We’ve come a long way, baby.
Above all else, IgniteOKC is about introducing people from a
wide variety of professions and backgrounds to something new in their
community. It’s about informing
people and making connections that benefit everyone involved. People
should come to IgniteOKC
expecting to learn something new – whether it’s hearing about new
research,
becoming a foster parent, or playing the best game of Monopoly, ever.
With
Oklahoma City’s second Ignite event just over two weeks away, let’s take
a
moment to reflect on the trip up to this point.
In
September 2009, a few members of our leadership team
(some unknown to each other at the time) attended Oklahoma’s first ever
Ignite
event at the Blue Dome Diner in Tulsa.
Inspired by the presentations and our Ignite Tulsa compatriots, Emily
Campbell organized a meeting to start planning IgniteOKC.
Several
people heeded Emily’s call to action, and before
long IgniteOKC was a reality. The
group’s goal for IgniteOKC 1 was modest – we hoped to have a fun time
with 150
attendees – but the Oklahoma City community far exceeded our wildest
expectations. All 280 tickets were
gone in a couple of days, and we live-streamed the event to 156 people
who
couldn’t make it. The Daily
Oklahoman even covered IgniteOKC with a couple of interviews and videos
on
newsok.com.
It
was a smashing success by all accounts. Nonetheless, the leadership
crew came
up with a couple of changes to make IgniteOKC 2 even better:
- We’ll have some general admission tickets available at the door on a first come, first serve basis.
- We’ll be livestreaming the event in HD for those who can’t make it.
- Midwest Media will host an official pre-party for IgniteOKC, and serve as the party spot for those who didn’t get tickets.
- We’ll have a cocktail hour and time for networking before the event instead of a band.
- We’re selling IgniteOKC t-shirts to help pay for IgniteOKC 3.
- Big Truck Tacos will be hanging out near the Lyric Theater in case you get hungry during or after the event.
A
few things were too good to change
– Iguana Grill will once again serve some great food and alcoholic
beverages
and Café Evoke will be there to satisfy the caffeine addicts.
Finally,
it goes without saying that IgniteOKC wouldn’t be
possible if it weren’t for the Oklahoma City community and our generous
sponsors. Thank you for all the
talk submissions, reTweets, and helpful suggestions along the way. We
can’t wait to see what’s going to
Ignite OKC next!
