Program structure

The structure of the program follows a well-established formula:

Workshop sessions

• Practical, ‘hands on’ instruction and advice sessions covering a wide range of contemporary business topics are conducted by experts in their respective fields of expertise.
• Most sessions are held primarily outside business hours at the Australian Technology Park Innovations Centre, Eveleigh.

Preparing the business plan

• Plan preparation begins with the team defining its business idea and developing a work schedule for the coming months.
• Ongoing guidance from the Program Director, the team mentor and periodic independent reviews keeps the team on track.

Mentoring

• Mentors are senior business executives who are a resource for objective ‘board-level’ guidance and advice.
• A custom-fit mentor is assigned after the team’s project has been well defined and approved.
• A Workshop alumnus may be assigned to the team as an additional resource.

Feedback

• Two formal review sessions, each of about 40 minutes duration, are held to review the team’s progress and provide constructive feedback on areas which require further development.

Judging

• A judging process helps team members learn how to present a business proposal to prospective investors and to defend their assumptions and performance projections.
• Two rounds of formal judging are held in the final weeks of the program.
• Constructive feedback from the ‘trial’ judging helps teams prepare for the final judging.
• The judging panels are comprised of venture capitalists, and senior executives with extensive experience in management decision-making.

Awards

• Sponsors’ awards for the best overall plan, and the best marketing, financial, operations and intellectual property plans introduce an element of competition between the teams.
• The Award winners are announced at an annual awards presentation event co-hosted by the NSW Enterprise Workshop and the NSW Department of State and Regional Development.