This post is a week (or two) late in coming, but I wanted to write about the first annual Ignite Fort Collins that I attended a few weeks ago. I had been to one Ignite before (in Boulder) and had a lot of fun, but was super excited to see one coming to Fort Collins… I was even able to convince Steve to go along with me (the promise of free beer helped). After a tasty dinner at Cafe Mexicali, we made our way over to the Drake Center.

I have to say… the Fort Collins event was a lot classier than the one I had been to in Boulder. There was live musicians playing the cello and violin, a fancy bar area, and a table with cheeses, fruits, and vegetables. Of course, Steve and I immediately made our way to the bar area to take advantage of the free beer.

While we were killing time before the presentations, I noticed a woman who I had met a few times before through work-related functions, so I went over to say hello. It turns out her husband was Brian Schwartz, whom I had read about that morning in the Coloradoan regarding his new book, 50 Interviews: Entrepreneurs, in which he interviews 50 different entrepreneurs (duh) asking them anything from whether they started with a business plan to how much they started with. I was able to grab a signed copy from him for my boss (who was one of the people he interviewed) before I left.

After some introductions and announcements, the presentations started. I enjoyed nearly all of them, but the ones I enjoyed the most were “Money Saving Advice from a Cheapskate” by Ryan Wanger and “Public Speaking or Death” by Tanis Roeder. I have to admire anyone brave enough to get in front of 150+ people and talk (about anything). I have a few great ideas for presentations in my head, although I’m not sure I’d ever be brave enough to get up there and talk for 5 minutes. Although maybe after a few beers? :)

The next Ignite Fort Collins will take place on August 27, so mark your calendars. Tickets are free but sold out extremely fast last time, so be sure to get them early. Follow twitter.com/IgniteFC for more information.