IgniteDallas

One of the local events I loved in NC was IgniteRaleigh - luckily I moved to Dallas in time for IgniteDallas. I really don't know anyone in Dallas in the social media industry, so I was unsure what to expect but knew it should be a great community event. My friend Tracy and my co-worker Jes came along.

Tracy was perfect to attend the event with - she had a lot of followers and contacts so we connected with some people there that she's known through various networks.

The speakers and presentations were all awesome! My two favorites:

• What I got rid of today - Dave Weaver (@planboy) spoke on a challenge he's working on - to get rid of something each day for a year. He talked about getting rid of everything from music, DVDs, clothing, his CAR!, and more. We all have so much junk, it's a really cool journey to get rid of things - whether it is junk, or whether it's letting go of something so you can move on.
• 24 Years, 24 People, 24 Lessons - Mouyyad Abdulhadi (@MouyyadA) talked about how we can learn from the people that are closest to us, rather than celebrities. He went through his circles of family, friends, co-workers and classmates and highlighted what he learned from each. Made me reflect on what I learn from the people I surround myself with.

Looking forward to more IgniteDallas events! I think both Tracy and Jes enjoyed and hopefully will be back for more events too.

A few comments...

• I really wish it was cheaper - it was $16-something - IgniteRaleigh and IgniteDurham are both free events. I know it depends on sponsorships and venues, but I feel like there would be a better turnout if it wasn't expensive
• Crowd participation - I recall a lot of crowd interaction at IgniteRaleigh - yelling "Fire it up!" - there wasn't anything like that. I guess it has a lot to do with the hosts and overall vibe?
  

Regardless, it was all around a great event - thanks to all who organized and the awesome speakers!