Ok So Fado wasn't the ideal venue for Ignite, lesson learned!
Where should we go next? What lucky bar should be graced with our presence? Where should we bring the 5 minute history of Rome, more Robots, and 'Lighting guy' stories!?
It's been Suggested Wynkoop's Upstairs, or the Irish Snug. Forest Room 5 if you recall was our first choice, but I don't think it'll fit either, so it's out. What else?
Gimme some ideas!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
The last time I was at Irish Snug, it seemed like it had a lot more of the high-energy bar crowd than it did when it first opened, so it might pose the same challenges to Ignite Denver as Fado did -- noise, and the message that the noise sends to attendees: "Feel free to talk amongst yourselves instead of listening to the presentation." (It's human nature -- nobody wants to be the first to start a loud conversation in a quiet setting, but commotion invites more commotion.)
I'm wondering if it's possible to get a private room at one of these venues that would provide a little more separation. Maybe some place a little outside of downtown would be more likely to have less high-energy partying (not that there's anything wrong with that) and private rooms (since real estate isn't sold by the square inch). I'm thinking about neighborhoods like Highland Square, Tennyson, the Santa Fe Art District, etc. It would be really cool to someday be able to rent a place like the Oriental Theater, but I suppose Ignite would need a few hundred more attendees to justify that. (That's not unrealistic, though -- Ignites can frequently draw crowds of 300-700.)
I may have missed it, but was there a slot in the schedule to acknowledge the sponsors? Ignites I've been to usually line the sponsors up, and give them 20-30 seconds of self-promotion each. Everyone from small-time bloggers to corporate giants like Intel give their condensed elevator pitch. I think encouraging sponsors is the key to covering the cost of the venue and other expenses.
@David
Good points. For the snug I was thinking the downstairs, only to us. Still might be upstairs noise, I'll have to check it out again. Wynkoop same thing, and we'd be unlikely to get the whole upstairs, though maybe.
Good ideas on the other areas, i'll see what I can find!
And yeah PDX draws 600ish if I'm not mistaken.
We did during intermission, but unfortunately it was no easier to hear them (him) than it was the speakers.
The first one taught me a lot so the next will rock way harder. You're right, giving the sponsors time to talk is key. I'll also be working on lining sponsors up earlier too so they get more website exposure etc.
Thanks to the great sponsors we had at Ignite Denver 1, we did cover all costs, so that was awesome! They rock!
The Irish Snug downstairs could work, if we had it to ourselves.
The Wynkoop actually has a lot of space besides the main area and upstairs. A friend of mine just reminded me about its Mercantile Room, where the monthly Colorado Cafe Scientifique meetings are usually held. You can see pictures here:
http://cafescicolorado.org/Pictures.htm
According to Cafe Sci's flyer, tonight's meeting is in the basement of the Wynkoop (the "Impulse Theater" area), so maybe that's yet another option.
@Dave,
yeah when I looked at it last, it woulda been all us, which would be sweet.
Excellent on the Wynkoop. I'll scope it out!
How about the new Landmark Theater down in Greenwood Village? They have a full bar and kitchen in the lobby. Even better would have been the Neighborhood Flix next to the Tattered Cover on Colfax, but they just closed ( see http://tinyurl.com/flix-nomore ).
I was down at Softpro on Thursday. They hadn't heard about the first Denver Ignite. Softpro might be interested in sponsorship of future local Ignites.
@floatingbones,
My only thing with the Landmark is DTC. That more or less precludes Boulder, at least I think it would.
We actually tried 'hood flix, but they wanted 2500 IIRC for the event to be there. Was a deal breaker unfortunately.
I'll have to check in with Softpro, would love to have them participate!
Thanks
@John
I lived in Boulder for many years and now live in Broomfield. The Landmark Theater at Belleview is just a tad farther than downtown Denver. Parking is free there, and navigation is easy. If someone is into alternate transportation, it's within walking distance of the Greenwood Village light rail station.
Too bad that 'Flix didn't work out. It's really sad that they are now closed.
Could you have a cover charge that could be used to buy food/drink at the lobby bar?
Softpro could also host mini-Ignites on Saturdays with 3 presentations or something like that. That could generate some buzz at their store.
I e-mailed a talk proposal to the gmail address. Did you read it?
The Pecha Kucha Night community ( http://www.pechakuchanightdenver.com/ ) uses the Buntport Theater at 7th and Lipan for its presentations. You might want to check with both those organizers and the theater.
BTW: I didn't know that Pecha Kucha existed until I told someone that I presented at Ignite Boulder and they mentioned a mutual friend who presented at the first PKD last March in Denver. PKs give you 20 seconds per slide, but, otherwise, the formats seem identical.
Good luck in finding a venue, John. Andrew Hyde found a good one for Boulder; it definitely helped having the event be successful.
Post a Comment