Proposal: Circus City Sponsorship

Syntheist

Syntheist

Active member
This proposal is live at - https://www.dashcentral.org/p/CircusCity

I have created this new thread for clarity as i could not change the title of the previous discussion.

If you are already sure you want to support this proposal then here is the code for the manual vote:

gobject vote-many 5d6aee771d98af2483a5f8157e0fbda158fc2f0f2cf655be266c5d6caa6e3761 funding yes

If you're still uncertain, have questions for me or the Circus City team, or are currently voting no then it would be good to hear from you. What I want is a proposal that serves both Dash and Circus City and therefore all feedback is useful.

You can also message me directly on here or Dash Nation Slack as Syntheist.
 
Lina B Frank the co-director of Circus City sat down in Stockholm to gives her thoughts on the festival, European circus, working with alternative currencies and why Dash feels like such a prefect fit for the festival.

 
I was very happy to learn of this proposal since its time as a pre-proposal, and really hope that it succeeds. Syntheist and Bristol_Pauper both appear to be very well spoken and enthusiastic about Dash, not so they get rich like so many speculators, but because Dash offers a practical, international use case that their community so desperately needs.

Maybe some people are like me and remember when they first heard of Bitcoin a few years back, and were emotionally drawn to its potential of helping the people of the world who have been cast aside by the banking class, those people whose lives are most severely inconvenienced by fiat monetary systems. From a tender place in our hearts we thought about how digital cash could really help lift the third world out of poverty. But did we ever bother to consider the red-nose clowns? Those poor empaths whose sole mission is to bring light to the stage and share in the complete range of sadnesses and joys of the world?

Even in the U.S. there exists this type of circus community: tight-knit, intelligent, and passionate, who travel over many continents to showcase their arts -- theater, aerial, puppetry, &c. -- infused with humanitarian messages and sweet relief.

Sandglass Theater in Putney, Vermont is just a few miles away from the cryptocurrency hotspot of Keene, New Hampshire. How cool would it be for me to present them with Dash in my general endeavor of bringing merchants onboard, knowing that their extended community also accepts it, and that they could bring it with them on their tours not only of the United States, but of Europe and South America?

In short I hope the Masternode owners find it in their hearts to give these clowns a fighting chance.
 
In light of Amanda's video about marketing I'm happy to confirm that the Digital Cash strap line will be used on all promotional material, including flyers.

I agree that this line is an essential part of explaining Dash in a direct and accessible way.

Also the Dash integration team at Circus City will be on hand at the festival hub and performances to help people install their first wallet and send them a usable quantity of Dash that can be spent at the festival hub on tickets, at the bar on discounted drinks, and at a local co-working space to rent a desk for the day.

Given the dramatic rise in price we are planning to expand our offering of Dash integration to include free Dash for festival goers.

We are also looking to use the increased GBP value of the sponsorship to run more master classes for performers and fund a street stage in the centre of Bristol.
 
A huge thanks to all of the MNOs who have put their trust in us to deliver value for the Dash network.

Thanks also to everyone who has debated the proposal online. It has clarified so much for me and gives me faith in the process: there is both strong oversight and also the possibility to change people's minds.

It has been an emotional journey watching the rises and falls on the voting chart. We've had to stop ourselves checking every 5 minutes. Right now we are at 11% and the team is elated.

There has been a large increase in price and this means the Dash sponsorship will have an even bigger impact than we planned.

Keeping within the spirit of the proposal we will look very carefully at what we can use this extra value to accomplish. This might be expanding the family program, the masterclasses we are running or perhaps even a Dash sponsored stage in the city centre.

We will update you within a week of the success of the proposal with our plan based on the current price.

We are all delighted at the possibility of sponsorship from the Dash DAO and we feel that this is a partnership where our ethics and ideals align perfectly.

We know that there are several days left until voting closes so feel free to ask Lina or I any questions and we will respond straight away.
 
Thanks, very glad to have started working on this already.

I'm not familiar with them, looks like a nice group, more focused on training and young people rather than performance. It might be that Dash is useful for them especially if they bring in international teachers.
 
Here is the latest update on the proposal, using the format from the project update template.

The next update will be delivered on 2017/06/16

Overall Status

The project is on track and the Circus City (CC) Team is excited to be starting work.
Governance:
  • Lina B. Frank (CC Co-Director) will be responsible for the budget & delivery during cycle 1

  • Ed Rapley will be responsible for the budget & delivery during cycle 2
Progress and Achievements Since Last Reporting Period

  • The proposal has been approved and the initial work of integrating the Dash Digital cash logo into the identity of the festival has begun.

  • Initial sales of 29 Dash have been completed to provide funds for marketing and test banking solutions.

  • Banking solutions are being improved with the opening of a EUR denominated account

  • Presentation to the Theatre Bristol Board has been planned & will be delivered this week.
Time
  • All work is currently on track. An updated schedule for Cycle 1 will be released next week
Budget
  • For transparency it was decided not to use PrivateSend for Dash transactions in cycle 1
  • Dash has increased in value from £67 to £115 (realised rate after bank fees – 2017/06/07)
Lina wishes to use the increase in the GBP value of the funding within the activities detailed in cycle 1 of the proposal, rather than adding extra activities at present.

The main aim of cycle 1 is marketing: getting the Circus City message and Dash logo out there. This can best be achieved by increasing the spend on marketing in line with increase in the value of Dash.

This will translate to longer hours for the Marketing Manager, Designer, & Filmmaker plus an increase in the amount of print that will be created.

Next week’s update will include more details on the marketing spend, following a meeting with the team.

Risks

The most substantial risk at present is the exchange risk and costs of using EUR to GBP bank transfers. Funds are kept on the exchange for the absolute minimum of time and withdrawals are processed immediately.

Once the new EUR denominated account is in place the work flow will be: Dash Wallet: Exchange: EUR account: Transferwise: GBP account. This is more complicated but will allow for cost effective sale of the Dash.

 
Circus City Update
17/06/16

Overall Status

The project is still on track and partners are being found for important aspects of the project. The main focus for Circus City is now the completion of the Brochure.

Progress and Achievements Since Last Reporting Period
  • The project was successfully presented to the board of Circus City (CC) at the Theatre Bristol offices. This included explaining blockchain technology with a focus on Dash.

  • The Theatre Bristol team downloaded their first wallets and participated in #FirstDashWallets

  • I am now helping CC to prepare the copy for the brochure for all shows in addition to writing the Dash sponsorship message.

  • The location of the festival bar has been changed from the Loco Club due to cost issues. It will now either be held at The Milk Bar (a co-working & events space I am a partner in) where it will be run as a profit share with CC or at The Old Market Assembly.

  • Conversations started with the owners of The Old Market Assembly about the possibility of accepting Dash. Very positive and fruitful, they also own two other successful bars The Canteen & No.1 Harbourside as well as being involved in running Bristol’s largest co-working space Hamilton House so there is considerable scope for expansion.
Time

The timeline has been updated, the addition on the programme launch on the 27th of July is the only major change. This will be the release date for all publicity.

June 1st
Result from the DAO becomes clear

June 7th
All design and print resources collected

July 27th
Programme Launch: Printed material released and website fully updated

August 1st
Introduction to Dash email written and sent to artists

September 1st
All help desk resources and procedures in place.

September 14th
POS/wallet solution implemented

October 1st
Help desk team trained

October 12th
Festival opens.

October 29th
Festival closes

November 14th
Completion of report & Documentary Edited

November 17th
Presentation and publication of the Dash integration research & Documentary

Budget
  • Given the highly volatile movements in the price of Dash CC has decided to wait until more of the funding has been converted into GBP to finalise the budget.

  • 15 more Dash has been sold.

  • I now have a Euro denominated account with a UK bank, this combined with the use of transferwise* has reduced the costs from £40 to £10 per £1000 transferred.
    *affliate link
Risks
  • There was a risk of being without a festival bar to partner with CC, however there are now two options on the table.

  • The highest financial risk remains the use of exchanges to convert funds. Fast transfers and completion of orders are being practiced, some value might be lost but this project needs to value security of funds above small increases in returns.

  • Currency conversion risk has been reduced through the adoption of Euro account.

  • At present CC is working to complete its submissions to venues for their brochure deadlines, the risk here is missed deadlines and therefore less visibility for CC and Dash. To counteract this we are working this weekend to complete copy for the relevant shows.
As ever i am available to answer questions on the Dash Nation Slack channel, here and via twitter @ed_rapley
 
Excellent report! You are gaining valuable experience that will help us solve problems of Dash adoption.

An you are shooting a documentary! Excellent!
 
Circus City Update 17/06/23
Overall Status

Important project management groundwork has been laid this week:
  • Asana.com is now used across the team to coordinate all tasks related to Dash
  • Lina and Edward aligning working practices:
    • all Dash related work to be done on Thursdays and Fridays
    • Use of asana tracking tasks
    • Use of toggl for recording time spent on tasks
  • Email address created: [email protected]
Progress and Achievements Since Last Reporting Period
  • Owing to time constraints around negotiations with Old Market Assembly and the brochure deadline The Milk Bar will host the Dash sponsored bar with the use of Temporary Event Notices.
  • Dash - Digital Cash logo will also appear in 10,000+ Circomedia Brochures
  • Detailed logo placement discussion for CC primary image
  • Mobile wallets trialled:
    • Jaxx feels complex for first time users: many small buttons
    • “What is this Fox?” Need to explain Shapeshift.
    • Do we introduce people to crypto in general or Dash specifically?
    • Seed phrase backup is an excellent feature
    • Hash engineering feels clear, awaiting seed backup
      • Ed will assist with UX feedback
Time
A detailed timeline of tasks for the next two weeks has been created, the project continues to be well within deadlines.

Budget
15 more Dash has been sold. The banking sector sure is slow, I’m still awaiting my card reader to enable online banking.

Risks
The risk of missed deadlines and tasks has been greatly reduced with a adoption of a unified project management solution.

As ever i am available to answer questions on the Dash Nation Slack channel, on dash.org/forum and via twitter @ed_rapley or at [email protected]
 
Circus City Update 17/06/30

Overall Status
  • The project continues to go very smoothly, with the CC team working to complete the brochure and other publicity material.
  • The project is now entering a new phase as we prepare to launch the festival.
  • There will now be monthly reports at the end of July, August & September.
Progress and Achievements Since Last Reporting Period
  • Completion of all text for the brochure.
    • This has been the focus for the entire team
    • It includes information about the Dash sponsorship
  • Ongoing conversation with Subcase, the conference where the research paper will be presented.
Time
  • We remain on target, having met all external deadlines.
  • Use of asana.com has proved vital in managing conversations and tasks.
Budget
  • The initial sales of Dash are now completed and held in GBP
  • CC is seeking to avoid unnecessary sales of Dash
    • This will allow for paying some suppliers in Dash
    • Allows for paying some performers in Euros
Risks
  • We are exposed to the risk of Dash falling in value, so we remain ready to sell should the price drop close to the level at which we applied for it (£68)
As ever i am available to answer questions on the Dash Nation Slack channel, on dash.org/forum and via twitter @ed_rapley or at [email protected]

Next report: July 31st
 
Circus City Update 17/07/31
Overall Status
  • The groundwork for the festival and Dash integration has been laid and we are now progressing with marketing the festival and increasing the visibility of Dash.
  • Some mistakes have been made with the placement of the Dash logo, these are now being corrected.
Progress and Achievements Since Last Reporting Period
  • In order for the sponsorship to have the greatest effect I have begun a programme for creating awareness of Dash in Bristol:
    • Running monthly cryptocurrency meetups
    • Testing POS systems
    • Talking to local businesses about accepting Dash
    • Printing ‘Dash Accepted Here’ vinyl stickers
    • Investigated the Bitcoin ATMs in Bristol both are Lamassu machines
    • Scoping the barriers that prevent venues accepting Dash:
      • Tax - there remains uncertainty about the tax implications
        Training - new systems require additional training for staff
      • Technology - most venues outsource their ticket system
  • Dash added to the website on the about page: bristolcircuscity.com/about/
    • This page is an example of the difference between the treatment of the Dash logo and other funders.
  • News story about Dash sponsorship posted on website: http://www.bristolcircuscity.com/big-thanks-to-the-dash-community/
  • The vector graphic supplied by Dash has been edited to remove the excess blank space that made it harder to use in certain contexts. If other people using it don’t edit the original it can lead to the logo appearing smaller than necessary.
    • Can Dash.org host a tighter cropped version of the logo?
  • During the programme launch, July 27th at Circomedia, I presented the Dash sponsorship to 100 arts & circus industry professionals, giving a brief overview of Dash and how it will be integrated into the festival. This generated several conversations that are being followed up this week.
Time
  • There was significant time pressure around the programme launch, leading to mistakes with the treatment of the Dash logo. These mistakes are being fixed this week and I will have a video trailer to share with you and an e-flyer.
  • All major tasks between now and the end of the project have been listed and broken down. During August I will be working full time for the Dash DAO.
Budget
  • Circus City has received additional non-sponsorship funding from The Finnish Institute and Institut Francais.
  • This funding has allowed them to delay the sale of the final tranche of Dash, which is now being kept in Masternode shares. Circus City sees owning Dash as an integral part of their funding strategy for 2019 and beyond.
Risks
  • Under-exposure of the Dash logo: there are currently instances (video trailer & e-flyer) where the Dash logo has not been displayed according to the guidelines I set out i.e. it is displayed on the same level or at the same size as other logos.
    • This is due to those designs being completed without my approval.
    • A common design practice in the arts is to list all funder logos together.
  • Going forward I have made sure that funder logos will be separate from the Dash logo. The flyer and trailer are being re-designed and will be release to the Dash community when I am happy with them.
  • Masternode shares: these introduce 3rd party risk, however it has been decided that this risk is acceptable given that Circus City currently has the funding in place to carry out all of the activity in the proposal. It also gives CC a viable source of income between festivals reducing their reliance on centralised funding sources.
I am available to answer questions as @Syntheist on the Dash Nation Slack and dash.org/forum and via twitter @ed_rapley or at [email protected]


Next report: August 31st
 
You're doing a fantastic job with with project -- keep up the good work!

I'm particularly interested in the documentary component of this project. Is any planning happening on that front?
 
The work on the documentary hasn't yet begun, beyond the Dash related work the team have been focused on preparing the brochure and artistic programme.

The film maker will be commissioned in the next month, right now all they would be capturing is people sitting at their laptops.
 
Nice! Great positioning of the Dash logo -- it pops by itself on the screen, and isn't imposing on the message. Well done!
 
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