Event Start Time:
Doors for Ignite Detroit 3 will open at 6:00pm. Talks will begin at approximately 7:30pm.

Parking:
Parking at MotorCity Casino Hotel is free. However, we have a special section reserved for Ignite attendees in the OHIO lot. Look for signs outside.

Registration:
Our registration table will have the names of all attendees. There will be no need to print your registration confirmation (unless you buy tickets after 5:00pm on the day of the event). We do plan to sell additional tickets at the door.

It is VERY important that you bring your ID. This is a 21 and up event. There are no exceptions. Additionally, it is likely that everyone will be carded by MotorCity Casino Hotel security.

Internet / WiFi:
Feel free to bring laptops and tablets if you would like to blog or tweet from the event. We will have free WiFi available for your use. The hashtag for the event is #ignitedetroit. Cameras are also welcome!

Food and Drinks:
Ignite Detroit 3 will feature free food and a cash bar. Thanks to MotorCity Casino Hotel, we will also feature some cheap drink specials for attendees!

Event Schedule:
Ignite Detroit will feature three rounds of five speakers. To view the speaking order, please click here. During the talks, we ask that you give the presenters your full attention. While heckling is welcome (to a reasonable extent), side conversations are frowned upon.

We will take a 15-minute break in between rounds. During this time, feel free to chat or grab a drink refill. Additionally, during the break, attendees will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite talk of the round via text message. The top 3 talks (one from each round) will win special prizes courtesy of MotorCity Casino Hotel.

As a special added bonus, we will have local performers taking the stage during each break. To view the musical guests, please click here.

All talks should be complete and winners should be announced by 10:15pm.

After Party:
Once the winners are announced, the Ignite Detroit team and MotorCity Casino Hotel will be hosting an after party at the Overdrive bar just outside of Sound Board. Feel free to stick around and hear DJ Meph spin!

We’ll see you at Sound Board!

John, Norm, Sarah and Brandon
The Ignite Detroit Team

DJ La Jedi

Reppin’ Detroit to the Uni: Musician, Producer, Dj, Student, Servant to Spirit. Nearly 3 year’s experience supporting M.C.’s in Detroit and Nationwide, facilitating live performance, radio, open mics, cyphers, battles, breakin’ records and rockin’ crowds. Her Soul has been nurtured in Detroit…LaJedi’s work is express and expose the depth of her city’s groove to the world and enhance cross-cultural awareness in her community. Now, LaJedi is promoting the sound of her city through her “DETRIOT SONICLYZM” mixtape series, and raising awareness of Global Hip Hop Culture through her “RE:EVOLOVE! PEACE IS WITHIN.” mixes. Stay tuned for a future release featuring World Hip Hop Women. Funk with LaJedi, she loves and lives music. Dance your Divinity! Bump the Bottom! Now and Forever. PEACE. http://soundcloud.com/lajedi

DJ Mel Wonder

“Melephant” is an integral part of the 5 Elements Gallery open mic hip hop night that takes place Tuesdays at The Old Miami. Foundation celebrates and showcases women in hip hop, but also features open mic sessions, beat battles, poetry and a capella vocalists. Mel can also be found making guest appearances at various shows around the city, including DJ Dez Andres’ “The Bailout” Podcast. Born and raised in Detroit, her love for the city is only surpassed by her love for humanity, and she is actively involved in Detroit’s vibrant underground music community. http://twitter.com/djmel_wonder

Syphax

Whitney “Syphax” Walker hosts an open mic Poetry Slam every Tuesday night at Liv Resto Lounge in Greektown. She is a master of spoken word poetry, but also a talented a capella freestyle vocalist as well. Her lyrics are powerful, and bring a dynamic soul to the narrative of a recovering city.

Mz Jonz

Detroit’s own, Mz Jonz, emerged on to the music scene last year with her first independent release, H.ere O.n M.y O.wn(HOMO). Filled with production from her best friend, producer F.I.T.T. and Stresz of Da Skorchaz, it was received with critical acclaim and leaving the world wanting more. Teaming back up with. F.I.T.T. and west coast producer, The Architech, her new album slated for early winter will be even more explosive this time around. She is also part of Chozen 2(C2) with F.I.T.T., who will be releasing a new ep this summer! Check out her musical works at http://mzjonz.bandcamp.com and performances on http://www.youtube.com/mzjonz.

Here are the people who will be taking the stage next Wednesday, April 25, at Sound Board inside MotorCity Casino Hotel.

Round 1
1. The perils of imaginary lines (Charlie Wollborg)
2. Extra Pair of Underpants: Leadership Inside Out (Michelle Pallas)
3. Carfree Discounts – A Detroit Solution (Jon Koller)
4. Everyone Should Write a Book (Andrew Heaton)
5. Gurus are for people who drink wheatgrass or live in LA. (Jordan Miller)

Each of these speakers will have 5 minutes and 20 slides to educate, inform and entertain the crowd. With this awesome group of presenters, we’re expecting a great show!

Buy Tickets, Give to a Charity

Interested in seeing these fantastic talks? Tickets are still available for Ignite Detroit 3 for just $5.00 (plus Eventbrite fees). All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Detroit.

Click here to buy tickets in advance! We will also be selling tickets at the door (Credit Card only). Doors for the event open at 6:00 p.m. You must be 21+ to attend.

But Wait, There’s More:

There’ll be some free food, reasonably priced drinks, and lots of great talks given throughout the night.  Oh, and don’t forget the after-party at Overdrive at MotorCity Casino Hotel.

Buy Your Tickets Now for an Awesome Event to Benefit a Great Local Charity!

We’ll see you next week!

– The Ignite Detroit Team

Once voting is over, be sure to buy your tickets ahead of time before the event for easy registration at the door. We know some of you might be waiting to see who is speaking before you purchase, and that’s OK. Tickets will be on sale all the way up through the day of the event.

Hotel Room Special

We know how much the Ignite crowd loves to drink, and we encourage everyone to do so responsibly. This is why MotorCity Casino Hotel is offering a special rate to stay in one of their luxurious rooms for only $89. Space is limited, so make your reservation today!

Stay tuned, we will be announcing musical guests very soon.

BUY TICKETS NOW!
Tickets for Ignite Detroit 3 are now on sale. To register, click here!

Just a quick reminder: tickets for Ignite Detroit 3 are $5.00 (plus Eventbrite fees). 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities. This means that your support will not only get you access to a fun and entertaining evening, but also support a great cause.

VOTE FOR YOUR IGNITE DETROIT 3 SPEAKERS
This year, we received 22 great submissions. Now, you get to help us pick who takes the stage at Ignite Detroit 3. Each voter will receive 6 votes that can be distributed in any format. The 10 talks with the most votes will take the stage on April 25th. The organizers will also select 5 speakers.

Voting ends on Tuesday, April 17th. Speakers will be announced on Wednesday, April 18th.

To vote, visit our UserVoice page here.

Thanks again to UserVoice for your ongoing support!

First, we are excited to announce Ronald McDonald House Charities Detroit as our charity partner for Ignite Detroit 3!

The Ronald McDonald House of Detroit provides housing for families with critically ill children at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. The charity fulfills its mission by providing a home-away-from-home for families of children in treatment; managing programs that help deliver health services to children in under served communities and providing support to organizations for programs that help children live happier, healthier lives.

100% of the ticket proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House of Detroit.

Second, we have extended the deadline for topic submissions to Sunday, April 8th. While we’ve already received some amazing speaking topics, we have been asked to extend the deadline. This will give everyone more time to submit their topics, but be sure to get them in before 12:00am, Monday April 9th.

Last, we still have a few details to work out on our end before we can start actually selling tickets for the event. Please be patient with us as we work this out. A post will go up as soon as tickets are available.

Get ready for another night of fun! We promise to deliver another great event of presentations and entertainment, and we look forward to seeing you all there.

MotorCity Casino Hotel has been nothing short of amazing and has provided us with an incredible space used by some of the world’s most popular entertainers. Help us say thanks by heading over to Facebook or Twitter and letting MotorCity Casino Hotel know that you appreciate their support of our community!

Submit Speaking Topics NOW

The call for speakers is now open through April 8th and will close at 12:00am on April 9th. To submit a topic, visit our speaking page. Before submitting your topic, please read the speaker guidelines. The topic description you submit WILL be used for public voting, so make it count!

Oh, and if you spoke at Ignite Detroit #2, we are going to ask that you sit this one out so others have a chance to speak. We will gladly accept new topic submissions from you for Ignite Detroit #4

Speakers will be announced on April 4th.

Any questions? Contact Us.

1. Hubert Sawyers III – “Cool as Ice?” Universal Life Lessons to Learn from Vanilla Ice’s Folly
2. Adam Kempa – Time Travel for Lazy People
3. Laura Farms – You Like Trivial Things, And That’s Okay!
4. Dave Linabury – How I Beat a Billion Dollar Company with My Blog
5. Leslie Blackburn – Transformation from Engineer to Sacred Sexual Healer: Learning to Let Go!

Hubert Sawyers III – “Cool as Ice?” Universal Life Lessons to Learn from Vanilla Ice’s Folly

Adam Kempa – Time Travel for Lazy People

Laura Farms – You Like Trivial Things, And That’s Okay!

Dave Linabury – How I Beat a Billion Dollar Company with My Blog

Leslie Blackburn – Transformation from Engineer to Sacred Sexual Healer: Learning to Let Go!

You may recognize two Ignite Great Lakes presenters from Ignite Detroit; Dixon’s Violin and Evelyn Chou, and Alex Manwell will be talking about Hostel Detroit in place of Emily Doerr. The event is also tied in with Maker Faire Detroit, a convention of hackers, crafters and makers of all kinds. Maker Faire will be held at The Henry Ford on Saturday July 30th and Sunday July 31st.

The evening will kick off with a MAKE contest, challenging teams of audience members to build a bristlebot, which is a miniature robot made out of a toothbrush and a vibrating motor from a cell phone. Once the bristlebots are completed, they will be raced down one of four tracks. After that, participants will be encouraged to use craft items like glitter and googly eyes to spruce up their bristlebots.

The event will also be streamed live. Check the website for more details, or register to attend for free on the eventbrite page.

We hope to see fans of Ignite Detroit come out to support the regional Ignite event, as well as our fellow Ignite Detroit presenters.

1. Daniel Eizans – Bringing Game Models To The Workplace
2. Dan Redford – The Glocal Life
3. Evelyn Chou – China’s No Panda Express
4. James Lu – Social Entrepreneur
5. Henry Balanon - Dad’s Guide on How to Handle the Birth of Your First Child

Daniel Eizans – Bringing Game Models To The Workplace

Dan Redford – The Glocal Life

Evelyn Chou – China’s No Panda Express

James Lu – Social Entrepreneur

Dad’s Guide on How to Handle the Birth of Your First Child