The first ever regional Ignite event will take place this Saturday, July 30, at The Fillmore in Detroit. Ignite Great Lakes will build on the success of over thirty Ignite events in the region including events held in Michigan, Ontario and Ohio. This event will feature fourteen of the best ignite presentations in the Midwest.

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.

Our Flickr group pool is starting to fill up with pictures from Ignite Detroit #1. Check them out below and be sure to add any photos you took that night!

You helped us promote it and the media listened.

The Detroit Hub, our sponsor and media partner, posted some really cool behind-the-scenes footage and plenty of photos. Even more stuff is on the way!

Check out this story from Channel 7′s Stephen Clark.

Time Magazine’s Detroit Project gave us some props, too!

Hey Igniters!  If you have tickets to Ignite Detroit #1, here is what you should know prior to showing up at the event:

Print your tickets.
In case you haven’t heard, Ignite Detroit is SOLD OUT.  Please print your ticket(s) off of Eventbrite and bring it to the event.  If you have reserved more than one ticket, please try to arrive with your entire party.

We will be collecting printed tickets at check-in… and recycling them.

Parking is available behind the Magic Stick.
Gated parking is available directly behind the Magic Stick.  The entrance is located off of Alexandrine St., which just south of the event.  Parking is $4, so bring cash.   There is also guarded parking located directly across Woodward.  The cost is $3.

Arrive early for great seats.
Seating at Ignite Detroit is first come, first serve.  The earlier you arrive, the better.  Doors open at 6:30pm.

Bar. Bar. Bar.
We will have a full bar at the event that accepts cash and credit cards.  The bar will be open all night, but we are asking the bartenders to cease service during presentations.  We want to try and cut down on side conversations so the speakers have your full attention.

There will be multiple intermissions throughout the night where you can grab additional cocktails.

Stay and hang out.
We have the event space all night, so feel free to hang out after the presentations.  We’ll make sure to open up the pool tables and keep the music playing.

Have tickets and can’t make it?  Let us know.
If you can’t make it to the event or want to give your tickets to someone else, E-mail brandonchesnutt@gmail.com with the details.  We’ll take the tickets off your hands and give them to someone who is dying to attend.

See you on Thursday night!

We’re looking for a few Michigan-based companies that might want to add something cool or unique to the gift bags we are giving out to our 16 speakers. Interested? Head over to our contact page and shoot us a note.

Wow. We seriously cannot thank you enough for rallying the community to help support Ignite Detroit.  In just one week, we garnered more than 4,000 votes from 1,100 voters. There were also a few unexpected surprises, such as a three-way tie for sixth place. As a result, we’ve made a few tweaks and expanded our speaking roster.

Here are your Ignite Detroit #1 speakers:

Something about Dopamine
Edward L. Platt
@EdwardLPlatt

Bite off less than you can spew.
Charlie Wollborg
@CharlieCurve

The TFLN Story: From Hungover to All Over
Benjamin Bator
@benbetter

Laid Off in 2009–The Silver Lining
Deb Schanilec
@blissmonger

Making Charity Personal – The New Standard
Ryan Doyle
@livetogive

The Official End of the World Survival Guide – 2012 Edition
David Murray
@davemurr

Growing Geekery Downtown
Jeff Sturges
@jeffsturges

How changing your car’s oil will make you a better car enthusiast
Christopher Baccus
@cbaccus

Attack of the 6’3 Woman (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Height)
Ashley Zaniewski
@ashannzan

Is That Fear or Excitement?
Austin Szelkowski
@Austin_Szelkow

How to deal with internet trolls
Brian Ambrozy
@primesuspect

Hamming it up
Andrew Herron
@kritikal

Never Too Many Cooks: Why Kids Need to Learn Their Way Around the Kitchen
Karen Evans
@karenevanstm

The re-education of the Disposable Worker
Hajj Flemings
@hajjflemings

Food Rx
Melissa Hui
@MelissaHui

If you have been selected as a speaker, you will receive a follow-up E-mail this week containing instructions and materials that will help you prepare for the event.  Note:  If you are a speaker and have already registered for the event, DO NOT give away your ticket.

Thank you to everyone that applied. If you were not selected this time, you’ll have another shot at Ignite Detroit #2!