OrlandoiX Raises Additional $100,000 from City of Orlando
OrlandoiX, the digital media and entertainment technology festival planned for October, received a major boost last week: an additional $100,000 from the City of Orlando’s Downtown Development Board, bringing total funding to $800,000 in cash and in-kind contributions. The funding was unanimously approved at the Downtown Development Board meeting on February 25.
The $100,000 investment was the largest special events funding amount in the history of Orlando as OiX lines up with several key Project DTO initiatives to bring a signature design and tech festival to Orlando’s downtown. The 5-day digital festival looks to draw 50,000 creative technologists, entrepreneurs and visitors to Orlando, creating an economic impact of $34.7 million according to a study by Rollins College.
“Recommendations from the Project DTO task force stated that there is incredible opportunity for Downtown to flourish if we continue to support technology, entrepreneurship, special events and concerts,” said Thomas Chatmon, Executive Director of the City of Orlando’s Downtown Development Board. “OrlandoiX accomplishes all of the above by showcasing our urban core and world-class community venues to more than 50,000 digital innovators who have traveled from around the globe to see how Orlando is leading the world in entertainment technology.”
Last month OiX announced major partnerships with EA Tiburon, Full Sail University, IZEA, Highwinds, OUC, Purple Rock Scissors, Riptide Software, Foley & Lardner, Orange County Government and the Orange County Convention Center.
Along with EA Tiburon, OiX plans to turn the 875,000-foot Amway Center into a gaming arena featuring prize tournaments, workshops and world premiers from top gaming studios. More than 200 events are planned for the festival, including entertainment technology workshops, a digital expo and speaker series, startup summit and nightly entertainment throughout major Orlando venues such as the Dr. Phillips for the Performing Arts Center, Church Street and the Orange County Convention Center.
“It’s exciting, we couldn’t have done OiX three years ago, Dr. Phillips didn’t exist, the Amway Center didn’t exist, the Church Street Exchange was empty,” says OiX founder David Glass. “We have world class venues, and OiX will bring an entirely new audience to our city, digital artists and creative technologists from the southeast and around the world, showcasing everything amazing Orlando has to offer.”
OiX runs from October 2-6, and tickets go on sale on April 2nd, ranging from $35 for standalone events like the gaming arena to $700 for the entire conference and workshop series. OiX will also host a kickoff party on April 2nd at the Church Street Exchange.
