HOW TO: LOGISTICS INAUGURAL EVENT

This document is an organizers guide which can be used by the faculty coordinator and the student E- cell committee members. It contains tips to successfully organize the inauguration of the entrepreneurial activities on your campus that will take place after your institution has signed up with NEN. It provides the guidelines to kick-off entrepreneurship activities on your campus. It covers topics including format, audience, marketing of the event, recruiting speakers and NEN support. The event is a very good platform to set up the E-cell; if you have already formed the E-cell, this could be your E-cells very first activity.

Goals of the event To create awareness amongst everyone on campus about the entrepreneurship program that has begun in partnership with NEN To officially launch the E - campus To kick start entrepreneurship activities on campus To get the students interested in, and excited about, entrepreneurship To start building the E-cell Format A two-and-a-half-hour program is ideal for the kick-off activity. A suggested agenda for a typical formal inaugural program is attached (Appendix 1).You may adapt it to suit the requirements of your institution. This can also be held in an informal setting depending upon the size and type of your institution. For example, the inauguration can happen over coffee in your conference room with key people, such as student E-cell members and faculty members, being present. You can decide on the most suitable format by discussing it with the NEN outreach member. Target Audience/ Whom to invite? This is a campus-wide activity involving each and everyone in the institution, viz. students, faculty, senior management members Founders, Trustees, Heads of institutions such as Principals and Directors, etc. Each of them plays a major role in carrying forth the entrepreneurship activity. Involvement and support from everyone is the key to the success of this initiative. Dean/ Directors/ Principals/Management The presence of the Principal, Director and Board of Trustees will make a significant difference to the acceptance of entrepreneurship activities by the faculty and student community. Support from the senior management or Trustees in delivering the opening and/or closing remarks will highlight the seriousness and importance of the activity. This will also add momentum to the E-ship activities on campus. Faculty Heads of Departments and faculty members from all departments can be invited to attend. Key faculty members would best be personally invited by the faculty leader. Students It should be a campus-wide activity open to all students on the campus who might be interested in attending. In order to convert your campus into a true E-campus, a critical mass in terms of fraction of students and faculty should be involved in the Entrepreneurship activities. In our experience at other

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institutions we have found that at least 25% of all engineering, arts, science and commerce students should attend and approximately 50% of all management students for the required impact. How do you reach everyone? Ways to reach the students and faculty members: 1. Students can announce the event in every class. They will be the best ambassadors for the entrepreneurship development program. 2. Registration of students for the E-cell can be done in advance even before the inaugural event. 3. Director/Principal/Faculty can announce the event during staff meetings, inter-departmental activities or curriculum planning sessions. 4. The placement office may be requested to send out mass emails to all students, faculty and staff on campus. 5. Any other method generally used in your organization to announce important events that the entire institution is urged to attend. Entrepreneur as Guest speaker Inviting an entrepreneur to address the students for the inaugural session would be ideal and apt. Building the event around the entrepreneurs talk and inviting senior members of the management, faculty and student body across the campus to attend will create a buzz about entrepreneurship on campus. Hearing about entrepreneurship directly from someone who has been through the entrepreneurial process him/herself will spark the students interest. This will initiate positive thinking about entrepreneurship in their minds. Many might be inspired by the entrepreneurs experience and start looking at it as a feasible career option. To make this interaction as useful as possible, please look up at the Pre-lecture- Briefing the speaker and During the lecture -Questions for the speaker sections in the Entrepreneurship Lecture Series Instructors Guide document on nenonline.org (October 2006 onwards). This will give you insight into preparing for the talk, posing vital questions to the speaker, focusing on the needs of your students, directing the flow of information and ensuring a fruitful learning experience for them. It is best if the very first E-ship session is educational and exciting from the entrepreneurship point of view, and not just an inaugural function, That will create interest in the sessions that follow in the weeks and months to come and will ensure that the students and faculty stay engaged.

Recruiting Speakers To find entrepreneurs who may be invited as speakers, you can: Work with NEN to identify and invite the speaker. Tap into your alumni database; inviting an alumni entrepreneur will be an added advantage to motivate students. Try within the network of industry experts that the Management/Heads of Institution have developed. Directly approach an entrepreneur whom you think is admired by your students and suitable for the event. Entrepreneurs will be more than happy to share experiences with students. Whichever way you choose to recruit, to reduce logistics issues, it is easier if the speaker is identified locally. Involve students in this process as it will help them to develop their networking and relationship management skills. Select the speaker whom you want to invite keeping in mind the needs of your students and of the institute. NEN support NEN provides each academic institute with a structured and rich combination of on-the-ground support for the students and faculty at member institutes in ramping up their programs. Partnering with NEN increases your avenues for expansion of activities, improving your network and reaching the right people in the

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entrepreneurial community. Discussed below are the various ways in which you can use NENs support for this event. Outreach team NEN team members provide on-campus support to help plan and execute programs. They are available for clarifying all queries regarding launching entrepreneurship activities on your campus. They will facilitate and guide you through any aspect related to this. During the inauguration, the outreach team members will be present. He/she will formally introduce National Entrepreneurship Network with the aid of the NEN introduction slide presentation. This presentation along with the NEN video clip will set the context for the program. The presence of the NEN outreach team member and the formal introduction to NEN will render credibility to the initiative your institution has taken up. Speakers Bureau NEN is constantly building a pool of volunteers entrepreneurs, investors, and others involved in the company-building process who have agreed to participate in events at NEN member institutes. Details of their backgrounds, industry profiles and availability are maintained online. If you have decided on the profile of your guest speaker, the NEN Resource Bureau can be of help to easily identify the right person. NEN Audio visual for students Using visual media is a great way to catch the attention of students. The NEN audio visual clip will help you to inspire your students by showcasing leading and prominent entrepreneurs. Getting them to visit your campus may not always be possible, but videos are a good substitute for live interaction with popular entrepreneurs. This will give the students an indication of what your efforts on campus, in collaboration with NEN, will result in. It will also excite and motivate them.

Steps to prepare for Inaugural Event Time prior to event date 6 Weeks Action Finalize the date for the inauguration. Decide on the budget for the event and obtain approval from Management/Head of the Institution. Block/book the room/hall/auditorium. Shortlist 3 potential speakers and get their contact details. This is to ensure that you have sufficient options for recruiting a speaker for the event; Out of the three short listed speakers one speaker can be recruited for the event. Discuss the schedule and speaker recruitment with the NEN outreach member. Identify key student volunteers and assign responsibilities. Announce the event on your institutes website along with your micro site in nenonline.org (from October 2006 onwards); you can also create an activity page for the same. 5 Weeks Start the speaker recruitment process with the help of your students. This will get them involved in the event and also improve their networking skills. Check availability and interest of the people for the date before sending them the invitation to be the speaker that way you do not lose time pursuing people who are unavailable or uninterested. You

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can check availability by making phone calls to their secretaries or personal assistants. 4 Weeks Confirm speaker by sending a formal invitation letter signed by the Head of the Institution. Prepare your marketing material like posters, fliers, banners etc make sure to mention the excitement about this very first entrepreneurship event on campus. Start marketing the event email the fliers/invitations to the different groups of people through class emails or mailing lists of other committees on campus. Put up the posters at strategic locations like the canteen, main notice board, student discussion rooms, class notice boards and libraries. Make announcements for registration to the E-cell and give them details for enrollment. At any point if you need clarification or guidance, do not hesitate to contact the NEN outreach member. 2 Weeks Schedule time with the entrepreneur-speaker to discuss with him/her the objectives and the format of the event. This is best done in person, or alternatively, over the phone. Request his/her resume and slide presentation, if any, at least 3 days before the event. Document your plans for the E-campus, which will be announced during this event. You may have to discuss this with the Head of the Institution and other faculty members at this time if it has not already been discussed beforehand. Update the NEN outreach member about your plans and progress. 1 Week Organize mementos for speaker/guest of honor, if that is a practice in your institute. Discuss with Management about refreshments to be organized for guests, faculty and students. Decide on Video/Photography requirements for covering the event and arrange for the same Print sufficient copies of the agenda and brief the student organizing committee about maintaining the flow of itinerary for the event. 3 days Discuss your arrangements with the NEN outreach member. This will help ensure that the required has been done at your end. Recruit students for whatever ceremony is usually followed at your institution (such as prayer, lighting the lamp) and escorting guests. Select the student MC for the event. Have a thorough check on the time required for everything on the agenda. Decide on the backdrop, podium and stage seating. 1 day Review all venue arrangements check that the projector, computer is working in the room. Check on microphones and audio system. Follow up with caterer for refreshments, video/photographer and venue-in-charge for making available the requisite material which may not always be present, such as a lamp, backdrop, table cover, etc. Follow up to get the speakers slide presentation (if any) if not yet received. 2 hrs Load all slide presentations NEN slide presentation (will be provided by the NEN outreach member), speaker slide presentation and faculty slide presentation for plans (if any) on the computer in the venue. Have students seated in the hall at least 30 minutes before guest speaker arrives. Administer the NEN baseline Questionnaire about Entrepreneurship awareness at this time. It will keep the students busy, and will generate useful information.

45 mins

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Post workshop follow up Time Action +1 Day +7 Days Send Thank You note to speaker and others as required. Plan for the next entrepreneurial activity on campus; discuss with the NEN outreach member about it

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