Ignite Bristol
on Jan 12 in Bristol, News tagged by Peter Blackman
I’m helping to organise the first ever Ignite event in Bristol.
What is an Ignite? Well, first of all, it’s probably best to consider the following questions:
If you had five minutes on stage what would you say?
What knowledge burns within you or what idea have you had that really needs to be shared?
What if you only got 20 slides and they changed automatically after 15 seconds?
Around the world people have been putting together Ignite nights to show and share their answers. Ignite started in Seattle in 2006 and since then 100s of 5 minute talks have been given across the world.
Ignite is coming to Bristol as part of Global Ignite Week, and I’m working hard with some great people to make it as big a success as possible.
In the first week of March, Igniters will gather in pubs, theatres, and other convivial venues across the world for an evening that is a unique blend of networking, information, and fun, encapsulated in the Ignite motto: “Enlighten us, but make it quick.” In talks that are exactly five minutes long, Ignite speakers share their passions, using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds—whether they’re ready or not.
At the time of writing, Global Ignite Week is taking place on every continent on the planet except Antarctica. Over 50 cities are hosting an Ignite event – from Bristol to Brussels, Sydney to San Francisco, Paris to Pune in India, with many more expected to sign up over the coming weeks.
Ignite Bristol is taking place on Thursday 4th March 2010, from 7.30pm at The Polish Club, 50 St Paul’s Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1LP
The agency where I’m a director, Double Art, have stumped up for the venue costs for the evening, and in keeping with the non commercial nature of Ignite, we’re pleased to be providing all marketing, design and PR support for the event completely free of charge.
So what if you want to talk at Ignite Bristol?
We are looking for 15 speakers for the first Ignite Bristol. What do you want to tell people in 5 minutes? You get 20 slides for 15 seconds a slide. They are automatically timed so you are forced to move forward when your slide does.
Please note that Ignite events are not about self-promotion. We are interested in talks that are driven by passion, not by sales. There is no limit to the kind of topics you can talk about from technology and science to the arts and everything in-between. We want our speakers to be as diverse and stimulating as the city that we live in. Whatever you’re passionate about, we’d love to hear about it.
How to submit a proposal for Bristol
Email your proposal to ignitebristol@googlemail.com
Please include the following:
• Your Name
• Title of Your Talk
• Brief description of what you want to talk about
• Email Address
• Blog, Website URL, twitter name (where applicable)
• Short Bio - who you are and what you do
By submitting a proposal, you are agreeing that we may use your name and the title of your talk as part of Ignite Bristol promotions.
Deadline Proposals must be received by 6 pm on Monday 15th February 2010. We are planning to have 15 speakers but based on the response thus far, we’re expecting to receive many more submissions than can be accommodated. We will endeavour to respond to your email within 24 hours to confirm we’ve received it.
How will selections be made? We will choose talks that sound interesting, inventive, creative and unique.
Because of demand, each speaker will only be chosen to give one talk at Ignite Bristol. Feel free to submit multiple proposals but keep in mind that we reserve the right to select the one you will present.
Anything overly commercial will be disqualified.
We will let you know by Friday 19th February 2010 whether or not your presentation has been selected.
Announcement of Speakers: Will be made on Monday 22nd February 2010
For more information, visit us online at http://ignitebristol.net or follow us on Twitter.
What if you want to support Ignite Bristol by coming along?
If you just want to come along and support our speakers, hear what they have to say, and have a few drinks while doing so, then that’s brilliant too. To secure your tickets to the event, visit the Ignite Bristol website. Admission is free. The beer isn’t, but hey, it’s the rather wonderful Zywiec from Poland, and it’s nearly as stimulating as an Ignite evening.
We set aside 100 tickets be available in advance. At the time of writing, 81 of these had already been reserved. There will be free ‘walk up’ entry on the night, but the venue does have a limited capacity so we do advise not leaving it to chance and securing your place at what promises to be a brilliant evening.