Countdown to Ignite Ep. 13: The One About the Attendee Celebration and Live Broadcast

It’s not Tuesday, but it is time for the next Countdown to Ignite show! Today’s show was simply too big to hold until next week.

Lucky Episode 13 of the Countdown to Ignite Show is here and breaking with tradition reveals the details for Thursday’s Ignite Celebration. Keep reading for my summary, but make sure you click over to the Ignite blog for the video and full blog post.

Attendee Celebration

When? 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM

Where? Lakeside Center, McCormick Place

Food? Yes, from 30 of Chicago’s best restaurants. And food trucks! Click the link for a Twitter list of all of the participating restaurants.

Beverages? You bet! There’s even going to be a Biergarten courtesy of Goose Island.

Entertainment? Oh yeah. Out on the patio there will be a cool local band, and at 9 PM the main event… Chicago’s own, GRAMMY-nominated, multi-platinum band… Fall Out Boy!

Venue and Transportation

Transport yourself over to Lakeside Center with your feet! No bus required. Lakeside Center is a great venue with a fantastic view of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan. This isn’t like any Convention Center party you’ve been to before. Veterans of TechEd 2009 in Los Angeles may be having flashbacks to hat party, but don’t worry, this is NOT that party.

Your badge is your admission ticket. No wristbands required! You can walk over right from your last session. Bag check will be available in Hall B, but we recommend travelling light at Ignite on Thursday. Leave the laptops at home and you’ll be happier when it’s time to party.

Shuttle service will be provided from McCormick and hotels from 6:15 PM – 10:45 PM.

Food and Beverage

No conference center concessions tonight. Chicago is a great city for foodies, and there are so many great places, it’s impossible to visit many of them during a week like Ignite. Well, no worries, Microsoft is bringing the restaurants to you! Thirty of Chicago’s best (and I’m not exaggerating) are brining samples of their cuisine to the party. Check out this Twitter list of restaurants to see how many of your favorites will be there. Tesori! Three Dots and a Dahs! Garrett Popcorn! And more!

If you get thirsty at some point, Goose Island has you covered. One of the largest craft breweries in the Midwest, Goose Island is bringing their Biergarten to the party. A variety of their latest craft beers will be available, and they will have beer reps, beer geeks and even a few of sommeliers of beer, the Cicerones to answer your questions. I’m not a beer drinker, but I have a feeling this will be a popular destination for many of you.

Entertainment

Outside on the East Fountain Terrace you can chill our with food trucks, a beer truck, a local band, and a view of Lake Michigan that can’t be beat. I grew up in Kenosha, about an hour north, and that view is something you never forget. I can’t wait!

Inside in Hall D, you can experience a sampling of Chicago’s many neighborhoods. Who knows what you might found as you wander around. Cool stuff all around. Then at 9 PM, make your way over to the main stage for the big event… a convert from Fall Out Boy! Check them out on Spotify for a preview!

Theater Sessions

Hearing from Microsoft and outside experts are great, but we’re all experts about something. Theater Sessions are your opportunity to hear from your fellow attendees about real-world issues and solutions they’ve encountered. These will be held in the Expo Hal, and you can find specifics in MyIgnite.

The Party sounds great! Is there any other news?

I know it’s hard to believe, but even after all that party awesomeness, there was still more news from Rick and Joey. They talked with Alex Bradley about what is coming in the online broadcast experience. Alex and Joey will be online starting at 8:30 AM Central on Monday before the 9 AM keynote. After the keynote, they will show highlights and recap what we heard in the keynote. They’ll follow that with live streams from select sessions along with Channel 9 Live.

Al week long, Channel 9 Live will broadcast deep technical interviews between the live breakout sessions and during breaks. People like Jeffrey Snover, Mark Russinovich, Brad Anderson, and Paula Januskiewicz (to name just a few) will be onstage during the week. Even if you can’t be with us in Chicago, you’re looking at a week jam-packed with content to consume.

Keep your browser set on ignite.microsoft.com all week for the live stream.

Wrap-up

So there you have it. Another epic episode! We only have 10 days to go. I can’t wait! See you in Chicago!

You can watch the show over on Channel 9, but why not just watch it here?

Looking to be a part of the conversation? Interact via the following channels:

• Channel 9 Ignite Forums
• Twitter: Use the #msignite hashtag or comment to @MS_Ignite
• Facebook: Microsoft Ignite
• Instagram: @MSIgnite

Looking for people to follow on Twitter? Check out the talent behind the Countdown Show:

• Follow MS_Ignite @MS_Ignite
• Follow Joey Snow @JoeySnow
• Follow Rick Claus @RicksterCDN
• Follow Golnaz Alibeigi @Golnaz89
• Follow Denise Begley @Begley_D