Posted June 2005

The attention of the design world will be focused on downtown Chattanooga this November as the city plays host to the inaugural American pre-selection competition of Webdesign International Festival. Professionals and students from around the nation will gather November 18 – 19, 2005 for seminars, events and the drama of the "WebJam" competition. Winners of that competition will represent the United States at the international festival in Limoges, France. For an all access pass to the event click here.

How cre824 Came to the Scenic City
In the past, the United States has not been invited to compete in the International Festival in Limoges, but Chattanooga-based Tubatomic Studios did participate in last year’s event as a seminar presenter. According to Aaron Hoffman of Tubatomic Studios, the opportunity for creating a U.S. competition seemed too good to pass up. "We approached the organizers of the international event with the idea of basing an American event in Chattanooga. Thanks to incredible support from community partners such as the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, and others, we were selected as the permanent home of the event beating out larger cities including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, and Orlando."

"Chattanooga continues to become a place renowned for creativity," said Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. "Being named the host city for cre824 is a great coup for our community and allows us to showcase our city to international technology firms and entrepreneurs who can choose to locate their businesses anywhere, while also enhancing our reputation as an emerging technology center."

According to Bob Doak, president of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, cre824 will have a significant impact on the local economy. "We estimate that the inaugural event will attract approximately 3,500 people and pump more than a million dollars into the local economy," Doak said. "Because this is an annual event, cre824 will provide a reoccurring benefit with strong prospects for this convention to grow over time."

"cre824 will bring many mobile entrepreneurs and highly-skilled, creative people into Chattanooga for the first time," said Tom Edd Wilson, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. "We believe that this event can provide a starting point for building longer-term relationships with technology-oriented individuals and companies."

The Chattanooga Technology Council and the Chattanooga chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) are also supporting event.

The Festival in Limoges hosts representatives from more than a dozen countries, such as France, Canada, Spain, Poland, Russia, Belgium, England, and Portugal for seminars, workshops, a trade show, and an online web design competition – as will cre824 in Chattanooga. The centerpiece of the festival is a "WebJam" – a non-stop, 24-hour competition that pits teams around the world against each other in a digital design competition.

More about the "WebJam"and cre824
One of the most intense components of cre824 (and the root of the gathering’s name – create in 24 hours) is the "WebJam." Imagine learning of a crucial assignment as you walk into your office and have 24 hours to design and build out a comprehensive, competition-beating website. That’s a WebJam. Students and professionals alike will learn of their challenge just before the clock starts ticking. After 24 hours the sites are reviewed and judged. At last year’s international competition, the winning team was awarded a $100,000 contract to design the new Audi website.