Tickets on sale March 13th!

Tickets for Ignite Phoenix #6 go on sale this Saturday, March 13th, at 10:00am. All tickets will be sold for $5, and all proceeds go to put on the event. We will probably sell out again, so you may want to download this calendar reminder so you don’t forget! If you have any questions or concerns about buying your ticket on a Saturday, please email us and we’ll see if we can help.

We have learned that, no matter what day and time tickets go on sale, the time will be inconvenient for some of our fans. We encourage you to make arrangements with friends or through the email address above to get a ticket purchased for you if you cannot do it yourself.  There is no upper limit on the number of tickets that can be purchased by one person.

Also, please do not over-purchase, buying only what you need.  We would be sad if large blocks of tickets were taken out of circulation but only served to prevent others attending rather than adding people to the event!

Please help – who ARE you people?

One downside to spreading news about Ignite via word of mouth is we don’t know much about the people who attend. We would love to have some basic demographic data to help us plan and approach sponsors. If you could spare 2 minutes to fill out this anonymous form, we would really appreciate it. Lots! 

The final 18 presentations for Ignite Phoenix #6 are listed below, selected from 70+ submissions we received on one of the widest range of topics so far!

We had 8 people review the entries this time around, with a mix of both new and returning judges. I was not one of the judges, but instead focused on coordinating the process.  The judges all picked their top presentations, and the results were consolidated to find the finalists.  Nearly every presentation received at least one vote, and no two judges picked the same top presentations, which just reinforces what an amazing field of submissions we received.

As always, the one downside is that a lot of people submitted fantastic ideas that didn’t make it in. We only have 18 slots, so it is entirely a matter of quantity – not quality. I want to offer a huge, sincere thank-you to everyone who submitted!

~

I’m excited, as this line-up has a little bit of nearly everything. Ignite Phoenix should always be a mix of things you wanted to see, and things you didn’t think you cared about. That’s where the discovery happens.

Ignite Phoenix will be March 30th at the Mesa Arts Center! Tickets go on sale on March 13th at 10:00am, and you can get more info here.

If you haven’t seen the final list yet, take a few minutes and check out the 70+ submissions that came in for Ignite Phoenix #6. Everything from Unicorns to Beavers, and from Anger to Improv. It may be the most diverse set of submissions yet!  We’re currently wrapping up voting and starting to contact and confirm speakers, so stay tuned for the final lineup, which should be out later this week.

Ignite Phoenix #6 will be March 30th at the Mesa Arts Center. Tickets go on sale March 13th at 10:00am!

Global Ignite Week

If you’re one of our fans outside Phoenix, make sure to check out Global Ignite Week! Over 60 Ignite events are happening on 6 continents this week. Sadly we were not able to get a venue this week to be part of the party, but absolutely love seeing how strong Ignite has grown globally!

You can check out amazing videos from all of the Ignites at the Ignite Show!

Are you a member of the media interested in attending Ignite Phoenix 6? There are a limited number of  comp tickets available for press. Each person attending the event must have a ticket (ie, if you are bringing a photog or assistant, you must each have a ticket). Please be sure to reserve one ticket per person attending the event.

Press tickets must be requested by March, 24, 2010 by emailing jennifer@ignitephoenix.com, and will be issued on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tickets must be picked up at the check in table prior to the show’s start on March 30, 2010. A press pass or driver’s license from the individual who reserved the ticket(s) will be required for pick up. Tickets not picked up by the beginning of the event may be released.

Every effort will be made to accomodate for filming and interviews with organizers, volunteers, presenters and attendees. Emailing requests for interviews may be done in advance, jennifer@ignitephoenix.com. While we will make every attempt to arrange interviews, scheduling interviews and making other special requests in advance increases the likelihood that we will be able to meet your needs.

Passion!!!! What sets your heart on fire? Share with us in five minutes that topic that makes you leap out of your seat! It’s that time again already- last call for submitting your presentation to be considered for inclusion at Ignite Phoenix 6, on Tuesday, March 30th from 6 PM to 9 PM at the Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main Street in Mesa, Arizona. Be sure to get your submission in about that passion you must share! It may be chosen as one of 18 five minute presentations  to be given that night.

How Can I Make A Presentation?

If you have a topic to share with the Ignite Phoenix community, complete the submission form before 5 PM on February 26, 2010. To learn more about Ignite Phoenix, to submit a presentation proposal, or to get more details about attending the March 30 event, spend some time on this site. You can sign up for email updates, or join the Ignite Phoenix community by following Ignite Phoenix on Twitter, becoming a fan of Ignite Phoenix on Facebook, or joining the Ignite Phoenix group on LinkedIn.

“Ignite Phoenix is one of those things that has to be experienced. I say experienced because it is more than just sitting in a venue for a few hours listening to people talk about their ideas. Ignite is a collision of communities uniting out of the desire to discover, to absorb and most of all to involve others in what they are most passionate about. You leave Ignite inspired, not only by what you’ve been part of but also to delve deeper into your own interests – to develop yourself and your community in ways that may not have occurred to you before”, says volunteer organizer Oden Hughes.

Be a part of the excitement and inspiration- submit your presentation for consideration today! Time is running out!

Just a quick, fun item as we get things rolling towards Ignite Phoenix #6.  At the last Ignite Phoenix a few of us ran around with cameras and took video of some of the hardworking crew that was getting things ready for the night. Some were cajoled into showing their finest dance moves, while others had their own jam running already. We spliced it together with some footage of attendees and speakers, and set it to a tune from our band that night, the Surfside IV.

We hope you enjoy it, and you can be part of the next Ignite Phoenix on March 30th at the Mesa Center for the Arts!  Submissions are still open, so take 10 minutes and share what gets YOU dancing!

via sheiladee on Flickr

It seems like ages since the most excellent and amazing Ignite Phoenix #5 wrapped up, but things are gearing up again for Number Six!

We are on the move

Ignite Phoenix’s mission is to inspire the creative and technical communities across the Valley; we’ve had great involvement in Phoenix and Tempe and are now bringing the fun to Mesa. Ignite Phoenix #6 will be held at the Mesa Arts Center in the beautiful 550-seat Piper Repertory Theater on March 30^th.  We will have a date for tickets soon, so stay tuned. Or stay reading. Or whatever you’re currently doing.

Submit your talk idea now!

Submissions for Ignite Phoenix #6 are now open. Got an idea? Is it technical, creative, artistic, inspiring or just plain fun? Well, we have all the info you need and a form for you to fill out right here. Submissions close on February 26^th – don’t wait to join in.

Connect with us

No matter what your communication tool of choice is you can probably find us there. Follow us on Twitter, be our fan on Facebook or connect with Ignite by joining our email list or subscribing to our feed. The possibilities are almost endless so keep in touch.

Spread the Word

As always, we appreciate any help spreading the word about Ignite and when it will be happening. We’re a non profit group, and once again a Superbowl Commercial did not make our budget cut. So forwarding this to your friends, family, and cool people you pass on the street is most appreciated!

Most of all, we’d like to thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at Ignite #6.

image by Tyson Crosbie

Ignite Phoenix #5 went down on November 3rd at the Tempe Center for the Arts, and it was an absolute blast!  We had a t-shirt shooting robot on stage from the Falcon Robotics team at Carl Hayden High School, the Surfside IV playing on the patio, and even KWSS doing a remote broadcast.

The point of it all, of course, are the presentations, which were incredible from first to last. If you didn’t make it, you missed learning about improvised bagel holders, bat nursing, history of punctuation, ballroom dancing, the importance of the Transformers, and much more. We’re working to convert the videos and upload them to our YouTube channel, which should be done within the week.

Pictures are already up on Flickr, and more keep coming in. Please tag all your videos and images with “ignitephx”, and on Flickr add them to our photo group.

Ignite Phoenix #6 has been announced, and will be at the Mesa Arts Center on Tuesday, March 30th.  Submissions are already open.  If you can’t wait that long for more Ignite goodness, check out the Developer Ignite #2 coming up November 11th!  And of course there’s a bunch of other amazing goodness going on in the Valley this month, which you can check out as part of Geek Week.

Lastly, a big shout out to all our presenters (contact them!), our sponsors (engage them!), and our volunteers (love them!), without whom Ignite #5 would not have been such a success!

1. We listened to your requests.
2. We felt your pain.
3. Jeff got really thirsty.
4. So we teamed up with the Tavern on Mill and came through with what we feel is going to be the greatest afterparty for Ignite Phoenix ever!

Here is the deal: Once Ignite Phoenix #5 ends around 8:30pm you will exit the TCA and drive over to the parking lot south of 3rd st east of Ash. (see map below) from there it’s a short walk to the Tavern.

Once at the Tavern you will be presented with the following drink specials:

• $2 – Mexican Beers*
• $3 – Margaritas
• $2 any rum drink or shot (feel free to get Jeff four or five) #getlit

For food the Tavern has also stepped up big:
$5 – appetizer buffet featuring:

• Chicken wings
• Potato skins
• Fried Zucchini chips
• Chips and Salsa

The procedure for this is pretty simple. When you get to the buffet hand the big guy $5 and pile up!

The Tavern on Mill is just that, a tavern, and since we are in the USA that means all patrons have to be at least 21 years in age. Everyone will be carded at the door so please keep this in mind if you or anyone in your party is not 21.

Here at Ignite Phoenix HQ we are really excited to give you this as a big thank you for supporting us for the last year.

*-Corona, Corona Light, Dos Equis, Dos Equis Light, Pacifico

Here be the treasure map:

Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket to Ignite Phoenix 5 on Friday, October 16. We were so surprised to see the tickets sell out in under 3 hours. The Ignite Phoenix team, all unpaid volunteers, works year round to put on these events because we love them. It’s thrilling for us to know that you love them, too.

We know many people in the community wanted to get tickets and did not get them. If we could, we would increase the size of the theater to fit everyone who wants to attend. We are constantly working on new ideas and new strategies to let more people attend each event. But because we have a limited number of seats and a small number of available tickets, we want to make sure that everyone knows the options for getting a ticket, and a great option for viewing the event if you don’t get a ticket.

The rules have changed since the last event. Please read this blog post carefully so you have all of the information you need to see Ignite Phoenix.

Option 1: Free Walk-In Tickets

We reserved 100 tickets to hand out first-come first-served at the event. We will start handing out the tickets one per person at 5 pm. We will have a walk-in ticket table set up outside the west entrance to the TCA, the entrance closest to the theater. If you want one of these tickets, you must wait in the line outside the TCA entrance until we issue tickets.

Because there is a great demand for these tickets, we expect people to begin waiting in line well before the 5 pm hand out time. The volunteers at this table will keep a running count of the people in line. If we realize that we have more than 100 people in the line, we will use our Twitter account (@IgnitePhoenix) to announce this fact so you don’t come down if there is no chance to get a ticket.

You don’t have to have a Twitter account to read the Ignite Phoenix tweets. Click on this link to check the recent Ignite Phoenix tweets.

Option 2: Beg, Borrow or Buy An Advance Ticket

On October 16, we sold nearly 300 advance tickets to community members. Some people may have tickets that they can’t use. The TCA rules say that if someone with a ticket fails to show up the night of the event, the seat remains open. We cannot fill in open seats with people who were waiting in line for walk-in tickets.

If you have an advance ticket and you realize you can’t use it, it’s up to you to get your ticket into the hands of someone who can use it. We have seen many people successfully use Twitter to get rid of unwanted tickets. You can also bring any unused ticket to the theater that night and allow us to give it to someone waiting for a walk-in ticket. If you don’t share your unused ticket, there will be an empty seat in the theater.

You must bring your advance ticket for entrance to the theater. We don’t have any way to verify who purchased tickets. No ticket, no admission, and an empty theater seat for the show.

Option 3: Host An Ignite Phoenix Viewing Party

Can’t make it out? Didn’t get a ticket? Whatever the reason, if you are stuck at home, it doesn’t mean that you have to miss the Ignite Phoenix show. Simply go to our website (http://www.ignitephoenix.com/) and watch the event live streaming from our website front page. Invite a few friends over, plug your laptop into your plasma TV, and kick back with your friends for a great time watching the show on UStream from our website.