Facilitating SPO Travel & Media Production at High Value Blockchain Events Worldwide

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Wes Parkinson

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

wes@rarenetwork.io

Additional applicants

Rand McHenry - Co-Founder / Event Production Lead

Evan Fischer - Head of Operations

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

12

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” .

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

Events

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Proposal Overview:

Rare Network is writing to propose a project titled "Facilitating SPO Travel & Media Production at High Value Blockchain Events Worldwide" which aims to support the development and exposure of Stake Pool Operators (SPOs) and their related brand or mission within the Cardano ecosystem. Each trip will allow Rare Network to produce media that will highlight each SPOs unique purpose, alongside providing education and evidence that helps show the overall value and experience of live blockchain events. We feel that this will not only strengthen the eco-system at the core community and key stakeholder level, but also show strength from the outside in as we travel internationally and represent the Cardano blockchain as advocates in various multichain settings.

Our organization, Rare Network, is seeking funding of $250,000 USD (875,000 ADA) to attend blockchain conventions alongside SPOs and organize side events to foster community worldwide. This initiative will contribute to the growth and success of the Cardano ecosystem by providing SPOs with media coverage and networking or educational opportunities. In turn, allowing SPOs to harness the power of live events through Project Catalyst at no cost, alongside an expert team to coordinate and gain coverage of each journey.

High Level Budget Breakdown:

Live Blockchain Events Worldwide: We will allocate $200,000 to travel to renowned large scale blockchain conventions, while simultaneously organizing community side events at global blockchain conferences. This budget will cover:

• SPO Travel and Lodging Costs: We will cover the travel and accommodation expenses for SPOs attending these events, ensuring their presence and active participation.

• Entry to Main Blockchain Conventions: We will cover the ticket admission expenses for SPOs attending these conventions, ensuring their presence and active participation.

• Side Event Venue Rental: We will secure suitable venues for the events, ensuring they are conducive to networking and educational activities.

• Side Event Production: We will allocate funds to cover event production costs, including staging, audio-visual requirements, and branding materials.

• Speaker Fees: We will invite industry experts and thought leaders to deliver keynote speeches and presentations, enhancing the educational value of the side events. Each side event the SPOs who take part in the trip will be highlighted to our guests.

• Food and Beverage Budget: We will allocate a budget to provide refreshments and meals during the events, fostering a conducive networking environment.

• Media Production Team: We will hire a professional media production team to document each convention experience and side event in order to capture highlights of SPO engagement and participation. This will allow SPOs to promote their pool during and after the trip with a variety of multimedia promotional content.

Rare Evo Convention: We will allocate $50,000 USD towards Rare Network's Rare Evo, our annual flagship multichain event with one of our many tracks focusing on SPOs. The budget will cover:

• Travel/Lodging + Complimentary Booths for SPOs: We will reserve a portion of the budget to offer free booths to selected SPOs. Each booth, normally priced at $5,000 USD, will include travel and accommodation expenses for the SPOs along with their team's VIP entry to the event.

• Breakout Space: We will provide a dedicated space at the convention venue for SPOs to gather, engage in educational activities, and exchange ideas.

• Food and Beverage Budget: We will allocate a budget to provide refreshments and meals at the breakout space to ensure a conducive environment for networking and collaboration.

• Media Production Team: We will hire a professional media production team to document and publish the SPO experience at Rare Evo.

Objectives:

Education and Awareness: By organizing community side events with a focus on SPOs, we aim to educate SPOs about the blockchain industry, emerging trends, and the potential of Cardano. These events will provide valuable insights and learning opportunities, enabling SPOs to enhance their knowledge and skills. Additionally, at these side events, SPOs will be presenting as educators themselves, shining light to the other attendees on the power of the community stake pool model.

Networking and Collaboration: Our project seeks to foster a vibrant SPO community by providing platforms for SPOs to network, collaborate, and build relationships with peers, industry leaders, and potential partners. The events will facilitate meaningful interactions and knowledge sharing, fostering collaboration and synergy within the SPO ecosystem.

Promotion of Cardano: Through media production and documentation of the events, we will promote Cardano's ecosystem and its SPO community to a wider multichain investor/enthusiast audience. The content generated during these events will be shared through various channels, including social media, websites, and community platforms, raising awareness and attracting new stakeholders to Cardano in general.

Strengthening the SPO Ecosystem: By organizing community events focused on SPOs, we aim to strengthen the SPO ecosystem within Cardano. These events will provide a platform for SPOs to showcase their projects, share experiences, and collectively contribute to the growth and success of the Cardano blockchain.

Previous Success:

We would like to highlight that Rare Network has successfully organized ancillary events or produced media while attending various blockchain conferences worldwide, including:

• The Cardano Summit (Wyoming & Lausanne, Switzerland)
• Blockchain Life Dubai
• Consensus
• Bitcoin Miami
• NFTNYC
• ETHDenver
• VeeCon
• The HiVe
• 3XP
• Decentralized Deciphered

These events have received positive feedback from attendees and have facilitated meaningful connections and collaborations. Our track record demonstrates our ability to attend, plan, execute, and deliver high-quality events and media that meet the specific needs of promotion of the SPO ecosystem and a clear ROI for those involved.

Conclusion:

We believe that allocating $250,000 from the Cardano Catalyst Fund 10 towards our "Facilitating SPO Travel & Media Production at High Value Blockchain Events Worldwide" project will have a significant positive impact on the growth and development of the Cardano SPO ecosystem. The funds will be utilized to organize community events worldwide, providing educational and networking opportunities, and avenues for collaboration for SPOs, including, but not limited to, producing media to promote the SPOs mission while storytelling alongside the travel at hand. We are excited about the potential outcomes of this project and greatly appreciate the time spent, consideration, and votes in our favor from the Catalyst community!

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

This day in age, travel & lodging costs are at an all time high, making it impractical for key stake holders, specifically SPOs, to participate in high value blockchain events worldwide in order to see an ROI. Our project allows Project Catalyst to fund these costly trips to conventions, saving SPOs significant expenses (which could alternatively be used to fund their pool operation), while Rare Network coordinates the itinerary and related media production ultimately benefitting the SPO by promoting their stake pool's mission.

In parallel with attending major worldwide blockchain conventions, the project team will produce one side event per trip that will bring together a supplemental networking experience where we can bring focus to the SPO ecosystem, Project Catalyst, and highlight the latest trends in the world of blockchain. Beyond the media production, this will bring IRL attention an incentivize strengthening the SPO ecosystem, as well onboarding new participants to Cardano.

In addition to business travel, the actual participation as an exhibitor at a major blockchain events for project teams comes at great costs. For many SPOs, the marketing budget is very low or non-existent, making event participation impractical. A booth alone at certain events are priced above 5 figures. Rare Network will use a portion of the project's budget to arrange complimentary SPO related booths, VIP tickets, speaking tracks, breakout room sessions, and a luncheon at the next Rare Evo convention. Not only will funds cover the ability to exhibit or speak on a panel, but we will also cover travel and lodging costs for the exhibiting SPOs.

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

Our project's success will be measured through various observations:

• View counts and exposure gained through media produced on each trip.
• Participating SPOs satisfaction levels through testimonials and trip summaries.
• Delegation performance upon the release of the SPO related media.
• Exposure and engagement from both the Cardano community and mulitchain communities whether it be in person or on social media.
• The level of applications per trip from SPOs who desire to partake in the project.
• Surveys surrounding Rare Evo in regards to the SPO participation such as exhibiting in a booth, main stage panels, break out room educational sessions or workshops, and networking opportunities.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

Our project will share our results through a number of methods:

• Producing videos per event highlighting each SPO's mission and experience, the main blockchain event, and the side event produced by Rare Network per trip.
• Trip Summary Reports
• Twitter Spaces reminiscing on each trip involving the participating SPOs with AMAs.
• SPO Testimonials

We believe we will help shine a light on the power of attending and exhibiting in blockchain events. SPOs who do not have business travel experience will learn how to manage a trip properly and extract the most value from the experience itself. Trip by trip we will factor in the any of the feedback and lessons learned to the next trip to improve the overall experience and media produced.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

Team Experience: Rare Evo's team has a combined 3 decades of event production, sales/networking, and professional business travel experience.

Wes Parkinson: For the past decade, Wes has traveled the world as a software consultant and sales architect specializing in Health Information Management -- he has traveled over a half million miles in this timeframe and lived as an expatriate in, Liverpool, England, Singapore, and Melbourne, Australia, while designing applications for some of the world's most renowned healthcare institutions. Wes has been active in the blockchain industry for 5 years, launching Rare stake pool in 2021 and building the brand around live events and media production. Through this period of time with Rare Network, Wes has traveled to 6 American states and 3 countries for various blockchain events.

Rand McHenry: As a co-founder of Rare Network (hosts of Rare Evo), Rand has a decade plus in the entertainment industry, from managing bands to producing music festivals and blockchain conventions. Additionally, Rand has traveled the country from trade show to trade show in various industries acting as a Sales Director. Rand has been involved in the blockchain space for over half a decade whether it be as a Twitch streamer commenting on stocks and crypto, mining Bitcoin, creating RARE stake pool, or running a large web3 gaming guild.

Evan Fischer: Acting as the Swiss army knife of the Rare team, our Head of Operations, Evan, also has a decade of experience in the entertainment industry. Evan has planned nation-wide tours for the bands he has represented and produced a music festival alongside Rand as his partner. He too is heavily involved in the web3 gaming scene.

Events History:

Rare Network has successfully hosted ancillary events at blockchain conferences such as Blockchain Life Dubai, Consensus, Bitcoin Miami, ETH Denver and beyond. These events have provided valuable opportunities for blockchain enthusiasts and professionals to connect, learn, and collaborate within the blockchain ecosystem. Building on our previous experience, we are well-equipped to organize community events that specifically cater to the needs and interests of SPOs worldwide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNnBBemH8os

Rare Network has also created it's own annual flagship event, currently known as Rare Evo. During our first year, we were able to gain 700 IRL attendees, 30k live stream views, and about 500k related YT views on content related to the event itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtIe1O43LYA

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The main goal of our project is to facilitate a high value travel and networking experience to produce media showing the power of SPOs, Project Catalyst and live blockchain events. Additionally, our project will allow SPOs to gain exhibitor/speaker/production experience at Rare Evo and the side events we will host surrounding the larger blockchain events we will attend.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestone 1: Determine the 4 Worldwide Events & Document Travel Dates & Estimated Expenses

• $100k USD (est. 315,146.60 ADA)

Milestone 2: Complete Trip 1 w/ minimum of 2 SPOs - Provide Trip Summary & Media

• $100k USD (est. 315,146.60 ADA)

Milestone 3: Gift Complimentary SPO Booths & Provide List of SPOs w/ Travel/Lodging Covered @ Rare Evo 2024

• $50k USD (est. 157,573.30 ADA)

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

We will report the following on a quarterly basis:

• Expense Reports
• Media Coverage of Main Event & Rare Social (Side Events)
• Social Media Marketing
• SPO Testimonials
• Trip Summaries

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Budget Breakdown for 4 Worldwide Trips + Rare Evo 2024 (in USD)

Each trip consist of: 6 Travelers (2 Interchanging Elected SPOs each trip, 2 Rare Evo Founders, 2 Camera Operators) per Trip

Price per Traveler (Average 4 Day Trip) = $6,000

• $4k in Travel & Lodging
• $150 F&B Per Diem ($600 Total)
• $1500 Blockchain VIP/Industry Ticket (on average)

Side Event Budget Per Trip

• $10k (Venue Space, AV, F&B, Staff)

Media Production Budget

• $1k per Day of each Trip

Price per Trip = 6 Travelers X $6,000 = $36,000 + $10,000 (Side Event) + $4,000 (Media Production)

• $50k per Trip

High Level Total Budget Breakdown

• $50k X 4 Worldwide Events = $200k
• Rare Evo 2024 = $50k
• Total = $250k USD

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The allotted budget for this project is reasonable and based on the pricing we experience while traveling as a team domestically and internationally multiple times per quarter a year to blockchain conventions. Our team has produced side events on multiple occasions and we have budgeted accordingly to match our last successful Rare Social. These socials, dependent on location, will be able to host 50-100 individuals. For the Rare Evo allotment, the funds will be able to cover booth costs, F&B spend, and the ability to give up programming placement to SPOs rather than paying sponsors.

The Rare team is committed to full transparency, publicly reporting the expenses of each trip, side event, and invoices related to the SPO activation at Rare Evo.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept