create-a-thon - finding creative means to solve existing problems

create-a-thon

Finding creative means to solve existing problems.

The Humber Valley / Bay of Islands create-a-thon will bring together students, entrepreneurs, businesses, and members of the general public to create new solutions to existing problems. This will be a fun 24 hour hackathon style event beginning Friday evening and continuing until Saturday evening.

What is a create-a-thon?
The goal is to bring together individuals with varying backgrounds of education and experience to work together to solve a problem. During the 24 hour event, ideas and problem will be shared, teams will form and work together to find a possible solution. The event wraps up with each team presenting their proposed solution to a judging panel. Winers are selected and prizes awarded.

 

Hosted by

** Contact Jason Janes (jason.janes@outlook.com) for any additional information

Event Agenda

Friday:

6:00 PM - Registration begins followed by a mix and mingle social (cash bar) open to the community. We hope everyone interested joins us to hangout, learn more, and hopefully catch the buzz.

6:30 PM - Opening remarks, inviting everyone for joining us, and then a brief keynote about the purpose and value of the create-a-thon.

7:00 PM - Icebreaker to help get people warmed up for pitching.

7:30 PM - Idea/problem sharing. Individuals get 60 seconds to share their idea. There will be no power points or props, just you and a microphone.  

8:00 PM - Voting for favourite ideas. Everyone in attendance (participants, organizers, and mentors) will each get to cast votes for favourite ideas.  

8:30 PM - Team formation - you get to choose which idea you want to work on. 5 or 6 people per team is usually a good number.

9:00 PM - Teams go to their work area and start sharing ideas about how best to 'hack' from problem/idea to solution. Many solutions need very little technical work, if they can prove a need and a path forward then that may be a solution.

12:00 PM - Everyone goes home for the evening.

Saturday:

8:00 AM - Doors are open and Coffee and pastry will be ready. 

8:30 AM - Morning motivation from local entrepreneur.

9:00 AM - Teams get back to work.
12:00 PM - Lunch is served.

1:00 PM - Community business mentors will visit teams offering advice and feedback.

4:30 PM - Final Pitches to judges begin. Teams will have 5 mins each to present (using slides or other visual props). The 3 judges will have 5 mins to ask questions. Goal is to extract the value to help improve.

5:30 PM - All attendees are thanked and the winner is presented with their in-kind prize pack.

6:00PM - Closing remarks followed by an after party if anyone wants to hangout.

FAQ

Who should attend?

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate, join a team, and role up your sleeves to help tackle a problem.
Students from surrounding high school and post secondary institutions, this could be a great opportunity to meet others that can help you turn your idea into a business and it's also a great place to meet potential future employers.
Entrepreneurs, this is your opportunity to share your ideas and build a team to create a solution. You will meet other like minded people and possibly find co-founders to realize your dream.
Businesses, join us and share your problem and maybe one of the teams will pick that one to work on during the event. You may end up with a viable solution or you may find your next employees.
Employees, if you work for an existing business, this is your chance to share your talents and help solve problems as well as learn some new skills that may help you in your day to day job.
Mentors, if you're interested in giving back to the local community, join a team and lend your experience to help that team solve a problem.

When and where is it?

We will be hosting our first ever create-a-thon starting on Friday, February 17th at 6:00 PM until Saturday, February 18th at 6:00 PM. It will be held in the main atrium of the Arts and Sciences building at Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook.

What can I expect to happen in the 24 hours?

Individuals and businesses are invited to present their ideas or problems in a short 60 second pitch at the beginning of the event. It's then up to all attendees to vote for the problems they believe should be worked on during the event. Once we have the problems narrowed down, you, the owner of the idea will recruit others to join your team by demonstrating your enthusiasm towards solving that specific problem, encouraging others to join you, keeping in mind the goal is to mix varying backgrounds of education and experience to work together.

When teams have formed, you will continue to work on your problem until you decide to break for the night, returning early Saturday morning to continue the challenge. By late Saturday afternoon, your team should be preparing to present your proposed solution to the selection panel who will select winner(s) and present prizes.

What will be supplied?

Each team will create their own workspace in the designated area. Tables and chars, wifi, whiteboards, markers, post-it notes and general supplies will be available. Food, coffee, and tea will be supplied but we ask that you bring a refillable water bottle.

What do I need to bring with me?

You are encouraged to bring the important 'tools of your trade' that you use to solve problems. This could be your laptop, sketching supplies, camera, or other items that help with your creativity. If you are pitching an idea that has specific requirements (robotics or raspberry pi) please bring those items with you. 

Are there some examples of problems to be solved?

You are encouraged to present your own ideas or problems to be worked on during the pitching session. These ideas and problems will be as broad and diverse as the attendees themselves. Here are some examples could be:
- Creating an online t-shirt printing business, sourcing local designs and having them printed and shipped on demand, avoiding having to stock products on store shelves.
- Developing a better snowshoe, one that has a stronger weave that is also pleasing to look at.
- Sourcing alternate methods to have more local produce available at local stores.

Is there a cost?

We are charging a nominal fee to reserve your spot, $10 for students and $20 for everyone else.

Where do I sign up?

We have an eventbrite page where you can sign up to participate. Please sign up here! We encourage you to pay via credit card or paypal but if neither are an option you will be able to pay cash at the door.

What kinds of prizes can I expect?

We will be assembling a prize pack consisting of marketing, advertising, legal, accounting and other consulting services & advice to help your team to continue to realize turning your solution into a business.

Event Sponsors

 

 

 

Sponsorship Opportunity

I'm a community supporter, how can I help?

- Every event needs cash to cover costs. We are seeking sponsorship from individuals and businesses ranging from $20 (support an entrepreneur) to $2500 (Title Sponsor). These sponsorship opportunities will include having your name listed as a sponsor and Silver, Gold, and Platinum packages will offer logo placement and other benefits.

- We're looking for in-kind prizes to offer the winning team. These prizes would be things like marketing, advertising, legal, accounting and other services.

- If you are a local business, we encourage you to join us and present a problem. This problem may be selected by one of the teams and in turn they will share their solution during the final pitches.

- Share this event with your employees and students. Encourage them to attend. This is a great opportunity to share and learn new skills.

- Join us for the event and show your support for the community. This is going to be an energy filled event filled with creative minds.