The Ignite Game

There are all sorts of games that you can play to make a conference more interesting. While I wasn't enamored with the whole marketing free thing, I had better feelings about unconferences, although when I presented at a 2008 unconference myself I had to be a little...um, agile about the presentation title.

Around that time (specifically, in 2006), a new parlor game came along called Ignite.

Imagine that you’re in front of an audience made up of your friends, family, and people from your community, about to present a 5-minute talk on the thing you’re most passionate about. You’ve brought 20 slides, which advance every 15 seconds whether you’re ready or not. You have a few last-minute butterflies, but off you go—and the crowd loves it. Welcome to Ignite.

Nine years later, Ignite has either entered the mainstream or jumped the shark - take your pick. The Association of Proposal Management Professionals included eight Ignite presentations in its 2015 conference, and plans to include ten in its 2016 conference.