GLOW Region High Schoolers to Participate in 15th Annual Virtual Business Trade Fair at GCC

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BATAVIA, NY (03/06/2018) Genesee Community College is pleased to host the Virtual Business Trade Fair on Thursday, March 22, 2018. The trade fair will be set up in GCC's William H. Stuart Forum at the Batavia Campus from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for everyone to come and enjoy some virtual shopping.

The Virtual Business Trade Fair, available through the Accelerated College Enrollment (ACE) Program, provides students enrolled in economics and entrepreneurship courses with a hands-on learning opportunity to apply the theories, practices and knowledge from their classroom learning to an almost-real innovative business venture. The students work collaboratively to develop all of the components of a successful virtual business. They begin by writing mission statements and conducting extensive research into product features and competition, and culminate their work in building advertising pieces and their trade fair displays.

The students' trade fair goal is to sell their products or services and allow the attendees to make purchases with virtual dollars. Community members are invited to come, pick up virtual spending dollars, shop any of the companies and support our local students. Thousands of virtual dollars will be given out to attendees to "spend." At the end of the trade fair, the business or school with the most virtual dollars and virtual sales will be recognized.

As in years past, high schoolers from the Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties will come to the forum and set up booths to "sell" their virtual products and services. This year will feature the following high schooler-created companies:

  • Batavia High School featuring Relaxation Corporation
  • Byron-Bergen High School featuring Survival Surplus
  • Dansville High School featuring Trendline Designs
  • LeRoy High School featuring Wide Awake Café
  • Livonia High School featuring Delicious Deliveries
  • Notre Dame High School featuring Cruisin' Cuisine
  • Pavilion High School featuring Spectrum
  • Pavilion High School featuring Tailgatorz
  • Wayland-Cohocton High School featuring iSnack
  • WNY Tech Academy featuring AmeriWare

"The students learn so much building their virtual businesses. From basic business operations to salesmanship and marketing strategies, booth design and product presentation, this is a complete hands-on learning experience," Deborah Dunlevy, Career Pathways Program director said. "It's wonderful to watch the students learn to work collaboratively to make their businesses and the event successful."

For the third year, volunteer bankers from M&T Bank will be on-site to help the virtual businesses to track and manage their sales.

For more information, contact Marketing Communications Associate Director Donna Rae Sutherland at (585) 343-0055 ext. 6616, or via email: dsutherland@genesee.edu.

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Editor's Note:

Images from the 2017 Virtual Business Trade Fair, courtesy of GCC, are available at:

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/VirtualTradeFair1.jpg

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/VirtualTradeFair2.jpg