Prepare yourselves, Ignition Community Conference (ICC) fans, for a glimpse into some of the unique aspects that set this automation event apart. Explore the creative journey that leads to ICC through this mini-blog series, offering rare insights into what it takes to make the memorable moments that you see onsite at the conference.
From the beginning, ICC has been more than a lineup of sessions and product updates. It’s a space where integrators, developers, end users, and Inductive Automation staff can gather and forge real connections. In recent years, ICC has continued to evolve in ways that emphasize the power of community and participation, and we are taking this to the next level with ICC 2025.
Let’s take a look at three interactive features that help make ICC more collaborative, creative, and community-driven than ever before, including Table Talks, the SCADA Arcade, and the two new Co-Lab Room activities: Community Huddles and the Community Design Challenge.
Table Talks: Where The Community Leads The Conversation
Now in their third year, Table Talks have become a fan-favorite tradition at ICC. Table Talks are informal, roundtable-style discussions with no main speaker, enabling the Ignition community to dive into open-ended discussions about innovative ideas and solutions to real-world challenges. Some have described it as being like joining an Ignition community forum thread in person.
This year, Table Talks are running all three days of ICC, giving more people more chances to sit down, speak up, and shape the conversation. Attendees can propose their own Table Talk topics in advance. If selected, they’ll help facilitate the conversation with fellow Ignition users. Topics range from technical deep dives to business challenges and implementation strategies. You can submit a Table Talks topic here.
Thanks to attendee feedback, Table Talks are back and better than ever this year. They’ll be held in expanded spaces with smaller groups to make it easier to hear and more productive to participate in. We’re also doubling down on IA-hosted Table Talks to create even more opportunities for product feedback and focused interaction with Inductive Automation’s teams.
Learn And Play At The SCADA Arcade
Are you looking for something to do between sessions? Step into the SCADA Arcade and see how Ignition turns creativity and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) into friendly competition. Originally developed by technical analysts as side projects to sharpen their Ignition skills, these games have become a Support Division tradition.
At the Arcade, you’ll get to:
- Try out a curated selection of Ignition-built video games
- Play physical games as well
- Compete for top scores and prizes
- Solve troubleshooting puzzles designed by IA support staff
- Explore what’s possible when you use Ignition for something unexpected
The games are hosted on a local gateway, run on laptops and an arcade cabinet, and track player scores in a shared database. With high-score leaderboards powered by Ignition, game-themed swag, and an Ignition-powered scoreboard, the SCADA Arcade is part showcase, part nostalgia, and all fun. It’s proof that play and productivity can go hand in hand.
The Co-Lab Room: Connect, Compete, And Collaborate
The new Co-Lab Room is a dedicated space for hands-on learning and collaborative discovery, and it’s where we’ll hold two of the latest community-based events: the Community Huddles and the Community Design Challenge.
Showcase Your Ideas In The Community Huddles
Huddles are one-hour meetups with a laid-back, science-fair-style format where speakers, exhibitors, integrators, and community members can show off projects, answer questions, or talk through ideas in an informal setting. Huddles aren’t recorded or streamed, so they’re low-pressure, flexible, and participatory.
Each Huddle is hosted at a dedicated station in the Co-Lab Room. Hosts bring a laptop to demo their idea, whether it’s a resource they’ve submitted to the Ignition Exchange, a live showcase solution, or a custom-built tool that solves a specific challenge. Huddles are an awesome way to put your ideas in front of the community, get feedback, and connect at a more personal level.
Team Up And Solve The Community Design Challenge
The Community Design Challenge brings some friendly competition to the Co-Lab Room with fast-paced collaborative challenges. It’s a bit like a mini Build-a-Thon where attendees are grouped into teams and race to solve real Ignition challenges. The more challenges your team solves, the more points it earns. The winning team will be announced onstage during the actual Build-a-Thon at the end of the conference.
Join The Community At ICC 2025!
ICC is more than a conference: it’s a collaborative event powered by the willingness of automation professionals around the world to come together and solve problems. Walker Reynolds, President and Solutions Architect of 4.0 Solutions and founder of the ProveIt! conference, explained it succinctly during a recent webinar: “Ignition was the lighthouse that brought the problem-solvers together … What makes the Ignition Community so unique is that the community is made up of people who first started by asking themselves ‘If only I could do X’ … Ignition makes X possible.”
These ICC activities represent just a few of the many ways you can connect, contribute, and co-create alongside other passionate Ignition users from around the world. Whether you’re leading a Table Talk, demoing your project in a Huddle, or trying to top the SCADA Arcade leaderboard, there’s a place for your voice at ICC.
Tickets are available now on the ICC website, so get registered and don’t miss your chance to be part of the conversations, competitions, and creativity that make ICC unlike any other automation event.
