In a night about the intersection of people and technology, it should have been a given that the tech wouldn’t work – at least not smoothly.

Ignite Salem One lit up Northern Lights Theater last month as local and regional presenters took the stage to talk about the areas of their expertise while a slide presentation - occasionally – rolled behind them.

Need to know the secret to video production on the cheap? Ask Phillip Kerman.

“Let go of the expectation of quality,” said Kerman. "When it comes to communicating to the audience we’ve got to think of productivity instead of perfection.”

Want to know how your food choices impact the planet? Ask Evann Remington.

“The locavore movement is the beginning of a regional-community-based food system,” she said.

Think an underground city for cars and an overhead city for pedestrians and parks is the way of the future? There's an ally to be had in Charles Pergiel.

“Some of us could use the exercise,” said Pergiel, stroking his paunch.

Topics tapped into a wide swath of pop culture and next wave thinking and played to an initial audience of about 75 people, a few ducked out during the halftime show.

Presenter Adam Gallardo, a Salem comic book writer who spoke about turning an obsession into a profitable endeavor, said the hardest part was coming up with a topic.

He focused the subject by looking specifically at webcomics and the obsessions they highlight.

“That was the beauty of it,” said Gallardo. “You can make it into anything that you want.”

The next Ignite Salem event is planned for the fall, those interested in volunteering or presenting should call 503-364-1403.

Organizers pledged to have the technical kinks worked out by then.