Going Virtual - Customizable Timline

Local Entrepreneurship Competition Timeline (Example)

This list is an example of the kinds of things your community team may want to consider as you plan a local entrepreneurship competition virtually. It was created with input from several communities but should be adapted as desired to fit your needs and timeline.

Virtual Competition Planning Tasks & Timeline

16+ weeks before

Decision time! Determine you want to host an entrepreneurship competition, set budget, and determine how to fund the competition
Decide who will be involved in the planning process and identify community partners
Meet with potential mentors, such as educational representatives if working within a school setting
Determine format (what competition elements do you want to use?), date, eligibility rules, and begin discussing logistics
Decide if/how education will be a part of the process for entrepreneurs
Decide what information to gather from participants - name, contact info, etc.
Create your event in VentureDash and gain access to the landing page to promote your event

12-16 weeks before

Announce competition via livestream, social media, and/or email with link to event landing page
Contact previous year’s winners for progress report; assess interest
Recruit participants. Email invitations in VentureDash
Create sponsorship letter or pitch and approach potential sponsors

8-12 weeks before

Create and distribute promotional fliers, emails, and/or social media graphics to promote the competition and recruit applications
Identify a keynote speaker for event, if desired
Send invitations to businesses and community members who will be in the audience through email and/or VentureDash.
Set up video links if presentations will be live.

4-8 weeks before

Find judges for event(s)
Create or update judge instructions in VentureDash
Create press release and distribute to media
Process business applications and assign judges to each business in VentureDash

0-4 weeks before

Organize and plan schedule for the day - who will present when, if live presentations
Send follow-up information to speaker with itinerary for time to present on video
Provide instructions to judges in advance, including how to score on VentureDash
Continue the marketing push!
Test technology - make sure Zoom or other software is up-to-date; consider hosting a run-through with speaker or others who will present

Competition day(s)

Check-in entrepreneurs as attended/completed on VentureDash
Approve scores as they come in
Coordinate live results presentation, if desired

0-2 weeks after

Send wrap-up surveys in VentureDash
Provide feedback to participants by giving access to judge remarks in VentureDash
Process prizes for winners and send certificates via mail, if desired
Share results
Send thank yous - and bask in your success!