2016 California Trade Show and Business Plan Competition Recap

By July 25, 2016 April 28th, 2020 News, Trade Shows, West
Photo credit: Sockscribe

Photo credit: Sockscribe

On January 14-15, 2016, 1,500 of students representing 100 schools from around California attended the Rabobank Convention Center and Marriott Hotel for the Bakersfield Trade Show and State Business Plan Competition.

During the Trade Show, students tested their salesmanship and marketing skills against those of other companies and competed in 20 Trade Show competitions. Products featured at the Trade Show included hats, pastries, organic fruits and vegetables, cell phones, clothing, fitness products, travel destinations, and “green” products. Visitors attending the Trade Show were given $10,000 in “virtual dollars” to spend on products and services as they toured 81 booths.

This year, there were a total of 71 VE companies from around California involved in the State Business Plan Competition; with the top 6 companies in the finals selected to represent California in the National Business Plan Competition taking place in New York City on April 17, 2016.

“Virtual Enterprise programs have grown in popularity worldwide and we were excited to welcome a significant number of programs to Bakersfield for the competitions that highlighted their products and business skills,” said Nancy Phillips, event organizer of the 2016 California State Trade Show and Business Plan Competition and former Western Regional Director for VEI. The Trade Show was sponsored by Kern High School District and KHSD’s Regional Occupational Center.