Written by: Dwayne W. Waite Jr. www.charlotteagency.com @DwayneWa
There are several parts that make an Ignite event awesome:
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The audience.
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The volunteers.
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The venue.
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And last, but certainly not least, the speakers.
We hunted down some of the speakers from Ignite Charlotte 1 to tell us about their experience. Here’s what they had to say (thankfully, no bribes were necessary. Ignite Charlotte is a non-profit, after all):
Jim Van Fleet: “I’ve been excited about Charlotte’s potential for a long time, and participating in [Ignite Charlotte] has proven to me that this city has everything it needs to meet the 21st century head on. I would encourage anyone to share their big idea in this format for this audience. My experience as a speaker was incredible and unforgettable, and I’m humbled to have shared a stage with my co-presenters.”
See his talk, “Startup Culture in Charlotte” here.
David Wells: “Ignite Charlotte was a great experience because it helped my company Socialize Your Cause gain more traction in the local community and it also gave me an excellent opportunity to work on my public speaking skills! The format is a bit frightening at first but with a little practice you can make it work.”
Congrats to David on taking his talent to Hubspot! See his talk, “Socializing Your Cause” here.
Rajeev Kulkarni: “Ignite Charlotte was the perfect event to learn, have fun, and interact with individuals with ideas and as a speaker, put forth my own ideas in a succinct manner. Overall, an adrenaline rush and an enriching experience!”
See his talk, “Creativity Breeds Creativity” here.
Jason Silverstein: “For me, Ignite [Charlotte] was all about the passionate speakers and audience members. I truly appreciated seeing how much vision and experience was being shared openly and with no expectations. A truly fantastic event!”
See his talk, “Technology, Food,and You” here.
Bermon Painter: “It was great to be part of the first Ignite Charlotte. The event was well-organized and had a nice variety of topics. I learned a lot, enjoyed the night and got to meet lots of other like-minded people in the area.”
See his talk, “Jack of All Trades, Master of Many” here.
Patrick E. McClean: “ It was a wonderful experience, not just presenting, but getting to meet so many interesting passionate people. If you are curious and you like learning new things, Ignite Charlotte is the event for you.”
See his talk, “Where Ideas Come From” here.
Warren Cooksey: “I appreciate the opportunity Ignite Charlotte gave me to share in a very compact manner the knowledge of how citizens can be more involved with their government. While I hope to have the chance to speak on a different topic at Ignite Charlotte 2, even if I don’t there’s no way I would miss it.”
See his talk, “How to be a Citizen Lobbyist” here.
But they are sooo last summer. We can’t wait to hear the ideas, topics, and themes that Ignite Charlotte 2 has in store.
