Enrich the Cardano Community with engaging IRL events to drive adoption and encourage regional growth.

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Mark Hall

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Co-proposers and additional applicants

Chris Warren

Ben Deverson

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

100000

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

10

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

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Upstream will organise and undertake the end-to-end running of Cardano events in the following areas:

1. Technical Workshop
2. Projects Showcase
3. Networking and Social

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

Yes

[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.”

Events will be curated with community input; speakers, creators and participants, of which these events would be dependant.

Our experience in event management allow us to manage this dependency and ensure events go-ahead when participants list require short notice change.

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

No

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

All event preparations and planning will be publicly available and the output of the events will be visible to all.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

We have witnessed first-hand the influence that ‘in-person’ community events have by connecting developers, creators and investors. This proposal - covering multiple events - provides the Cardano community with a dedicated regional space to grow and thrive.

The events overview are as follows;

1. Technical Workshops - Governance, SPO etc.
2. Project Showcase - Builders and Creators
3. Networking and social - Informal

1.Technical Workshops - Stake Pool operations, Governance workshop etc.

Host a focused technical workshop that guides community groups through detailed discussion points and concerns from each discipline. The SPO workshop, for example, will focus on operations, best practices, future-proofing and challenges experienced by SPO's, and what ideas they have to help solve these.

Budget allocation: 25,000ADA

2.Project Showcase - Builders and Creators

A showcase of the talent our community has to offer! We will invite project owners and builders to demonstrate their projects/artwork/games to the attendees at a curated event space. They will be encouraged to promote and market their projects using any interactive means that they see fit and provide an engaging showcase experience. A main stage will be set allowing key speakers to contribute to the event and offer insight from leading projects in the Cardano community.

Budget allocation: 60,000ADA

3.Networking and Social - Informal event

A chance to relax, reflect and connect with your peers. Bring your friends, catch up and encourage Cardano adoption in an informal social event. The budget will allow us to host an attractive space for key community members, and to promote to potential new users.

Budget allocation: 15,000ADA

Our aim as a community focused SPO has always been to provide value to the Cardano community. We believe that by taking an approach that covers such a variety of events, we can do just that.

Please support us in our goal by voting for our proposal.

Mark, Ben and Chris - The Upstream team.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Top level measurements. Positive impact will be realised through the completion of these events, where on completion we can measure these top level metrics (along with event specific metrics detailed below)

• Growth of the current Upstream Meetup and Cardano Social group, helping us measure the impact funding has had on the growth of the event network.
• The number of attendees at each event and collected feedback will enable us to record sentiment.
• Less measurable but ultimately of highest impact are the long-term relationships and future collaborative of individuals and projects who meet at these events.

Projects and Creators - Active and new project showcase. Project Showcase and networking events are ultimately valued by the list of attendees and the number of people.

Networking and social - Informal. Social and network events are ultimately valued by the list of attendees and the number of people.

Workshops - Drep, SPO. After hosting various workshops we have collected an initial dataset of attendees and contributors in the UK area. Through holding more workshops along the same lines we can clearly show growth from years that did not receive any funding, against these workshops that will have funding. This will allow us to measure the impact the funding has had on improving the workshops coverage and community involvement.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Our capability to deliver these events as described can be seen from our a proven track-record for providing Cardano community events. Most of these have been financed by ourselves, or with collaboration with CF/IOG who provide finance for some workshops and Summit events. In all cases budgets were set and adhered to while providing events as described.

Previous events are listed below and can be viewed on our Meet-up page, socials and website:

(Events marked with * we're hosted by others with assistance from ourselves).

• '22 community-led London Cardano Summit.
• '23 community-led London Cardano Summit.
• '23 CIP-1694 workshop (London).
• '23 Cardano Foundation Social event (London)*
• '24 Catalyst Working group (London).
• Upcoming (May '24) DRep workshop *
• Many 'London Cardano Socials' since 2022
• Atrium London Social Meet-up *

Over the years of hosting these community events, we have made contacts and developed relationships with a large number of projects that are working and developing within the Cardano ecosystem.

We are in no doubt that we have the contacts and relationships in place to ensure that leading projects will be involved with our planed events.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Planning

1. Confirm collaborators, projects and invited participant list for the events.
2. Confirm venues for all events.
3. Publish event dates, agendas, workshop program and initial confirmed collaborators.
4. Confirm ticketing methods and proof of attendance / logistics for tracking success metrics for all events.
5. Create public Meetup pages and open the first event for sign up.
6. Begin marketing for the events.

Execution - Technical Workshop

1. Completion of the event will be the main evidence of verification.
2. Publish outputs from the SPO workshop groups, detailing the consensus outputs for each discussion point.
3. Post workshop feedback and review, recap on general and event specific success metrics.

Execution - Project Showcase

1. Completion of the event will be the first evidence of verification.
2. Publish outputs will take the form of interviews with attendees and projects from the day, and ongoing publishing of content to keep the events momentum.
3. Post event feedback and review, recap on general and

Execution - Networking and Social

1. Completion of the event will be the first evidence of verification.
2. Publish outputs will take the form of video and photography from the day, as this is a social we expect an appropriate informal publishing of this events content.
3. Post event feedback and review, recap on general and event specific success metrics.

Final review

1. Publish project written report, summarising all the event outputs and success metrics in a single report at the end of the proposal period.
2. Publish close out video summarising the event outputs and success of receiving the funding.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

The Upstream Stake Pool team:

We are a team of three and share the dynamic roles involved in running a stake pool and limited company. With each of us bringing our unique professional skill sets to the mix enabling us to deliver high value events.

Mark Hall - Organisation and Technical

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-h-b3ba0247

• Event curation and theming.
• Managing venue and services.
• Technical and development resourcing.

Chris Warren - Organisation and Community

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-warren-144b5a6a

• Coordinating projects, communities and generating event interest.
• Proactively fostering strong Cardano and web3 relationships.
• Event curation and marketing.

Ben Deverson - Organisation and Design

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-deverson-508a2336

• Print and digital media.
• Product / merch design.
• Video production and resourcing.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Event 1 - Technical workshop (SPO/DRep etc.) - £9,000 (A 25,000).

• Venue and refreshments - £5,500
• Filming, editing & production - £2000
• Travel & accommodation - £240
• Logistics - £120
• Consumables/Printing £40
• Ticketing and minting - £100
• Project management/coordination - £1000

Event 2 - Project Showcase - £21,600 (A 60,000).

• Venue, equipment and refreshments - £14,820
• Filming and editing - £ 2600
• Travel & accommodation - £260
• Logistics - £220
• Consumables - £100
• Printing - £200
• Projects travel contribution -£1000
• Ticketing and minting - £400
• Project management/coordination - £2000

Event 3 - Cardano Social - £5,400 (A 15,000).

• Venue and refreshments - £3500
• Filming and editing - £800
• Travel - £100
• Consumables, merchandise, printing - £400
• Ticketing and minting - £100
• Project management/coordination - £500

The workings for this proposal assume an ADA value of £0.36, correct at date of proposal submission.

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

The above proposed costs are in-line with current resource/service costs for London (where the events are to be held). Our track record of running events has given us detailed insight into the cost for venue higher and logistic costs involved. We can provide evidence for estimates/invoices and these will be published with post event reports as part of the review process.

A large element of the planning involved for these events is research to ensure that the most cost-effective options are available and we always aim try to reduce these cost wherever possible.

In the event of ADA value increasing significantly between application and receipt; we will use the funds to hold an additional technical workshop (focused on governance and tooling)

In the event of ADA value decreasing significantly between application and receipt; we will scale back the plans proportionately and ensure all events operate at reduced venue sizes.

We hope that by budgeting at the higher end of quotes this won't be an issue.