Last night I made the oh-so-long trek from Boulder to Denver for Ignite Denver 7, and it was definitely worth it! While there were many reasons I went (my friend Will had an extra ticket, James was speaking, wanted to see Denver peeps) the biggest reason I went was to experience what a smaller Ignite crowd was like again. After the last Ignite in Boulder I realized how much I missed attending the smaller, more intimate Ignites.  Chautauqua is gorgeous and I am sure it is an amazing place to see a band, but I just felt so removed from the community and the sparks at Ignite 11. I know that many others really enjoyed the bigger venue and more people, and I can appreciate that but I cannot wait for it to be back at the Boulder Theatre (well, I hope it makes it back).

At Ignite Denver I had the pleasure of meeting a ton of great people, including @bigcatjared, @datingdad, @tcabeen, @kyleindenver, @lloyddobbler (and many more that I am sure I am forgetting – sorry!)  and was able to catch up with others that I have not seen in ages like @trypnotik, @gpelz, @jim @redheadwriting, @tekee, @joshclauss etc.

Mingling in the lobby of the Oriental was great although it was a bit loud, but I really wish that all of the Ignites would stop having a band play during intermission. Personally I feel that if I want to go to a concert, I would go to a concert but I go to Ignite to meet people and talk and watch the sparks. I end up just feeling really sorry for the bands that do end up playing as they seem to be ignored for the most part.

I know there are many people from Boulder who do not make it to Denver for various reasons, but I am glad I did and was able to experience Ignite Denver. There were some really great presentations last night!

The sparks I enjoyed most were @yosoykia‘s “Down in Denver, down in Denver. All I did was die,” @TalkThirtyToMe‘s about their blog of the same name, @QuasiJames‘ on Tea Parties, @NickNunns about how it is a miracle that your iPhone is able to do anything at all, and definitely the one I laughed the hardest at was @2509‘s on Not being a racist: 10 easy steps. Oh, and I can’t forget the speed round! The kid that won was absolutely amazing.  More kids need to attend Ignite (despite all the f-bombs).

I cannot wait until Ignite Denver 8, or the next time I get to hang out with these people in Denver.