An Entrepreneurship Week event is centered around a Pitch Competition, with additional content such as speeches, panel discussions, workshops, or others. The event can take place over one or multiple days. 

To start off, below are the main steps to take when organizing the content in an Entrepreneurship Week Event, excluding the Pitch Competition:

  • Determine the event format: in addition to the Pitch competition, determine what content you want to run (e.g., speech, panel, workshop)
  • For the chosen content / agenda, identify speakers in your country that are leaders in the Tech and entrepreneurship field. This can be done through your network or LinkedIn search and messaging
  • Once identified, send the potential speakers an invitation via email with the event details and the topic you would like them to cover

Below are the steps to take when organizing the Pitch Competition:

  • Determine the Competition Format, e.g., pitch competition, hackathon, design thinking challenge. The format will depend on your objectives and the type of competition that you want to host.
  • Define the Rules of the Competition, including audience and eligibility criteria (e.g., students and young professionals, pre-seed to early stage startups, must have MVP, etc.), submission requirements, deadlines, and judging criteria.
  • Define any focus theme for your competition. R8 Entrepreneurship Week typically runs with a topic around sustainability and engineering which is broad. You can choose to focus on a more specific topic. 
  • Develop a Marketing Strategy: Develop a marketing strategy to promote the competition and attract participants. Use social media, email, and other channels to spread the word and encourage people to participate.
  • Recruit Judges: Recruit judges who have the relevant skills and experience to evaluate the submissions. They should be able to provide feedback and constructive criticism to the participants.
  • Plan the Prizes: Plan the prizes for the winners. It could be cash prizes, mentorship opportunities, or other incentives that will encourage participants to put their best foot forward.
  • Host a Kick-off Event: Host a kick-off event to launch the competition and provide participants with an opportunity to meet the judges, ask questions, and network with other participants.
  • Support Participants: Provide support to participants throughout the competition. This could include providing access to mentors, resources, and workshops to help them develop their ideas and improve their submissions. This can be optional and the level of support you provide will depend on your resources.
  • Host a Judging Event (Petch competition): Host a judging event where the finalists will pitch their ideas to the judges. This could be in person or virtual, depending on the format of the competition.
  • Announce the Winners: Announce the winners and award the prizes. Inform them that they will be participating in the regional competition, and the top 3 winners of the regional Pitch Competition will have the opportunity to participate in an entrepreneurial summit or conference. Provide feedback to all participants and encourage them to continue to develop their ideas.
  • Follow up: Follow up with participants and sponsors after the event to gather feedback and ensure that everyone is satisfied with the outcome.

By following these steps, you can organize a successful IEEE R8 Entrepreneurship Week Event and Competition that will provide young professionals with the opportunity to showcase their ideas, develop their skills, and make a positive impact on society. 

Finally, please note that entrepreneurship is a cross cutting topic for different member groups and technical groups; therefore, always consider if you can organize this event in partnership with other IEEE organizational units and / or in parallel to other IEEE events, and consider the benefits, if any. For example, you can organize your Entrepreneurship Week Event as a one-day event part of your section Student and Young Professionals Congress.