Recap Ignite Boulder 13

It’s impossible to go wrong with a dancing bear. Another sure-fire crowd pleaser? A large man dressed up in full-on drag. People love that shit. The crowd at Ignite Boulder 13 sure ate it up.

Ignite is a public speaking event. Presenters get five minutes to elucidate the audience on a topic of their choice, using slides. Sounds as dull as a typical corporate retreat, doesn’t it? It’s not. It’s livened up by the rigid, brisk format—20 slides, each of which auto-rotates every 15 seconds. No stopping, no slowing down, no mercy. Lose your place? Stumble over your words? Forget a point? Too fucking bad. Next!

The real thing that keeps it entertaining (and educational, too) is the incredible passion the presenters bring to the podium. When Jason Janelle took the stage in full drag and proceeded to explain his process of transformation and the reason for it (a bachelorette party he couldn’t bear to miss), it was simultaneously inspirational, engaging, and hilarious.

Similarly, when the aforementioned dancing bear—none other than Smokey himself—came in during a history of wildfire management in the U.S., it took what could have been a dull subject and gave it some real laughs. Presentations on James Bond’s (and, by extension, everyone else’s) risk of contracting various STDs, why corporate brainstorm sessions are bullshit, and the evolution of language from Shakespeare to Twitter all made a mark with witty insights, killer visual aids, and unusual perspectives.

Oh, and there’s the crowd, too—more or less polite, but willing to let you know if your presentation is losing them. Catcalls rang out from time to time, but it rarely felt out of line. Sometimes a good jeer or two was just what a presentation—or presenter—needed. It’s a participatory event—the presenters are all volunteers, most of whom attended a previous Ignite event and said, “Hey, I could do that!” And most of us were dressed to the nines in honor of the event’s winter formal theme—top hats were surprisingly common.

By the end of most presentations, enough knowledge was imparted to know whether the subject is something you’d want to pursue further. The best presentations were like a sublime blend of motivational speech, fascinating news article, and solid stand-up comedy bit. The worst presentations—well, they were over in five minutes.