Ignite Lincoln

Submit Your Presentation

Enlighten us Lincoln,
but make it quick.

Ignite: The Idea

Ignite Lincoln is the beginning of a set of inspiring talks from Lincoln’s greatest minds. Each speaker has just five minutes and twenty slides to speak their mind.

Call For Presenters

Ignite Lincoln is now looking for people who have a passion and love to talk about it. The event features fast-paced, 5-minute presentations, and is turning to the community to provide some enlightened local entertainment.

Lincoln residents are invited to submit presentations about any topic in which they are enthusiastic. Chosen proposals will be presented on stage in front of an audience on April 29 at the Bourbon Theatre.

The Ignite format consists of giving each of the 16 presenters 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds following the motto of “enlighten us, but make it quick.” Speakers can come from all backgrounds, including entrepreneurs, technologists, do-it-yourselfers, creative professionals, and enthusiastic knowledge-seekers.

Past participants have discussed such topics as how to use the local library, saving the whales, and running a business the Mario Brothers way.

Ignite Lincoln is part of a series of global events. Ignite started in Seattle in December, 2006 as a way for people to share their ideas with their local community. Since then, over 200 Ignite events have been shared all over the world. Talks range from playing dirty in Scrabble to being a refugee. This will be Lincoln’s first Ignite.

Presentation topics are due March 1. The event will take place at the Bourbon Theatre, 1415 O Street from 6 to 8 PM. Tickets are free. Full details about Lincoln’s 1st semi-annual event are available at http://ignitelincoln.org.

About the event organizers

Justin McDowell is Ignite Lincoln’s organizer. Having organized several successful small-scale events, he decided to take the reins on a city-wide project that would bring inspiration and goodwill to Lincoln’s community. His alter ego is a web designer for the Arbor Day Foundation and he also maintains his own website at revoltpuppy.com.

Recently having finished his masters in theoretical ecology, Aaron Alai is volunteering for the Ignite Lincoln event because it parallels his main interest.  He is passionate about bridging the information gap between professionals and the general public.  He typically uses physical computing to educate the public but wants to learn more about different avenues of getting the general public interested in learning.

Beckie Albee brings her marketing, event planning and volunteer experience to Ignite Lincoln.  She loves living in Lincoln and is passionate about community involvement.  She was excited to volunteer with Ignite Lincoln because it’s a great opportunity for community members to come together, share new ideas, inspire others and entertain.  By day, Beckie works as Communications Coordinator for the Nebraska 4-H Foundation.

Ali Schwanke is an avid marketing professional and entrepreneur.  She spends her time planning and executing marketing strategies for Leadership Resources.  She is also the owner of alisonanne.com, where she freelances photography and marketing consulting.  Ali is passionate about sharing creative ideas and engaging the community of Lincoln through Ignite Lincoln and similar types of events.

Rachael Wells is an environmental artist whose day job is an Organic Certification Specialist. She is passionate about participating in and exploring the diversity of Lincoln.  This Lincoln enthusiast joined Ignite in hopes of showing all those naysayers what this city is all about.

Ellen Wright recently returned from a year long stay in France where she taught English to young precocious high school and college students. During her time abroad, she was privy to many local, engrossing speeches and discussions that both entertained and pushed her frame of thinking.  Looking to share a similar enlightening process with the city of Lincoln, Ms. Wright joined Ignite Lincoln.