Startup Festival 

 

I worked within the team at University of Edinburgh Business School to create a festival to celebrate the anniversary of the innovative E-Club - the entrepreneurship club run by Jo Young for entrepreneurs in the city, and business school students.

 

I was brought in by Claudia Monteiro, Head of PR, Communications and Events at the Business School, as a special projects manager, to devise and develop a way of marking and highlighting the excellent contribution of the E-Club to the student experience and to the life of the Business School, linking it to the local entrepreneurial community and opening up opportunities for students and entrepreneurs alike. 

Working collaboratively across departments and using a systematic yet creative approach to meet the project brief, and to strategically address the aspirations of the Business School across several key areas. Looking at creating strong links, partnerships and relationships with key players and building on existing ones, and researching the direction of both entrepreneur support networks and business schools, I came up with the concept of a festival which would encompass a vibrant events programme, a diverse line-up - not just in terms of speakers, and topics, but also types of business structure and practice- drawing on the strengths and inspirations present in Edinburgh's entrepreneurial community, academic and student body.

The festival comprised a full day programme of talks, a marketplace, panel events, the annual E-Club pitching competition (an existing highlight which the Business School wanted to elevate within the life of the school) and awards ceremony for the pitching competition winners. 

I programmed and ran the Startup Festival in 2016, and created its marketing strategy, and brand in collaboration with the team within the Business School as well as building links across the university to promote participation in the inaugural festival. The festival was successful, well-attending, praised by the Dean of the school and the Vice Chancellor of the University, and it was welcomed as a valuable addition to the Business School's annual calendar. It continues to take place annually at the start of March in a similar format. Read about the Startup Festival here.