Ignite Boulder 11 - Recap

Ignite Boulder is the biggest Ignite event in the world – and our 11th outing was our biggest yet, with more than 1,300 people moonwalking into Chautauqua Auditorium last Thursday for the big show.

I’m one of the organizers of Ignite Boulder, so here are my thoughts on how Ignite 11 went:

The Venue
The Daily Camera quoted me as saying how daunted I was by the prospect of filling Chautauqua Auditorium and translating our event for the new space. That’s true. It’s intimidating to take something that is working like clockwork and apply it to something unfamiliar. In this case, I think it worked.

Yes, it was warmer at Chautauqua than it typically is at the Boulder Theater. But it wasn’t uncomfortable – merely a reminder that it’s summertime in Boulder. Pass the Kool-Aid, brah.

No one wilted. I can’t praise the Chautauqua crew highly enough for being as attentive and flexible as they were.

The Speakers
When you crowdsource an event’s content, the results will invariably not please everyone. And that’s fine. If you don’t like a particular speaker, for whatever reason, wait five minutes and your omg torture will be over.

Ignite 11 had one of the strongest lineup of speakers I’ve seen yet. Really affecting topics, clearly passionate perspectives, artful slides and an obvious zeal for stage antics. There wasn’t a weak link in the bunch.

Your New Boyfriend Ef
Incredible, incredible, incredible. A sea of friends and people that I desperately want to be friends with. A cast of speakers who are far more clever than I am. A crew of organizers that want nothing more than to put on the best event in town. I’m getting emotional.

This was the 8th time I’ve been lucky enough to drop some puggy science at Ignite Boulder, and it was nearly overwhelming to see so many expectant faces looking at me.

I hope you were one of them.

All photos by Yann Ropars