each presentation look its best would be appreciated.
I’ve only been to the two Ignite events that we’ve held in Boulder late last year (igniteboulder.com). I’ve put in a proposal to present at IP5.
I don’t know if you locals think of it this way: I view your website as a primo place for folks from around the world to go to learn about how Ignites should be done. I’m encouraging body/mind workers to start making these kind of presentations; it’s great to have this set of wonderful examples available.
My main request is to have a page on your website where links to all videos from past Portland Ignites are available. For each video, provide a link to the author’s proposal for that presentation. Would there be a way to display the approximate twitter stream that was flowing when a particular presentation was happening? If the archived presentations are easy to access, the archive will have a greater utility for users that are less technically adept.
Ditto on Barry’s suggestions. If there’s a place to locate the camera so the whole slide can be visible without panning, the would be great.
The page where you can see the proposals is outstanding. It gives both potential presenters and the audience one of the best ways to get engaged in the event beforehand.
What format do you take the slides in for your presentations? Do you have a “no builds/transitions on a slide” rule?
Thanks.