I have had a great time being a judge at an enterprise event. I was asked to be a judge at the event by Mark Sexton of The Phoenix Partnership. It was a full-day enterprise event at St. Clere’s School, running over 2 days.
Each day, the Year 10 students worked in teams of 6 as a music production company (the Promotions Company). Their brief was to design, market, and promote a new album by a well-known artist. They also had to organise a tour at a variety of venues in Essex.
The students were given tasks to complete. This included the design of business cards, t-shirts, album covers and inserts, websites, merchandise, and advertising. We also asked for the financial breakdown.
I was able to see how the teams interacted and brainstormed ideas. It was interesting to see how much they completed in the time given. I walked around, observing and speaking to the students. They were coming up with really creative ideas and working well as a team. Each team assigned a manager who was in charge of overseeing the team and was delegating the tasks to each member.
Judging
John Palmer and Helena Walsh of Nova Digital Media and Emily Malcolm from The Backstage Centre joined me as judges. We assessed each team on the work completed, financial breakdowns, as well as the design and branding of the marketing materials.
Each team had to give a 2-minute presentation of their designs and creations. It was interesting to see how individuals and teams coped with standing up and presenting to the judges and the rest of the students. Some were nervous, and others were naturals. A couple of students really shone, and one of the judges wanted to employ one. For some, it was a personal achievement to get up and talk in front of everyone. The respect and support that the students gave to each other following each presentation and the announcement of the winning team was lovely to see.
I thoroughly enjoyed spending 2 days with the students and being part of this beneficial exercise. They learned a lot about teamwork, project work, and meeting deadlines – many of the skills that will be important for their futures.
Such a great project! I would have loved to have taken part in one like this at school!
