Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has seventy events scheduled to celebrate the third annual Global Entrepreneurship Week. This year, GEW will be held November 15 to 21 in Nashville and at sites across at the state. GEW is a global initiative to promote entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity in local communities across the globe.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has confirmed more than 70 events across the state during the third annual Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) Nov. 15-21, 2010, making Tennessee the national leader for planned events for the second year in a row. GEW is a global initiative to promote entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity in local communities across the globe. More than 60 organizations have partnered statewide to bring a variety of activities, includingbusiness idea pitch contests, speed-networking, entrepreneurial camps, training events and more celebrating the vital role entrepreneurs play in innovation, job creation and economic recovery.

“Tennessee’s entrepreneurial spirit is one of the reasons for our state’s nationally recognized business climate and I’m pleased to see so many Global Entrepreneurship Week events dedicated to supporting and educating entrepreneurs,” said Matt Kisber, commissioner, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. “There are lots of people with innovative business ideas in our state and their willingness to participate in these events and that shows a commitment to work hard to make those dreams reality.”

This year, Tennessee officially kicks off GEW with Music City Live in Nashville, hosted by the Entrepreneur Center. This event will be on Nov. 14 from 5:30 p.m. – midnight from the Nashville Hard Rock Café and will include musical acts entertaining resource providers and entrepreneurs gathered to celebrate Tennessee’s entrepreneurial spirit.Special events and activities continue throughout the week and around the state. For a complete list of all GEW events in Tennessee please visit www.tnecd.gov/gew/activities.html.

Examples of some Tennessee events include:

East Tennessee:

• 3rd Annual Will This Float?, Bristol – Entrepreneurs will pitch their business ideason-stage in a game show format to a panel of judges who critique the ideas. Ultimately, the audience members will select a winner via text messaging. Last year Will this Float? won the 2010 Thomas H. Muehlenbeck Award for Excellence awarded by The Alliance for Innovation.
• So, You Want to Be an Entrepreneur?, Knoxville – Entrepreneurship is an exciting way to build wealth and do something you love without answering to somebody else, but it’s also a huge financial gamble. This session will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with entrepreneurship and help individuals determine if they are suited for entrepreneurship.
• Business Solutions Seminar, Johnson City – Three of the Tri-Cities largest employers will be presenting on their challenges to build even stronger successes. The region’s small businesses and entrepreneurs will collaborate to come up with solutions to these challenges, enhancing the major employers’ business models while creating opportunities for the region’s small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Middle Tennessee:

• Entrepreneurship Camp, Nashville – Belmont University’s Center for Entrepreneurship will host an entrepreneurship day camp for selected high school juniors and seniors. Under the instruction of Dr. Jeff Cornwall, director of Belmont’s Center for Entrepreneurship and current president of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, participants will learn what factors are involved when developing a business idea and how to effectively research and present a business pitch. Through an interactive team-project, students will apply learning while developing important communication and teamwork skills.
• MTSU Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, Murfreesboro – The Jennings A. Jones College of Business and the College of Mass Communications at MTSU will host a jam-packed week-long series of speakers, events and tours of local businesses connecting college students with local and regional entrepreneurs. The week will wrap-up on Friday with an Entrepreneur Panel Discussion featuring past students who currently run their own enterprises. ?Nashville
• Startup Weekend, Nashville – Nashville Startup Weekend (NSW3) creates a unique environment of learning and competition, where teams or individuals will work together as “companies.” NSW3’s mission is to shape an intensely creative and active environment for experiencing what it is to be entrepreneurial.

West Tennessee:

• Society of Entrepreneurs Meet the Master’s Luncheon, Memphis – Like-minded entrepreneurs will gather at an industry specific roundtable to participate in meaningful conversations with a master entrepreneur to discuss industry specific opportunities and entrepreneurial solutions.
• Entrepreneurs in Action: Interviews with Local Practitioners, Martin – This series includes interviews with two successful entrepreneurs and Hollie Holt, director of the local Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC); and a discussion of the pros and cons of starting, growing and maintaining businesses in an economic downturn with Dr. Brandon Kilburn, Professor of Management at the University of Tennessee at Martin College of Business and Global Affairs.
• Capital Funding: Keys to Success, Memphis – Innova Fund II, LLP will host a panel discussion on TNInvestco and will cover investment criteria, developing a business plan, negotiating the term sheet and start-ups who have received investment funding. The TNInvestco program was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2009, and has created a pool of venture capital funds that must be invested in small and start-upcompanies in Tennessee. Innova will also host Catfish Tank, a Southern twist on the popular Shark Tank TV show, on November 17 and launch monthly Entrepreneur Office Hours during GEW.

Additionally, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development is hosting its annual ‘What Makes You an Entrepreneur?’ video competition as a component of the Global Entrepreneurship Week celebration. To allow maximum opportunity for Tennessee businesses to apply, the deadline has been extended until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 12. There are five business categories: Main Street/downtown; home-based; agri-business; arts and entertainment; and innovation. Complete contest details can be found at the official website: www.TNOpenForBusiness.org.

Learn more about Global Entrepreneurship Week activities in Tennessee. 

The above post comes courtesy of the Tennessee Department for Economic and Community Development and originally appeared in Business Clarksville magazine.

[photo courtesy of Flickr user: SeeMidTen.com]

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