Mercy College and Virtual Enterprises International announce The Perfect Pitch, a competition that challenges students to make a convincing and engaging elevator pitch.
What is an Elevator Pitch?
An elevator pitch is a brief speech used by an entrepreneur, a business owner or an executive to describe their business, product or service in a compelling and concise way. It is called an “elevator pitch” because the presentation should not last longer than an average elevator ride (about 60 seconds). A good elevator pitch is one that captures a listener’s attention quickly, is persuasive, excites interest and answers the following questions:
• What is your company’s product or service?
• What sets your company apart from the competition?
• What makes you uniquely qualified to get the job done?
• What is the projected return on investment for investors?
While the elevator pitch is a concept that comes from the world of business and entrepreneurship, it can be applied when interviewing for a job or networking.
Eligibility
The Perfect Pitch Competition is open to high school seniors enrolled in Virtual Enterprise or Entrepreneurship classes. Students enrolled in Virtual Enterprises classes will pitch their VE business; Entrepreneurship students will pitch their own business venture.
Registration
The teacher must register each student who wishes to participate no later than September 19, 2012. Once registered, participants can record their video pitch and the teacher can upload it to YouTube or Vimeo no later than Friday, October 5. Registration is now closed for this event. Please stay tuned for the announcement of competition winners.
Judging Criteria and Prizes
Pitches will be judged by the Dean of Business and distinguished Business faculty from Mercy College, each of whom have leadership experience in business. The finalists will awarded cash and prizes and be invited to Mercy College to interview for a scholarship opportunity. To determine the winners, participants will be assessed on the clarity and effectiveness of the presentation as well as the poise of the presenter.
Submission Guidelines
Students should conclude the video by stating their desired major in college and their dream job after college.
The pitch should be no longer than 60 seconds. The concluding statements will not count as part of the time limit.
Once participants are registered, the teacher will receive instructions and passcodes for uploading the student video pitches to our specially designated YouTube or Vimeo account.
If uploading the video to YouTube, the teacher will be prompted to provide a title, description, privacy settings, category and license and rights ownership information. The form should be filled out as follows:
Title – The Perfect Pitch elevator pitch competition.
Description – Student name, VE company name, school, city and state.
Privacy Settings – Select Private.
Category – Select Education
License and Rights Ownership – Select Standard YouTube license.
Note: Leave Tags field blank.
If uploading the video to Vimeo, the teacher will be prompted to provide basic settings information, including a title and description. Other settings such as Privacy settings, Add To, Video File, Advanced, Upgrade, should be left with the default specifications. The form should be filled out as follows:
Title – The Perfect Pitch elevator pitch competition.
Description – Student name, VE company name, school, city and state.
Note: Leave Tags field blank.
About Mercy College
Founded in 1950, Mercy College is a private, not-for-profit higher education institution that offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs within five schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Liberal Arts. Mercy College offers an engaging and personalized learning experience that includes the College’s revolutionary Personalized Achievement Contract (PACT) program. The Mercy College PACT is the first program of its kind and now serves as a nationally recognized model for mentoring. The PACT program was featured as a “Best Practice” for retention and career services by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). www.mercy.edu/ 877-MERCY-GO.
About Virtual Enterprises International
Virtual Enterprises International (VEI) is an in-school entrepreneurship program and global business simulation that empowers students to unleash their potential through creating and managing business ventures. Each virtual enterprise replicates all of the functions and demands of a real business in both structure and practice, from product development, production and distribution to marketing, sales, human resources, finance and accounting. Through a web-based banking system that connects 5,00 student-run businesses in 40 countries, VEI students experience the expectations of the global economy and find new solutions to drive business results by trading across industries, borders and cultures.