The Virtual Enterprise (VE) event was held on March 10, hosted by CSUSB’s Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE). More than 1200 students from entrepreneurial and business studies high school backgrounds came from California, Arizona, and Oregon to Cal State San Bernardino.

The students participated in the West Coast Regional Tradeshow, Competition, and Exhibition, where they competed in various business-related tournaments. For the first time, an event was hosted at CSUSB through the IECE director and professor of entrepreneurship, Mike Skull. Previously, as stated by the director, the Virtual Enterprise Regional Tradeshow and Competition were held at the Pasadena Convention Center.

What is the business trade show event about?

The event offered multiple featured contests for students. These consisted of an elevator pitch competition, a financial declaration competition, a QuickBooks competition, and a product marketing planning competition. The competition allowed students to set up booths to showcase and sell their products as part of a competition.

The booths were stationed all around the Santos Manuel Student Union South. The students sold products ranging from clothing brands, gardening systems, and mental wellness snack subscriptions and sourced designer jewelry and accessories.

Based on a statement by the Virtual Enterprise regional director, Teri Jones, the event was a memorable experience for all the students. The participants created ideas for businesses while operating in their classrooms and utilizing the Virtual Enterprise banking system. This helped students gain expertise in real-time salesmanship by selling their products outside their classrooms.

“It’s always a distinct pleasure to see the high level of innovation coming from the participating VE students. For business college-bound and entrepreneurial students, it is a natural progression for them to enroll with our highly accredited Jack H. Brown College of Business. Wherever their future professional interests take them, it is evident that they have attained a working advantage with the skills and experience they gain from being involved with VE.”

IECE Assistant Director, Stacey Allis

Virtual Enterprise transforming the lives of students

According to the VE website, they have changed the lives of more than 200,000 students and young entrepreneurs since 1996 by providing them with real business experiences and preparing them for future hurdles. VE has made this possible by partnering with schools, school districts, and numerous companies across the United States.

These career-boosting programs help pave educational pathways, aligning career education and on-job training in line with academic standards-based education. When young students face these challenges earlier in their careers, they help them polish their skills by giving them hands-on experience.

Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration at Cal State San Bernardino is the only organization in the Inland Empire dedicated to providing innovative programs for students. These programs and educational resources help build robust solutions for entrepreneurs and small business owners. This school for entrepreneurs teaches at a post-secondary level in California and is one of the 20 such schools in the nation.