Oxford Art Factory
38 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
October 27, 2026
Meet your speakers for 2026
Anna-Maria Rochester – What we’ve learned from hostage negotiators and how they handle stressful situations.
Bob Harris – Sex, death and fabulous prizes: Bob Harris has won hundreds of thousands of dollars on US quiz game shows – he has tips 🥳
Liam Jordan – Turnbuckles and the power of choice: legendary professional wrestler Lee Morrow shares his journey: suplexes, tragedy and the choices that define us.
Mark Rhodes – 15 years of photographing naked people, Mark has notes.
Kirstin Reblin – Tiny bug. Big storm: A healthy person has a thousand wishes; a sick person has only one – what happens when life suddenly changes course?
Ned Dickson – Without stories, what are we? Telling stories is telling history, Ned is a creator and walking tour guide and knows the ingredients of a great story that will survive time.
Therese Frangie – The cognitive load of decision-making. CEO, mum and ridiculously high achiever Therese Frangie challenges us to think differently about where we place our decision making effort.
Richard Crowle – Ready enough: readiness isn’t having every answer, it’s simply knowing enough to make the next call.
Mark Skelsey – Award winning author Mark Skelsey shares the real story of the community that battled to build the iconic Inner West Greenway.
Lana Shaba – Confidence: 10, Experience: 0… doing it anyway, a guide
Gina Johansen – Is comfort making us weaker? Adventurer and extreme endurance athlete Gina Johansen reports back from extreme discomfort.
Kieran Hennig – Opening minds: psychedelics
Jane Turner – It’s never too late to have a happy childhood: Author Jane Turner talks about her Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis and her surprising insights.
Jen Marshall – Overachieving pets: how strategic management tools wrecked my midlife crisis and how i fixed it.
… and the return of the Ignite improv legend, Steve Kimmens!
5
Minutes
Each and every Ignite talk lasts exactly 5 minutes. No more, no less. Our speakers will enlighten you, and make it quick.
20
Slides
Each talk will have exactly 20 slides, no more no less.
15
Seconds
Each slide will auto advance 15 seconds. No clickers, just pure high wire presentation! What a thrill.
Welcome to Ignite Talks – Sydney’s festival of fast and furious ideas!
Ignite Talks Sydney returns to the Oxford Art Factory in 2026, with its famously fast-paced presentations that are guaranteed to blow your mind and enlighten your thinking. Ignite Talks has become a staple fixture on Sydney’s cultural calendar thanks to its underground-music-venue setting and white-knuckle presentation format:
15 speakers
each talk is exactly 5 minutes
with exactly 20 slides
that auto-advance in exactly 15 seconds
The result is a fast-paced, high-energy evening designed to keep speakers on their toes and audiences leaning forward from start to finish. Equal parts entertainment and inspiration.
The 5 rules of Ignite Talks Sydney:
🤯
Blow our minds
⏰
Make it quick
🧟♀️
No clickers
🪡
Pitches get stitches
👏
Show support
Be prepared for a fun night of 15 lightning-fast talks. Talks delivered by people who know their stuff. Plot twist, their talks have to be exactly 5 minutes. Nothing like a time constraint to squeeze out the essence of someone’s knowledge. You will walk away energised, entertained and most definitely a little more enlightened.
Think you’ve got what it takes to hit the Ignite Talks Sydney stage?
Got an interesting story to tell? Know something that will blow peoples minds? Apply to speak. Note: Applications are closed for this years event. Register your interest below.
Connect at Ignite Talks Sydney and you might just meet your next collaborator, mentor or friend.
Ignite Talks Sydney brings together a community of curious and ambitious people (just like you) for an epic night of music, drinks, food and 15 mind-blowing, high-energy talks.
We love you too, Sydney!
“It's a wonderful thing you guys are doing for the Sydney community.”
“It's generous. People really share something that matters to other people.”
“I have to say Ignite is exceptional, I'm thrilled and I think this is so great.”
Grab your early bird tix now!
Check out our previous events
