We are happy to report that Ignite Howard County #9 (Ignite HoCo) was once again a smashing success! A full house of attendees gathered together on Monday, October 21 at Jailbreak Brewing Company to hear 11 diverse and captivating speakers share ideas, passions and stories that educated, inspired or moved us. Speakers spoke on a large variety of topics — from the importance of community, finding strength and shifting perspectives during difficult times, and embracing the power within, to conscious capitalism, supporting parents in the workplace, and bringing ideas to life.
First time attendee Lisa Kim shared, “I really appreciated the diverse crowd, speakers, and topics – diverse not just in the way we looked, but in background and experience. Everyone seemed excited to meet others and were respectful of potentially differing opinions. I think the organizers were intentional about creating an open, welcoming atmosphere where we were encouraged to lead with curiosity instead of judgment, where people could be honest and vulnerable.”
Everyone did a fantastic job and the amount of planning and practice to each unique presentation shone through with every speaker. While it’s hard for us to choose a favorite, we do ask our audience to weigh in on some of theirs. Here are some of the testimonials we received from attendees at Ignite HoCo #9:
“Highlight of the year for me was having a high schooler speak. She was awesome, as was her topic. I also thought the diversity of the topics this year was great.” – Beth Harbinson, frequent Ignite Howard County attendee and two-time speaker.
“It was such a delight to attend Ignite Howard County #9! I think it was a fabulous event, uniting community members around shared curiosity, continued learning, and the importance of sharing stories. I loved the casual yet elevated environment that Jailbreak Brewing Co. offered. Although I enjoyed hearing from all the speakers, I would say that both Natalie Domond and Tinah Ibironke’s presentations stuck out to me. I appreciated hearing from Natalie and how she encouraged the audience to think about what home feels like as well as Tinah’s powerful story about her daughter.” – Alli Eastham, first-time Ignite attendee
If you were unable to attend this year’s event but are curious about what an Ignite Howard County talk is like, we encourage you to visit the Ignite Howard County YouTube page. Not only will you be able to watch the speakers from this year’s event, but you’ll also be able to view talks from all nine years of Ignite HoCo as well!
As we close the chapter on another successful year of Ignite HoCo, we are beyond excited to see what year ten has in store for this incredible evening. Will you be a speaker at Ignite Howard County #10?! Or a sponsor that will help make this next momentous year bigger and better (as if that’s even possible)?! Keep an eye out for social media announcements and calls-for-speakers on C3MD’s LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram pages. And, if you already have an idea about what you’d like to speak about next year then we encourage you to apply. Speaker applications for Ignite Howard County 2025 are now open! Will you enlighten us? But remember… make it quick! You only have five minutes to inspire, educate, or inform your audience. What will you speak about?
Special thanks to this year’s sponsors, without whom the event would not have been possible:
Ignite Howard County is presented by a group of business community volunteers and Conscious Capitalism Central Maryland Chapter, with event support from Leadership Howard County.
Next year’s Ignite Howard County will take place on Monday, October 20, 2025. Save the date!
_______________________________________________________________________
We appreciate the blog contributions of our conscious business community. The views and opinions expressed on the blog are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Conscious Capitalism, Inc.
Feel free to reach out to us via email, and/or follow us (and engage) on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook.