Ignite Survey Results and Thoughts
About a month ago, we created a survey designed to bring the Ignite Baltimore audience into our decision making process. We wanted to get a sense of what was working and what wasn't, and what we could do to improve before IB5 in March. Over 150 of you responded, and in doing so offered us a wealth of insight and information. We're quite grateful for that, and we want you to know that we're listening.
In looking through both the data and the written responses, certain key points emerged. We thought it would be a good idea to share them and let you know what's on our minds. Please note that this analysis doesn't account for every last critique or answer every single question. Rather, it's intended to summarize the issues that came up most often and seemed to have the most broad-based impact.
The new location at the Walters is a mixed bag. Some praised it, some spoke against it. On the whole the reaction is that it's OK. We recognize that it's not perfect, but we also think there are things we can do to make it better for the next go-round.
Specifically, the biggest problem we found was dissatisfaction with the Audio/Visual component of the presentations. Many folks remarked that they had trouble hearing and/or seeing at IB4. We're working with the Walters to improve this. Same goes for seating, the second biggest issue with the new location. We plan to make more seats available next time, although it's important to note that it won't be physically possible to have seats for every attendee.
Fixing the A/V and seating issues should go a long way to improving the impression of the Walters as a venue, but we'll continue to evaluate things based on what we see at IB5.
The registration/waiting list process is a little bit too confusing.
We've already developed a plan to simplify this and hopefully make it easier on everybody. Stay tuned for full details.There's a strong backlash against advertising and/or marketing from the stage. This came up time and again, and we totally agree. Ignite talks should be about ideas, not about promoting an individual agenda. We'll be making an extra effort in advance of IB5 to weed out any talks that lean in this direction.
The quality of the presentations is iffy at times. Giving a presentation at Ignite is not an easy thing. It's a high-pressure format and we hope that the audience can show some understanding if a speaker stumbles here or there. That said, we want to put on an engaging show. To that end we plan to offer rehearsal opportunities in the future, and also make more advice, tips, and coaching available to speakers in advance of the big night.
We received plenty of feedback that isn't directly accounted for above. Some of it was very specific, some of it very general. We've listened to it all and we're thankful for everyone who took the time to offer it. If you have a comment or concern that's important but isn't addressed here, get in touch with us or leave a comment below.
Thanks as always for being a part of the Ignite Baltimore community. We're stoked about seeing you all again in March.
