The WHAT IF FESTIVAL OF INNOVATION AND IMAGINATION invites you to propose an “Experience” (an exhibit, a performance, an experiment, an activity, a unique collaboration, or any other form of experiential interface that creates an experience for the viewer/participant).  Express your own innovation and imagination or the imagination within your organization, group of friends, business, or company, and devise a way to demonstrate it. Acceptance of Applications for 2013

WHAT IF FESTIVAL EXPERIENCES:  if receive application by July 25th, receive priority placement and reduced fees.  
DEADLINE :  August 19th to be in Festival Guide

The WHAT IF Festival is September 07,2013, with select Experiences from throughout the region.  --- Hours of operation for the 2013 Festival are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• Shine the light on diverse forms of innovation and imagination in our community. Show off cool people, cool businesses.
• Engage as many people as possible in a day of “wows!” together. Engage people of all ages in their own personally creative experiences. Celebrate together – share joys and aha’s!
• Cultivate creative collaborations and relationships that connect our community. Foster more innovation, invention, sustainability ideas, entrepreneurs, and creators.  

Applications might:
• Demonstrate innovative process, innovative product, or both. Have you been inventing/building something amazing that the region should know about?
• Show collaboration between/among surprising partners, such as among multiple usually unrelated businesses, or between technology and art, or ranching and dancing, or …??
• Span different cultures or geographical areas.
• Result in a presentation, play, interactive exhibit, installation, or some completely unexpected interactive Experience.

Importantly, we invite applications showing innovation and imagination in any domain/discipline: arts, technology, business, education, culinary, retail, medical, sports, environment, ranching, gardening/farming, etc. We encourage applications in any other area including innovative inventions devised in your garage, or new processes for doing things.

If you are a performing artist or a musical group, we encourage originality and imagination in your performance. Not that we discourage covering other artist’s material, but we would ask that you give an innovative interpretation to that material. NO karaoke or sound-alikes, please!

Each application must show that:
• The proposed Experience is educational and not about selling a product. Note: Sponsorships with product exhibition are available. Also, a separate area available for retail sales of innovative and imaginative products and services has been created for this year's Festival. Named The Bizarre Bazaar, this area will have a separate application. We ask that you make your retail space as interactive of an Experience as the other non-retail Experiences. For now, please check appropriate box on application form if you have an interest in a booth in the Bazaar.
• The proposed Experience is in good taste, appropriate for a family-friendly event and professionally presented and/or executed.
Please complete one proposal for each Experience you want to present. We call each element of the Festival an “Experience”, whether it is an exhibit, a performance, an experiment, an activity or any other form of interaction that creates an experience for the viewer/participant. Use your imagination!

NOT QUITE SURE YET? You know that you and/or your organization is doing something innovative, but you are uncertain as to how that translates into an Interactive Experience. Contact us before going further with this application! Our Experience Committee will be happy to meet with you and brainstorm on how you can have the maximum impact with your Experience at this year's Festival.

The following Selection Criteria will be used to evaluate Experience applications. The criteria are meant to give guidance. Your proposal should clearly describe how it meets each criteria:
1. The proposed Experience is innovative and/or imaginative with a “Wow” factor for Festival attendees.
2. The Experience is engaging, interactive, and/or participative and educational.
3. The Experience is inclusive, sensitive to diversity, and does not judge others with different viewpoints or beliefs.
Criteria 4 and 5 are special criteria and though not required, are highly encouraged.
4. The proposal demonstrates collaboration (e.g., across communities, ages, disciplines, geographic areas, cultures, organizations and/or businesses, etc.).
5. The development of the Experience and the Experience itself are “Green”.

ATTENTION !  IF THERE IS A RED STAR NEXT TO THE QUESTION, YOU MUST ANSWER THIS QUESTION IN ORDER FOR YOUR FORM TO SUBMIT.  THANKS!

If this is a collaboration (we encourage them!), please supply information for one contact person for each collaborating community /company/ organization.

While we will try to accommodate requirements for accepted Experiences, we cannot guarantee that our spaces will accommodate them. Questions? Ask us!

APPROVED AND INVOICED EXPERIENCES REQUIRE A PARTICIPATION FEE.
Performance proposals will be routed to the Entertainment Committee for further action.

Participant Fee: $185 (plus $25 refundable deposit)
Entrepreneurs Fee:  $100

Your participation fee INCLUDES either a professional exterior tent set up for you or an interior space. MOST FESTIVALS charge a participation fee AND a tent fee. Additional needs (tables, chairs, electrical) and special requirements will be at the exhibitor’s expense.  Exhibitors may be required to use specific vendors to insure uniformity of festival presentation.

(Things to consider: indoor or outdoor space, high ceiling space, dimensions and shape of space, stage and/or backstage needed, number of six-foot tables, plastic folding chairs, power plugs (one device per plug), hardwired internet connections, specific times required, specific safety requirements, etc.)