West Essex’s updated International Marketing class showcased their original food company, WE-Eats International, at Virtual Enterprise’s national trade show on Jan. 18.
The class met up with students from around the country to sell products from their virtual company and talk face-to-face with the student businessmen and businesswomen they’ve been working online with since the beginning of the year. The 10-student ensemble wore suits and carried briefcases with $1,000 of virtual money and treated every deal as if there was real
money involved.
Run by the company the class uses for their virtual business, Virtual Enterprise, the trade show welcomed over 200 students and teachers that filled Fairleigh Dickinson University’s gym. The day-long event gave prospective businessmen and women their first look into running a business beyond the classroom.
The class is made up primarily of seniors and is taught by business teacher Cathy Collins. Students are given a specific position in WE-Eats International depending on their personality and what they apply for. Senior Nicole DeCeglie was given the position of Benefits Manager, which gives her the responsibilities of setting up 401(k) documents and completing the marketing plan.
“The class is usually fairly casual but as soon as we were at the trade show we all kind of felt like business partners,” DeCeglie said. “Learning how to run a business and how to work with other businesses is something I didn’t expect to learn so early in my life.”
Along with learning the positives of running a business, students also learn about the less glamorous aspects—punishment and firings included. Senior Tristan Simpson was fired from his Payroll Manager position a month into the school year for failing to pay employees and taking personal profit from the company.
“Thankfully I’ve been rehired to the company, but for a second I was scared I would fail the class,” Simpson said. “Now I know to pay more attention and to take my job much more seriously.”
The International Marketing class has plans on returning to Virtual Enterprise’s trade show in April to compete against other student businesses, hopefully taking home a victory. The creative aspects of the class is starting to attract attention, and International Marketing has plans on expanding next year, as well.