The Kern Western Conference & Exhibition will be held at Dignity Health Arena, Theater and Convention Center, 1001 Truxtun Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93301 on Tuesday, February 4, 2026. Join us for various competitions, a trade show, and networking opportunities.

The online submission competitions happen before the event, and the winners will be announced at the conference on February 4th.

Judging Period: December 18, 2025 – January 17, 2026

For this competition, you will be judging submissions on our VE Hub.

Please register below to be a judge for the following online submission-based competitions:

Marketing Plan: Firms submit a written marketing plan. Submissions are evaluated on strategy, clarity, feasibility, and professionalism.
Human Resource Plan: Firms submit a written human resource plan. Submissions are evaluated on organization, strategy, and professionalism.
Video Commercial: Each firm must record a 30-to 60-second video commercial promoting their business and/or product(s)/service(s) to attract potential customers.
Company Newsletter: Firms create a newsletter demonstrating communication, content quality, and design.
Banner Ad – Valentine’s Day Theme: Firms create a 728×90 pixel banner ad (leaderboard) designed to spark interest and attract traffic to a website. (VE-JV Invited)
Business Plan: Firms submit a 4-page overview of their business plan, evaluated for content, clarity, and professionalism. (Top 42 firms only)