INFORMATION PROVIDED FOR INTERNAL PARTNER REFERENCE ONLY

​“Spark" Program Guide For Partners

Background
The Tourism Innovation Lab is a non-profit initiative created to find, foster and support new tourism ideas, experiences and partnerships, to cultivate and propel collaborations between the tourism and tech sectors, and to build a community of tourism innovators and entrepreneurs in Canada.

Launched as a pilot in Windsor Essex in 2018, the Lab and its "Spark" Mentorships & Grants Program continue to expand to new regions across British Columbia and Ontario. The Lab is a program of Hackforge and is based at the University of Windsor-EPICentre.

"Spark" Mentorships & Grants Program
The "Spark" Program is delivered in collaboration with regional/local partners and includes:

• Region/community-wide call out for applications from individuals 18+, small businesses and non-profits (can be new or existing)
• Application Requirements:
  • 1000-word max word document with responses to 8 questions
  • 1-minute max intro video
• Application reviews by a jury including local and provincial tourism innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders
• Finalists' Pitch Session (our friendly take on a tourism Dragon's Den)
• Selection of 3 winning applicants from each participating region (special edition programs sometimes have a higher number)

Selected applicants will receive:

• 3 month mentorship with a tourism innovator, experienced operator, industry leader and/or sector expert
• "Spark" grant to support tourism idea development activities
• Access to a support network of tourism innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders
• Ongoing guidance on other resources and support services provided by partners

Program Delivery Phases & Timeline
Each region can vary in its priorities and structure, however the timeline to develop, launch and deliver the "Spark" Mentorships & Grants Program takes approximately 8-10 months with the following 5 phases:

Prior to program commencing:

• Proposal, funding confirmation & partnership agreement:​
  • Program delivery funding (contact us for more information)
  • Grants funding = $10,000 (standard amount):
    • $3,000 x 3 "Spark" winners per region
    • $1,000 for mentor and review jury honourariums
      
      

Phase 1 - Planning & Development (4-8 weeks):

• Establishing a Steering Committee with key partner representatives
• Program Planning meeting (formal start of the program) 
• Marketing & promotional materials created

Phase 2 - Launch, Promotions, and Applications Intake (5-6 weeks):

• Program launch & media announcement:​
  • ​Media release is issued by lead regional partner
  • Announcement video
  • Social media posts 
• Collaborative marketing campaign (see more details below)​
• Info Sessions: 
  • 1-2 webinars are held for prospective applicants
• Applications intake period with deadline:
  • ​Average number of applicants per region: 10-25 depending on the size of the region/community 

Phase 3 - Applications Review & Finalists' Pitch Session (5-6 weeks):

• Review Jury Process (3 weeks):
  • Review Jury is typically made up of 3-4 partner representatives, as well as a tourism entrepreneur from outside the region (maximum of 5 jurors)
  • ​Jury members review and score the applications submitted using an online form
  • Once all reviews are complete, the scoring results are sent to the Review Jury who participate in a group call to select 5 finalists
  • Pitch prep calls are coordinated with each finalist
• Finalists’ Pitch Session (virtual):
  • Pitch Session Judge Panel is typically made up of 3-4 partner representatives, as well as a tourism entrepreneur from outside the region (maximum of 5 judges)
  • 5 finalists make their pitch to a panel of judges, with 3 being selected as winners
  • Winners announcement media release is issued and posted on social media

Phase 4 - Mentorship Program (4 months):

• Mentorship recruitment:
  • Interviews are held with selected applicants to identify areas of advice and guidance that would be helpful in their current stage of development
  • Mentors are not pre-selected as applicants all have different needs depending on their development stage and background
  • Research and outreach is carried out to find a suitable mentor match
• Mentorship Program (3 months):​
  • ​Mentees and Mentors commit to meeting a minimum of 3 times within a 3 month period, starting with an intro call
• Mentee Progress Reports (due after the mentorship period is complete)
• Next Steps meetings (held after the mentorship program is complete)
  
  

Phase 5 - Evaluation & Reporting (2-4 weeks):

• Winner/Mentee evaluation surveys distributed and results compiled
• Final Partner Report

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Program Marketing & Templates
The marketing and promotion of the "Spark" Program is done in collaboration with local, regional and provincial partners. As those partners have the most local extensive networks, this is very much a team effort!
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Customized program logos with regional identifiers:

A region-specific webpage is created to host all of the program information, application guide and questions, and info session registration links (eg. www.tourisminnnovation.ca/YOURREGION).

Images of local tourism entrepreneurs are provided by partners to be featured in the program marketing and digital assets.  Here are examples of promotional postcards (for digital or print) from BC and Ontario:

Communications & Social Media

• The regional "Spark" web portal will go live on the launch date
• A media release will be developed by the Lab and issued by the lead regional partner
• Social media posts will be done approximately every 3-5 days through the marketing campaign period and the Lab will tag all partners to like and share
• Sponsored social media posts targeting the specific region will run through the marketing campaign period
• Facebook events and related social media posts will be done to promote the info sessions and the Lab will tag all partners
• Tourism Innovation Lab newsletters are generally sent out monthly with program details and reminders
• Social media posts with "3 weeks to go", "2 weeks to go", "1 week to go", "3 days to go", and "Final Call" will be done leading up to the application deadline and the Lab will tag all partners

For program partners: we encourage you to like and share the Lab's social media posts, as well as use the digital promos and social media ads on your own social media channels (and tag the Tourism Innovation Lab). The marketing assets can be used in newsletters, partner websites, etc. 

Watch this video to learn about the "Spark" Program from a winner/mentee perspective:

Please contact us if you have any questions:

Justin Lafontaine, Program Lead 
(Ontario and general inquiries)
info@tourisminnovation.ca or 1-844-455-0325 ext. 1

Alex Berlyand, BC Programs Coordinator
outreach@tourisminnovation.ca or 1-844-455-0325 ext. 2
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Learn more about the Tourism Innovation Lab