Virtual Event Guide

Hosting a virtual entrepreneurship competition is easy using VentureDash. The online platform is a hub to handle the tasks of the competition and bring the community together.

A YEC event can be successful - and meet the Series requirements - 100% virtually. In fact, most aspects of planning a virtual YEC event are identical to an in-person event. However, you may wish to spend extra time planning to ensure students have adequate access to technology, enough time to create a video pitch, and enough time to notify the community and recruit judges. You also may wish to give additional emphasis to promoting the virtual event via various community webpages or social media pages. There are also a few advantages to hosting a virtual event, including the elimination of any health worries, and the ability to save and reuse video pitches in the future - either for marketing or educational purposes. Read on for a few tips to make your virtual YEC event a success:

Important Elements

Executive Summary: Students upload files on VentureDash and judges score.
4-Minute Presentation: Students present via live or pre-recorded video. Links to recordings can be collected on VentureDash, (videos cannot be uploaded directly into the platform, but must be hosted on another platform such as YouTube), or a live competition could be hosted on a service such as Zoom and linked to from VentureDash. Judges score on the platform.
Elevator Pitch (optional): Students present via live or pre-recorded video. Links to recordings can be collected on VentureDash. Judges score on the platform.
Tradeshow (optional): Photos/video can be collected on VentureDash and displayed on the competition host’s website or social media to engage the public.

Resources

Executive Summary templates and examples, how-to articles and other supplemental material for each component (Executive Summary, Four Minute Presentation, Elevator Pitch, and Tradeshow), competition guidelines, judges’ scoring rubrics, helpful videos, and technical tutorials are all available to view and download on the VentureDash Resource Library at venturedash.zendesk.com.

Must be signed in to view the resources.

Ideas

Have students submit pre-recorded presentations in VentureDash, or if you prefer live presentations, set up a Zoom or other virtual meeting
Videos are easiest to view when public, like on YouTube. Remind participants to check privacy settings when sharing from Google Drive or DropBox
Students using school email addresses may not receive outside communications. You may consider asking students to use a backup email address
Use your VentureDash landing page and/or social media account to promote the event and share cool presentations there
Host a Zoom meeting or Facebook Live to announce winners in real time
You could also have a guest speaker present at your Zoom meeting

Important Tasks/Timeline

16+ weeks before

Determine the community wants to host a local 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 school superintendent, and/or teachers, and others
Determine format, timeframe, eligibility, and begin discussing logistics
Decide if/how education will be a part of the process for students
Decide what information to gather from participants - name, contact info, etc.
Create your event in VentureDash

12-16 weeks before

Resource partner(s) and/or local entrepreneur(s) speak at school or business class
School announcement via livestream assembly or email announcement
Contact previous year’s winners for progress report, assess interest
Contact appropriate teachers and/or school administrators
Recruit participants. Email invitations in VentureDash
Create sponsorship letter

8-12 weeks before

Create promotional fliers
Distribute fliers and applications to school / teachers / etc. through VentureDash
Identify a keynote speaker for event, if desired
Send invitations to businesses, resource partners, community members through email and/or VentureDash. Set up Zoom links if presentations will be live.
Approach potential sponsors

4-8 weeks before

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

0-4 weeks before

Submit advertisement and/or article to newspaper
Request State Championship information from NetWork Kansas
Executive Summaries due
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 Zoom
Provide instructions to judges in advance, including how to score on VentureDash
Post fliers around community and do digital outreach via social media and other platforms
Test technology - make sure Zoom or other software is up-to-date; consider hosting a run-through with speaker or others who will present
Order speaker’s and judges’ thank you gifts, if desired
Check in students as attended/completed on VentureDash
Approve scores as they come in

0-2 weeks after

Send wrap-up surveys in VentureDash
Feedback to participants
Process checks for winners and send certificates via mail, if desired
Article for newsletters, newspaper, etc.
Hand-written thank you cards to judges, speaker, school board, mentors, etc.