Here are 6 surprising things we learned at last year's IGNITION
You never know what you'll hear next at IGNITION, Business Insider's premier annual conference on digital business.
At the 2014 event, big-name speakers like Jeff Bezos, David Karp, and Barry Diller kept crowds riveted with their insight, advice, and behind-the-scenes stories.
What will people be talking about at this year's IGNITION? We can't wait to find out-but in the meantime, here are some of the biggest things we learned from last year's event:
2. Outer space isn't so far away. During a panel session with Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget, Bezos said he wants to see people living in space. It won't be anytime soon, but he already has his own private company, Blue Origin, working on building a new liquid rocket engine to send autonomous vehicles into space.
3. Big media shouldn't be threatened by upstart content creators. Emerging creators-brought to life by platforms like Kickstarter-are creating niche content that is "making the world richer and more diverse," according to Tumblr CEO David Karp. But there's plenty of room for content produced by big-budget networks like HBO. "There's only so many new episodes of 'Game of Thrones,'" Karp explained, "and there's still hundreds of hours a week to enjoy new content."
4. A futuristic floating park will launch in NYC's Hudson River in four years. For that you can thank IAC chairman Barry Diller, who feels lucky to contribute some of his billions toward a public performance place that will host "every kind of discipline of music."
5. YouTube stars don't secretly want to be TV stars. Being on TV isn't better than being on YouTube, says Bethany Mota, the 19-year old YouTube sensation. She enjoys being her own director and producer, since online she can "have an idea and just go with it" without having to check with someone for approval.
IGNITION 2014
6. Meet the next social platform: virtual reality. Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe said that partnering with a company like Microsoft or Sony, which have their own platforms, would have been too limiting for virtual reality. But VR's huge social potential led him to make a deal with Facebook, which could help VR make you "feel like you're there with other people."
Curious about what will be said at IGNITION 2015? Be one of the first to know: Take advantage of our early-bird pricing and grab your ticket to IGNITION now.
IGNITION will take place December 8-9 at the Time Warner Center in New York City. Over the next few months we'll be releasing the names of more speakers and panels, so stay tuned for all the updates.
