Get fired up at Ignite Wilmington

June 15, 2009

WILMINGTON, June 15, 2009 — With a format that seems rather like Twitter on stage, the international Ignite event comes to Wilmington on Wednesday July 22. This event is the first of its kind for the state, bringing together technical and creative people for a night of rapid-fire presentations, laughs and sharing.

Up to 18 speakers will present in a structured, rapid-fire format, with each one armed with 20 Powerpoint slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds, giving the speaker just five minutes to talk passionately as they share information about their lives, their work or things they just plain enjoy. Ignite Wilmington #1 starts at 6.p.m. July 22 at The Archer Group’s Wilmington Studios, 233 King St

The presenters will cover a wide array of topics, ranging from living in San Francisco during the heyday of the dot-com era, going green with IT, photography, Wilmington architecture, home-brewing beer and more. Master of ceremonies for the program will be Mark Mobley, director of community engagement for the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. Interested speakers can submit ideas on the website, www.IgniteWilmington.com, where the list of presenters is regularly updated.

The Archer Group, a Wilmington-based interactive agency, decided to organize this event after witnessing it in other cities. “We loved the concept of getting the area’s Creative Class together to share ideas, explains Lee Mikles, Archer Group CEO. Best-selling author on urban studies, Richard Florida, coined the term “Creative Class” to represent knowledge-based workers, whom he feels are essential to the revitalization of cities.

“For the first event, we reached out to people we knew had interesting stories to tell. Our criteria was simple: would it appeal to the region’s Creative Class and would it be something we would love to hear about over a beer,” Mikles says. “I couldn’t think of a more perfect place to kick this off than in the heart of Wilmington’s Lower Market Design District, LOMA.”

Yes, beer will be served, along with finger foods, before the presentations start at 7 p.m.

“We’re trying to create a place where artsy-techy people can get together, enjoy themselves and celebrate excellence,” Mikles says.

Ignite Wilmington is cloning a format that was started in Seattle in 2006 and has been launched in dozens of cities since then. There are now thriving Ignite communities in Seattle, New York City, Paris and Portland, Ore., Mikles says.

Admission to Ignite Wilmington is free, but reservations are required, and attendance is limited to 150. To register, go to www.IgniteWilmington.com

Anyone interested in sponsoring or hosting an Ignite Wilmington program may call Mikles at 429-9120.