1,100 Attend L.B. Virtual Trade Fair

3/06/09

The Long Beach Regional Occupational Program (ROP), a part of the Long Beach Unified School District, hosted its fourth annual Virtual Enterprise Trade Fair recently at the Long Beach Convention Center.  More than 1,100 students and 67 virtual businesses from throughout California competed.

Virtual Enterprise is a school-based, simulated business program designed to help high school students prepare for the working world.  Each LBUSD high school now offers Virtual Enterprise classes.

Students create and run their own virtual businesses.  The class counts toward the University of California and California State University A-G entrance requirements.  During the school semester, virtual businesses trade their services and products and compete in trade fair competitions at virtual trade fairs throughout the state and the world.

At the trade fairs, all guests and judges spend virtual dollars to buy services and products.

The judges, a select group of Long Beach business partners and educational leaders, also score the virtual businesses in competitions based on a series of professional criteria in such categories as Most Creative, Most Professional, Best Salesmanship, Best Job Interview/Resume, Best Mission/Vision Statement, Best Marketing Plan, Best Company Catalog, Best Company Newsletter, Best Video Commercial and Best Webpage.