We’re sorry

There were a few presentations at Ignite 19 that many of you (and us) felt came across as pitches. We are truly sorry about this, and promise to do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Why it happened:

• Our previous leaders Andrew and Ef were very good at being strict with speakers about no pitching. We had not had any issues in recent Ignites, and it was not something we focused on as organizers for Ignite 19.
• We have a practice night before each Ignite and the presentations were entirely free of pitches.
• During practice night, I (Ryan Wanger) told one of the speakers it would be okay to mention the name of their app during their talk. This was a mistake as it sent a message to the speakers that we were not maintaining our previously strict “no pitching” policy.

How we’ll be avoiding pitches in the future:

• Be explicit and strict about our no-pitching policy at during practice night.
• Any speaker who pitches will be cut off mid-presentation.
• We always review the final slides before the show, but this time one of our organizers will be explicitly tasked with removing any suspicious slides.

Thanks to all who attended Ignite 19, and especially those who filled out the survey and/or brought this issue up with the organizers in person.

~Ryan (and the Ignite Organizers)