User:OneSpark/sandbox

The Festival
One Spark, the World’s Crowdfunding Festival, takes place in Jacksonville, Florida, United States for five days every April. Creators from all over the world will light up downtown with projects in art, innovation, music, science, and technology. They’ll showcase their best ideas for a chance to access $310,000 in crowdfunding and awards, $3.25 million in potential capital investments and direct individual contributions from more than 150,000 attendees.

One Spark is built on the belief that game-changers and the next big thing can emerge from dorm rooms, garages and small studios. The festival is an interactive experience that allows attendees to support Creators that inspire them through voting and individual contributions.

History:
One Spark was born out of an idea. The idea that anyone, no matter who you are, or where you live, can create something truly amazing. It the idea came from a belief that game-changers emerge from dorm rooms, garages and small studios.

More than two years ago, three friends, Dennis Eusebio, Elton Rivas and Varick Rosete, met at a coffee shop. They were tired of being told you have to move out of Jacksonville to accomplish great things.They knew Jacksonville had enormous potential. More than anything, they believed that people would support the creative and startup community if given the chance.

Currently, the three founders serve in the Board of Directors of One Spark. Today, One Spark is led by Joe Sampson, an outspoken proponent of fostering a Downtown culture for Jacksonville. He previously worked in marketing and event promotion prior to heading the crowdfunding event.

Thousands of supporters have taken One Spark from coffee shop meetings to where the festival is today.

One Spark held its inaugural festival in April 2013, with over 130,000 attendees and 400 Creator Projects in the areas of art, innovation, music, science and technology exhibiting in venues all over downtown Jacksonville.

2013:
One Spark’s inaugural event was a great success with more than 130,000 attendees, 59 venues, 900 creators with 406 participating creator projects, 553 trained volunteers, and over 53,000 unique votes distributed the $250,000 crowdfund.

The festival was held in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, from April 17-21, 2013. Over 130,000 people swarmed the festival, viewing hundreds of innovative projects in art, music, science, technology and more. Attendees, creators and volunteers created the energy and creativity that spilled onto the streets from Pitch Decks, Music Stages, and various venues throughout the Creator Zone and Entertainment District.

The event:
One Spark is a five-day event for Creators. From April 9 - 13, 2014, artists, entrepreneurs, and innovators will display projects in a 20 square block, multi-venue gallery in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. One Spark is about connecting people with great ideas to the resources they need to make them a reality. It’s the community behind great ideas.

One Spark is open to all. Even if the idea is not ready for market, or it is a prototype, or even a napkin sketch you can participate in the event. Creator projects can be at any stage of development. One Spark is all about taking things to the next level and providing the catalyst for action. One Spark is built on the premise that great creations can come from garages, small studios, and dorm rooms and that the only thing that separates them from the big dogs is access to capital and resources. The selection process for One Spark is completely independent. Venues select which Creators showcase in their spaces and attendees decide who gets funded. Showcasing at One Spark gives you access to $310,000 in crowdfunds and awards, $3.25 million in potential capital investments and direct individual contributions from more than 150,000 attendees.

The festival provides the perfect platform to put any idea in front of thousands of people, validate it and receive valuable feedback. As an attendee, people have the opportunity to witness the latest innovations and the power to make them a reality.

Prizes:
There are $310,000 in available funding and millions in investment opportunities for One Spark 2014.

One Spark connects ideas with funding. Creators can raise money in 4 different ways :


 * 1) Wowing attendees and collecting votes to score a piece of the $200,000 crowdfund. Whatever percentage of the vote a project receives, that's how much of the crowdfund they earn.
 * 2) Attendees can contribute directly to projects in any dollar amount. From $5 to $5,000, every little bit adds up to getting you that much closer to launch the idea.
 * 3) Along with the popularly distributed funds, industry experts will jury an additional $10,000 prize to innovative projects in each category.The top vote getters in each category will also get the oportunity to get $10,000 in bonus prizes.
 * 4) Connect to $3.25 million in potential capital investments from hungry investors out to discover the next big thing.

Experiencing the event:
Creativity and entrepreneurship take center stage at One Spark 2014. People will experience the latest in art, innovation, music, science and technology as One Spark takes over downtown Jacksonville to bring crowdfunding live and in person. People interact with Creators and learn about their passions while enjoying great food, entertainment and experiencing the best of what downtown Jacksonville has to offer.

Creator Projects
The essence of One Spark is the Creator Project. People can visit Creators as they demonstrate their ideas in Venues located throughout downtown Jacksonville. People can vote for them and contribute to the ones they want to see funded.

Creators are people with ideas in art, innovation, music, science, and technology that turn them into Projects to showcase at the festival. A Project is a specific plan, design or undertaking with a clear end. A Project can be at any stage of development but will eventually be completed, and something will be produced as a result. Bringing the Project to One Spark not only helps fund it, but it is also a great opportunity to validate the concept.

Speakers Series 2014
Attendees will be inspired by some of the world’s most innovative thought-leaders. Speakers at One Spark 2014 are pioneers, disruptors and visionaries with big ideas to share. This year's One Spark Speaker Series Features World's Top Minds in Design, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Some of the keynote speakers for this year’s series are Scott Stratten, world-renowned social marketing expert and president of Un-Marketing from Toronto, Canada, and James White, accomplished artist and designer and founder of Signalnoise Studio from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. In 2014 the series takes place on Thursday, April 10 and Friday, April 11 during One Spark with a different track each day. Speaker Doc Waller, inspiration architect at Becoming Possible from Atlanta, Georgia, will emcee the two-day event and will be joined by the musical stylings of Dr. Scott Padgett, music writer and producer from Columbia, South Carolina.

Speakers will share their innovative ideas in design, entrepreneurship, marketing and music with a limited audience.

Pitch Decks
Pitch Decks provide a platform for Creators to reach a large audience and communicate their ideas in a short period of time. Creators are scheduled to take on the stage and pith their Projects to a larger audience. This helps promote their idea and increase their chance of getting funded.

Entertainment, food and beer:
One Spark features first-rate entertainment all day and well into the night. Attendees will also relax and refuel at the Food Villages featuring One Spark-exclusive tastes from some of the city’s best chefs and favorite food trucks. There is also a Beer Village to sample the official One Spark beer and check out this year’s Brewvation Contest.

One Spark After Dark
There’s plenty to do after the lights go out. Creators and attendees unwind and network in downtown Jacksonville’s favorite night spots and special VIP Lounges. Parties and live entertainment are all around. Activities are yet TBD.

For Kids
This event is designed for everyone. Families can bring theur future Creators to One Spark and let them experience innovation first-hand and enjoy plenty of kid-centric programming. There are different activities programmed every day to create a more engaging experience for the little ones of the family. Activities will be pubished during the month of March.