Ignite 2023, the summer social for Warick District's creative community, took place at the Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa on Thursday 13 July 2023 - and included an evening of performances, installations, exhibitions, and live music.

We were thrilled to present work by Sonrisa Arts, Motionhouse, James Braddell, and Gayatri Pasricha, and provided exclusive after-hours access to Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum’s new Exhibition Water, water, everywhere…

Here's a summary of delegate feedback captured via an evaluation survey:

1. 172 delegates attended Ignite 2023
2. 52 people walked-up without a ticket or advance booking
3. 62% of respondents had previously attended a Spark or Ignite event.
4. The primary motivation to attend was to network and meet other creatives.
5. 84% of respondents rated the overall format of the event as between 7 and 10 out of 10 (where 10 is excellent and 0 is poor), with 10 being the mode (32%).
6. 88% of respondents rated the networking opportunities as between 7 and 10 out of 10, with 10 being the mode (36%).
7. 88% of respondents rated the customer service as between 8 and 10 out of 10, with 10 being the mode (68%).
8. 80% of respondents rated the venue’s facilities as between 8 and 10 out of 10, with 10 being the mode (60%).
9. The top three words used to describe the event were friendly, fun, and lively.
10. Motionhouse’s performance was cited as the stand-out moment of the event.
11. Acoustics was cited as the main thing to improve at future events, as it was challenging for people to hear each other in the Assembly Room.
12. 92.3% of respondents felt that attending Ignite was a good use of their time.
13. Respondents were largely impressed with Whova, with ease of download, usability, content, and overall experience predominately receiving scores between 7 and 10 out of 10.
14. 96% of respondents would like to see WDC deliver more events like this in the future.
15. 96% of respondents would like to see an open call out for artists again at future Ignite events.

Ignite 2023, Image of James Braddel's Işık Dalgaları. Photograph by Jo Lewis.