Archive for the '2008' Category

Additional Speakers Added to Ignite Des Moines Lineup!

(again, in alphabetical order by last name)

Position Yourself for Success, Brant Ausenhus

Success comes in many forms and it’s different for everyone. It doesn’t just pertain to one’s career, but extends to life outside work. You can position yourself for success by addressing three key questions:

1) What is success to me?

2) What is my strategy for achieving success?

3) How do I put my strategy into action?

This presentation will address each question and provide tips for answering them. Each audience member will walk away with a better understanding of success and how to achieve it.

-Brant is a young professional, a husband, a new father, a marketer, an entrepeneuer and a native Iowan. He’s passionate about great ideas and success in all its forms.  Brant works for a marketing services agency and recently launched Leadership Pursuit, a professional development organization for young professionals in the Des Moines area.

Nerd Herding, Tony Bibbs

Why complicate a tech company up anymore than you need to?  For employers, finding top notch talent can be a daunting job.  How can you find and convince the best talent to work for you? For job seekers you need to find a way to stand out as the alpha geek.  To cover both angles I’ll explain why the best jobs are discovered, not applied for and show you how to use “social” methods and the spirit of the open source philosopy to your advantage.

-Tony is a software architect at the State of Iowa, a blogger, and owns Apteno L.C. a software shop specializing in low-cost solutions based on open source software.  He has experience in government, agriculture, aerospace, insurance, marketing and mortgage industries.

Homelessness in Des Moines: Why You Should Care, Claire Celsi

There is a burgeoning homeless population in our great city. Why do our city council and business leaders constantly delay the solutions by ordering “studies?” Get the real scoop on the underlying problems and solutions.

-Claire is a Des Moines native and public relations professional. She is a single mother of two teenage daughters of whom she adores. Claire also runs DemoSoapBox.com.

20 Things Des Moines Needs Now!, Nathan T. Wright

Des Moines has come a long way in the last 5 years, but we still have some work to do. Here are 20 things Des Moines needs NOW to stay relevant.

-Nathan is a Social Media Strategist and the founder of Lava Row.

Initial Speaker Lineup for Ignite Des Moines Talks

This is our initial list of speakers for Ignite Des Moines.  The full list will be posted after the proposal submission process is over on October 27th.

(listed alphabetically by last name)

Networking for Nerds, Justin Brady

Every day more and more business owners appear in Des Moines. Many of these business owners work in the digital world and although they are good at what they do, they are unsure how to take their business to the next level through sales or relationships. This talk will help them engage their audience and form lasting business relationships that in turn bring in more money, and better business.

-Justin is the sales and marketing guy at Blue Coast Graphics, an offset printer in West Des Moines. He graduated from Northwestern College, and double majored in Graphic Design and Bible. He started a freelance design business and also worked in the hospitality industry which led him down to Iowa, where he was responsible for opening the new Holiday Inn at Jordan Creek. After spending a year in Des Moines hotels, Justin was lured away to work for Blue Coast Graphics.

Hyperlocal Localization, Andy Brudtkuhl

Discussing the trends of localization on the web, how it can be accomplished, how it is powered, and what direction it is going.

-Andy is the Chief Web Guru at 48Web, a Des Moines, IA based web strategy and consulting firm.

How to Keep Your Business Out of Court, Rush Nigut

Simple ways to protect your business and stay out of expensive litigation.

-Rush is a business lawyer with Brick Gentry, P.C.

10 Legal Issues That May Shut Down Your Website, Brett Trout

Website owners and developers are often in the dark when it comes to online legal issues. Many simple stick their heads in the sand until a lawsuit arrives. This talk highlights some of the most common legal problems associated with websites.

-Brett is a patent attorney, MMA fighter, and motorcycle racer.

Egg Catapult Test #1

Jimmy Mounsdon tests his catapult design in this video.  Enter the contest to have your egg container put to the test!

Egg Catapult Contest Rules And Information

Objective

Your mission is simple: create a container that will save an egg from being annihilated when a catapult launches it against an immoveable wall!

Theme

In honor of our gracious contest sponsor, SmartyPig, this years theme for containers will be piggy banks. 

Prize Categories

Best Overall - $50 SmartyPig Gift Card - Lightest container that successfully defends the egg from breaking.

Best Themed - $25 SmartyPig Gift Card - Container that best incorporates elements of the theme as judged by a small panel of judges.

Best Concept - $25 SmartyPig Gift Card - Container that exuded ingenuity and technical prowess but fell short when launched. Judged by a small panel of judges.

Rules

  1. Design and build a container for an egg which will keep the egg from breaking when launched from a catapult into a wall.
  2. The egg must not break. Cracks are considered breaks.
  3. There is no fee to enter.
  4. Anyone can enter. One container per entrant.
  5. Each contestant will be given one Grade A Large egg.
  6. Container must be built in a way that egg my be removed quickly (30 seconds) after launched for examination.
  7. Must be able to be launched from a standard 11″x13″ cakepan.
  8. Containers not able to be launched are not eligible for prize consideration.
These rules were adapted from the ASME Rules for an Egg Throwing Contest.

Similar Contest Video Footage via YouTube

If you have any questions leave a comment and we will try to clarify things for you!

Announcing Ignite Des Moines Featuring the 2008 Iowa Web Awards

Event Info

Schedule

5:30pm - 6:00pm     Egg Catapult Container Registration
6:00pm - 6:30pm     Egg Catapult + Egg Containers on Display
6:30pm - 7:00pm     Egg Catapult put into ACTION.
7:00pm - 8:15pm     Ignite Presentations
8:15pm - 9:00pm     Impromptu “150 Second Expert” Presentations

Egg Catapult Contest

Your mission is simple: create a container that will save an egg from being annihilated when a catapult launches it against an immoveable wall!
Official Rules and Information

Ignite Presentations

  • 20 slides that are automatically advanced every 15 seconds for a 5 minute presentation
  • Presenters will give a talk based on their submitted proposal.
  • An Iowa Web Award is announced between speakers
  • Proposals for Talks will still be accepted until noon on October 27.
  • The initial list of speakers and topics will be announced October 20. Additional accepted talks will be announced October 27.

Impromptu “150 Second Expert” Presentations

  • Ignite organizers scour the net beforehand to find random wacky presentations
  • Participants volunteer to become an expert for a random Powerpoint presentation
  • Speaker adlibs for 10 slides auto rotating every 15 seconds
  • An Iowa Web Award is announced between speakers