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Thursday, 10 February 2011
Just eight points separated the four teams that reached the
final of the Hi-Life Diners' Club Enterprise Trophy, held at Bolton
School. In what is always a highly competitive event,
Spectrum, comprising five Year 12 girls, finally ran out as this
year's winner.
The annual competition, which pits the best two girls' Sixth
Form teams against the two best teams from the boys' school, was
the closest it has ever been with all the teams
presenting viable business propositions through professional
presentations to a judging panel and an audience of students and
teachers.
The judging panel - "the dragons" - comprised Brian Muir of
BEAT, Stephanie Foster, a Partner at Rivington Associates and
Call Centre Manager, Phil Warriner. They had the unenviable
task of declaring a winner from the four high quality
offerings.
The competition begins during the Autumn Term when Sixth Form
students take part in Business Enterprise and Awareness Training
(BEAT) courses, run by Brian Muir and the Careers Department.
Following the programme, the 240 students from Year 12 of both
divisions, form teams of six to develop prospective new
businesses offering a new product or service with a view to asking
a local bank for a business loan to set up their new
enterprise. The four teams that had won through to the final
had thus already overcome a lot of competition and had chance
to polish their performance along the way. On the night,
each group made a ten minute presentation, backed up by PowerPoint
slides, to a panel of judges. Teams were put under considerable
pressure in defending the virtues and merits of their marketing
strategies and cash-flow forecasts.
Spectrum opened the pitches with an excellent presentation
explaining their proposition of offering different coloured silicon
cases which can be slipped onto spectacles, allowing the wearer to
colour coordinate their eyeware to their clothes; Virtual School of
Motoring's premise was to allow individuals to learn to drive from
the comfort of their armchair; Party in a Box presented on how
parents could buy everything one might require for a young child's
party in one box - from invites to games to party bags; and
Noctiglow offered a cyclist's glow-in-the-dark jacket which
incorporated flashing lights in the back operable via a glove.
After grilling each team with some searching questions the
judges made their decision and the winning team was announced as
Spectrum with the runners-up being Noctiglow. Mr Muir of BEAT
commended all the students for their "outstandingly good
presentations" and for floating truly viable business
propositions. He felt this really had been the hardest year
ever to judge.
It is the first year that Hi-Life Diners' Club has sponsored the
trophy and apologies were sent from Lisa Lund, their Commercial
Director, who could not make it on the night.
You can learn more about their offer here.
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