Veteran One Spark creators — artists and entrepreneurs who will again be showcasing their ideas during the annual festival — were checking in Monday at the event’s Bay Street headquarters.
About half of the 550 registered exhibitors were expected to have credentials in hand by the end of the day.
Most will begin setting up their exhibits today in advance of the festival, which officially kicks off at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Ryan Thompson will be showing GAAM, his new video game, this year at the Jacksonville Landing. It is his third year as an exhibitor.
He said he knows what he’s in for and is looking forward to five long days of pitching his new creation.
“It will be our third year of taking a One Spark beating, but we’ll survive,” said Thompson. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”
What brings him back each year is the opportunity to demonstrate his latest ideas.
“One Spark is a great promotional avenue,” Thompson said.
Back for a second year is Shannon Palmer, who will show “Yarn Bomb Jax,” a textile art that utilizes the urban streetscape as the canvas.
She said her assigned venue this year, Hemming Park, should bring even more exposure to her art.
“We were inside a building last year, and we learned. Yarn Bomb needs to be outside,” she said. “We’ll be in Hemming Park in the middle of everything.”
First-timer David Cox is an exhibitor who wanted an inside venue. He’ll be introducing his social media website for musicians with a display at the Underbelly live music venue along East Bay Street.
“One Spark seems like a good way to network and promote our product to our prime demographic,” he said.
Cox and his volunteers are expecting to spend many hours each day pitching their product.
“I’m tired now, just getting ready for it,” he said Monday as he was leaving the registration area.
Steve Parry, exhibiting at One Spark for the second consecutive year, is hoping for hot weather this week. He’s showing his “Polar Pod” mobile cooling station. He described it as a 50-degree “walk-in cooler on wheels” that people can visit to lower their core temperature if they feel overheated.
“It’s supposed to be in the high 80s every day this week, so we’re not only showcasing the product, but people might need it,” he said.
Tammy Wehner almost brought her invention, a one-step furniture refinishing product, to last year’s One Spark, but it wasn’t quite ready for its debut.
This year, she’ll be demonstrating “Vintage Furniture Paint” under a tent at Forsyth and Hogan streets.
“I love the creative aspect of One Spark,” she said. “It proves that the little guy can create a business through social media and hard work.”
After helping staff the Engine 15 craft brewery booth last year, Kara Scremin will showcase “Building Jax Beer Society,” her new nonprofit dedicated to promoting local beers.
She’s looking forward to the One Spark vibe.
“We had a lot of fun last year. One Spark makes it feel like Downtown is alive and I wanted to come back,” Scremin said.
One Spark’s opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. today at Hemming Park. The ceremony will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by a concert featuring Echosmith and Mates of State.
The first of five days of creator showcases begins at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
One Spark 2015 concludes with the closing ceremony and award presentations at 5 p.m. Sunday.
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