What is Ignite?

Presenters must work within a unique framework.

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• 5 Minutes

  Every Ignite talk lasts 5 minutes. No more, no less. Talk about anything you are passionate about, but get to the point, and get there quick.

• 20 Slides

  The majority of audiences are visual learners, so slides with interesting imagery are a key element of why Ignite talks are so engaging.

• 15 Seconds

  Slides auto-advance every 15 seconds, so you must be clear and concise with your words. Focus on making every word count.

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 Constraints challenge speakers to be creative. 

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How did Ignite Talks start?

The short answer is: it started with geeks—a mix of men and women talking about geeky subjects—and quickly became more broadly appealing. Two friends, Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis, wanted to throw an event in Seattle that was a combination of a DIY icebreaker and a series of fast, geek talks. The first event was in December 2006. They threw a second event in February 2007. Then in April 2007 they did one in San Francisco. It happened that several of the audience members were attending a conference called Web 2.0 at that time. One of them did a writeup in CNET about the event and that’s when it started really growing. The first other Ignite Talks event they heard about was Ignite Des Moines.

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Since then, Ignite Talks have been hosted on a variety of topics in cities, at community centers, at schools, and at conferences.