And man are we tired.
We had a small but enthusiastic turn out for the first Princeton Ignite. With 60 registrations we ended up with 20 no-shows (?! – we think the price point of $0 might be to blame) and over 10 walk-ins.
We started out with a variant on a Make: – build a product out of used business cards and try to sell it inside the room for money. (It was our nod to a crap economy. We decided to create our own.) The winner was an eco-friendly mousetrap which someone paid $5 for! (See photo) Other products offered included: a set of business card holders made from…business cards, an Ignite Innovation card game, and a very large smart phone / business card holder that attaches to your belt. A great way to break the ice and get people in the mood for sharing and fun. (Photos to be posted shortly.)
We had a small slate of presenters this time around, only 8, but we made up for it with the variety of subjects from Healthcare Innovation, to Cocktail Napkin Project Management, and a view of Einstein’s Princeton among them. We also included two rounds of Ignite Karaoke (with a huge debt of gratitude to Alistair Croll forpassing along the karaoke slide decks) which was a genius inclusion demanding audience participation. People were clamoring for more – so we finished out the evening with one of those, too.
The venue was excellent (we used a hotel in the heart of Princeton – the Nassau Inn). The staff were great, easy to work with, and I’d use the venue again.
By the time all was said and done, people were hanging out for another 45 minutes after the event ended still talking (always a good sign). And as they leaving nearly everyone asked when the next one was going to be.
We hope to have some photos and videos posted soon. Thanks to all who came out – we might have to do this again!
Ignite Princeton 
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