JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One Spark is expecting 150,000 people to pack into downtown for the festival this week. And with venues across 20 blocks, things can get a little crazy.
That's where the volunteers come in to keep things on track.
"Everybody has something to do. It's busy," volunteer Louise Sharrocks said.
When you go to One Spark, you will notice the hundreds of creators with their eye-catching displays, but you may not notice the thousands of people behind the scenes making it all happen.
"When I saw One Spark, I was like, 'What's this?'" Sharrocks said.
Sharrocks is new to town and admits she had no idea what she was getting herself into. But she decided to get involved to learn more about the area.
"What am I going to do, sit at home?" she said. "Why not come and be a part of it."
Many volunteers have the same attitude.
"I did it to meet new people, working with new people and also seeing what they're doing downtown in Jacksonville," Yvette Primus said.
"I made so many friends, met a lot of great people, saw the city come to life," said Michelle Worley, who volunteered last year.
With hundreds of more creators at One Spark this year, event organizers said they need all the help they can get. About 2,000 people signed up to help volunteer this year and more than 600 will be on the ground during One Spark helping with creator liaison and voter registration to make the event a success.
Volunteers went through a short training program and was matched up with the job that suited them best.
"I have been meeting and greeting creators from out of town, answering questions about logistical things," Sharrocks said.
"We're setting up the voting booths so that people that come down to visit can help support the creators," Kristen Sawyer said.
"It makes you want to be a part of it, either a creator or be a participant or just a visitor," Sharrocks said. "I think there's something for everybody here."
One Spark is not only exposing great ideas and innovations, it's bringing the community together.
"It's really important," Worley said. "Communities can't survive without a volunteer basis."