Vince Buscemi brought the style of Ignite Talks to Carroll County in 2013. Its event is well described by knowing the Talks that are given. Ignite Carroll 1 heard "A Smart APProach: How Woman Is Using Apps to Cope with Her Diagnosis" and "What a Cranky Old Man Learned About Love, Life and Social Media from Match.com" and "Everything I Needed to Know About Life I Learned from Hockey."
Ignite Carroll started on the stage of the Carroll County Arts Council and hosted there for many years. Ignite Carroll moved to the back room of an Eldersburg brewery in 2024 to move closer to the setting of its inspiration - a conversation in a bar.
The Ignite concept grew from an idea between two friends in a Seattle bar. Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis found themselves brainstorming ways to make events more engaging and accessible, and one night, their discussions evolved into a challenge that became the 5-minute, auto-advancing, 20-slide talk.
The brevity of 5-minutes is good for developing presentations that are succinct and tactful - because you only have 5-minutes to get the idea across. If the talk starts to go south, it's only 5 minutes and as an audience member... well, you've got just enough time to grab a drink... and as a speaker, it will be over soon enough!
The first Ignite event, held in 2006, drew a crowd of curious and enthusiastic individuals who came to hear great ideas. The same is true of the audience that comes to Ignite Carroll today. The energy in the room confirms they were onto something special, and what started as an experiment between two friends has evolved into a concept that inspires and challenges speakers worldwide - and right here in Carroll County.
