Hello Achievers and Advisors,

I hope you are all excited for the Youth Entrepreneurs Showcase (YES) taking place this Thursday, March 18th!

Please review this email in full for what to expect and reminders.
What to Expect

DATE: Thursday, March 18th
TIME: 4 to 6 p.m.
AGENDA:
4:00 to 4:20 p.m. Welcome from JA, Keynote Speaker (15 minutes)
4:20 to 4:30 p.m. Transition time
4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Judges/guests visit student booths and student networking time

4 P.M. | STAGE | KEYNOTE:
  • When you log on at 4 p.m., please head directly to the STAGE (you will find the different sections on the left side of your browser) for the Keynote Speaker.

4:20 P.M. | EXPO | TRANSITION
  • After the Keynote Speaker, you will be given instructions and will have time to transition to your individual booths at the EXPO. Your booth will be marked with your Company Name.

4:30 to 6 P.M. | EXPO | GUESTS & JUDGES
  • Judging: In your booth, you will see a reminder for the time the judges are scheduled to come by your booth (see more about judging below).
  • Guests: Guests will also be visiting your booth during this time so make sure you're ready to talk about your company and answer any questions! Guests will include: sponsors & JA stakeholders, JA staff, advisors, students from other teams, guests of students/advisors
  • Students: Students are also encouraged to visit other booths during this time - just make sure you have a minimum of 2 students at your booth.

4:30 to 6 P.M. | NETWORKING | STUDENTS
  • During this time, students are also invited to do some networking and meet some of your peers in the program.

4 TO 6 P.M. | JA HELP DESK (EXPO)
  • If you need support during the event, please come find a JA staff member at the JA Help Desk located in the Expo section.
Judging & Interacting with Guests

STUDENT REQUIREMENT:
  • We encourage ALL students to attend the showcase, but you are required to have a minimum of 2 students to represent your team at the virtual booths at all times between 4:20 to 6 p.m.
  • If you have extra members, you can have more than 2 students at your booth but just keep in mind that there is a limit to how many people can be on video and consider what's best for your team's pitch and interactions with guests/judges.
  • You can set your own schedule and we recommend that you have a way of connecting with your team members outside the platform if needed (i.e. WhatsApp, Slack, email, etc.)

JUDGING TIME & PITCH:
  • To see your estimated judging window, please click here. This will also be pasted in the chat as a reminder.
  • Judges will be at your booth a total of 5 to 10 minutes. Please keep your pitch less than 5 minutes and leave room for any questions from judges.
  • You will have the ability to share your screen. However, we recommend to keep your presentations/pitches simple and focus on the interaction between you and your guests/judges.
  • If you are interacting with other guests when the judge(s) enter your booth, politely wrap up any conversations and provide guests a way to follow up (i.e. direct them to your website/contact email, etc.) or you can connect with them after the judging.

INTERACTING WITH JUDGES/GUESTS:
  • You should be on camera and interacting with all guests who enter your booth, not just the judges. Think of this as an in-person tradeshow (for example, an event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre or at the Exhibition - the Home Show, or One-of-a-Kind Show) - how would you connect with your potential customers? catch their attention and highlight your company?
  • Make sure you're monitoring the booth chat as well for any questions that are added there.
  • Advisors: you're welcome to check in on your team but please do not do the pitch/presentations or answer any questions for guests/judges for them.

JUDGING CRITERIA
  • You will be judged on: description of our product/service, unique selling proposition, call to action and overall presentation.
  • Make sure you communicate clearly, concisely and with confidence and passion!
Awards

Students will have the opportunity to win the following recognitions:
  • People’s Choice Award – based on the number of online votes from the general public
  • Judge’s Choice Award – based on judges’ evaluations at the live showcase – Top 3 will be recognized
  • Achievers’ Choice Award – based on student votes at the live showcase

Winners will receive 15 team challenge points. Winners will be announced at ventureON in May.

People’s Choice:
  • A link to the public webpage with all of your student pitches will be shared on Thursday. This will be open to the public for one week and available anytime for guests to visit and vote during this period.

Achievers' Choice:
  • Each team will be allowed to vote for one other team for this award. A link will be shared.
  • One vote allowed per team (students must discuss and determine together which team they want to vote for)
  • Teams cannot vote for themselves.
Next Steps

Should you have questions or concerns regarding any of the above information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at companyprogram@jacentralontario.org

Thank you!

Lucia & Lesley
The Company Program Team
Get in touch:
Email us or follow us on social media: