The final 18 presentations for Ignite Phoenix #4 are listed below, and trying to select the final list from the 73 amazing submissions we received was very, very difficult.
Keeping with our strong push to have as diverse of a lineup as possible, we had 9 different “judges” pick their top 25 presentations then averaged the rankings across the board. The reason for the quotation marks is because 8 judges were individuals, but the 9th judge was the input from the community via our UserVoice voting. This helped us make sure the most popular audience presentations got heavily considered, but kept it balanced against things like vote stuffing.
A few tidbits from the final results:
- No two judges selected the same top presentation.
- No presentation that made the lineup was on every judge’s list.
- Every judge had presentations they voted for that didn’t make the lineup at all.
- A single point (out of 234) separated the presentations that did and did not make the list. It was that tight.
What this means is that we have an extremely robust list that is not what any one one person would select… which is perfect! Ignite Phoenix should always be a mix of things you wanted to see, and things you didn’t think you cared about. That’s where the discovery happens.
The one downside is the one we always have – a lot of people submitted fantastic ideas that didn’t make it in. We only have 18 slots, so it is entirely a matter of quantity – not quality. I want to offer a huge, sincere thank-you to everyone who submitted. It is that support that keeps Ignite going, and I hope that many people submit again for Ignite #5!
| Topic | Presenter |
| Awesome Discoveries (about my) Hyperactivity Disorder | Joey Robert Parks |
| Big Numbers | Evo Terra |
| Building custom Wii-powered desktop programs | James Britt |
| But we paid for it! | Matt Wynn |
| Capoeira: The Art of Survival | Pamela Slim |
| Grow Your Community To Death | Jade Meskill |
| How to travel to space and still be home in time for dinner. | Greg Stiles |
| Let’s Grow Up! : Food Security in Urban Phoenix | Nicholas DiBiase |
| Passing Notes 2.0 | Katie Charland |
| Personal Growth Through Travel: Case Study Nepal | Robyn LaMont |
| Sun Tzu: The Art of…Business? | Preston Lee |
| The Astrolabe: The First Computer (or “Hello World!” on the Astrolabe) | Howard Covitz |
| The Beginning of the End of Institutional Education | Jon Rodis |
| The Cargo Cult of Entrepreneurship | CJ Cornell |
| The Power of Fail – Failure Is Not Only an Option But the Best Course of Action | Leo Godin |
| The Women Who Rock Phoenix | Cynthia Paulson |
| What happens to your body after you die | Stacy Holmstedt |
| Why Every High School in Arizona Should Have a Robotics Team | Faridodin “Fredi” Lajvardi |
See you at the TCA!
More from Ignite Phoenix
- Announcing the incredible lineup for Ignite Phoenix #6!
- Tickets for Ignite Phoenix 5
- Ignite Phoenix 4 – Recap and notes
- Hello world!
- Ignite Phoenix lineup announced!
Ignite Phoenix Recommends
- The Next Ignite: June 24th (Ignite Vancouver)
- TEDxPhoenix 2009 Speaker Lineup Announced! (TEDxPhoenix)
- Phoenix WordCamp will be broadcasted live! (Phoenix WordCamp)
![Recommend [IgnitePhoenix: Ignite Phoenix]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/arkayne-media/img/badge/logo-recommend-badge-large.png){kind=icon}
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Out of curiosity, who were the judges?
since im one of the LOSERS, id love to see how much of a loser i was with the vote totals. is that a possibility?im bitter about not getting picked. but that only means im submitting 5 ideas of Ignite Phoenix #5 and they will all crush it! in the infamous words of Fredo…”I can handle things, I’m smart, not like everybody says. Not dumb, I’m smart, and I want respect!”
It was a few of the core Ignite team, and some new people who have attended/presented at Ignite previously. We try to get different backgrounds (tech people, biz, social, etc) to ensure they will have different likes from the mix.
But I shy away from listing the names to avoid any “did you vote for me” questions and putting anyone on the spot. Just like we don’t release any of the final ranking. It’s not meant to be a popularity contest.
But I am happy to talk with anyone about the overall voting process, how we do it, the tools we use, etc.
@bret – There are no losers in the submission process, but this is exactly why it is my least favorite part of the process. There are only 18 slots open, and when we get 73 submissions there are a LOT of good people we have to tell didn’t make the list.
It isn’t a question of Good or Bad, even. Sometimes it is just that one topic really clicks with people, so gets voted high. Sometimes we’ll see trends – like several Green presentations – then nothing the next time around. I often hope people resubmit their same idea for the next Ignite, just because so many of them are really, really good.
This is the long way of saying No, we’re not releasing the vote totals. We do not want this to be a popularity contest. As I said in the blog, though, the votes were really close for a tone of the submissions.
But you’ve got exactly the right idea – keep submitting! If you’ve got a great idea, get it in the mix for #5!
@Jeff Moriarty@jeff…totally understand not posting that. i asked mainly for vanity’s sake. dont worry, ive already brianstormed my first submission for #5.
but i do reserve the right to heckle you any and all times you are on stage for #4. its only fair. JK!