REGISTERED ACTIVITIES/EVENTS

GEW 2012

Creating a Useful Business Plan and Funding Basics

Worcester, Massachusetts

13 November 2012-14 November 2012

Doors open for networking: 5:30 p.m. Meeting: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Cost: Free for members, $15 for WPI alumni, $25 general public The November program is the 2nd in a 4 part series designed to assist entrepreneurs starting companies. Michael Schrader, CEO of Vaxess Technologies, will give the Keynote address on how to develop a business plan.

GEW 2011

Cheating Death by PowerPoint

Worcester, Massachusetts

17 November 2011-18 November 2011

"Cheating Death by PowerPoint" Thursday, November 17, 2011 WPI Campus Center - Hagglund Room 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Avoid making "Death by PowerPoint" presentations by transforming your visual presentation skills into powerful tools. Communication expert, Laura Foley, will enlighten our audience with tips, tactics, and strategies for better audience engagement during PowerPoint presentations. Have you sat through a PowerPoint presentation where the speaker read the slides, colors were too loud, or too much information was crammed on the slides? Maybe you are guilty of creating your own bad PowerPoint...hmm? Learn common PowerPoint pitfalls and how to avoid them. Learn to create effective leave-behinds that will reinforce your message long after your presentation is done. At the end of the seminar, you will view participants' PowerPoint presentations and use your new skills to brainstorm ways to improve them. Speaker Laura M. Foley has been making PowerPoint presentations less lousy since 1989 for organizations such as Atlas Venture, Kodiak Venture Partners, Polaris Venture Partners, and Tufts New England Medical Center. As the principal of Laura M. Foley Design, Laura helps her clients communicate their messages visually with effective branding and marketing materials.

Developing a Sales and Marketing Program That Really Works

Worcester, Massachusetts

16 November 2011-17 November 2011

"Developing a Sales and Marketing Program That Really Works" Wednesday, November 17, 2011 WPI Campus Center - Mid-Century Room 2:00-5:00PM Speaker: Norman T. Brust Profitable cash flow is the lifeblood of a successful company. This session will describe the elements of an effective sales and marketing program that will ensure profitable cash flow and show you how to tailor them to your company's needs. Topics to be covered will include Product and Market Definition - Defining target markets; Determining market need; Defining needed products; Evaluating the competition; Product Promotion -Creating a corporate image; Telling the market what you have to sell; Drip Marketing; Pricing and Profit -Methods for pricing a product or service; Evaluating a product's business potential; and Product Distribution - Types of distribution channels; Metric-based sales; Supporting product distribution. Presidents, CEO's, marketing managers, sales managers, product managers, salespersons and anyone else involved in the development, management or implementation of a sales and marketing effort should attend this seminar. Time will be allocated for attendee questions and answers.

Legally Structuring Your New Company

Worcester, Massachusetts

15 November 2011-16 November 2011

"Legally Structuring Your New Company" Tuesday, November 15, 2011 WPI Campus Center - Hagglund Room 12-1 pm Speaker: Michael A. Refolo, Esq, of Mirick O'Connell, LLP Starting a new company requires an understanding of the legal structure. Among the choices are LLP, LLC, Corp, S-Corp, Sole Proprietor, and Partnerships, among many new options. Michael A. Refolo, Esq. will cover the basics and provide many resources for legally setting up a new company.

Intellectual Property Bootcamp: Lessons in how to start an IP Centric Company

Worcester, Massachusetts

15 November 2011-16 November 2011

"Intellectual Property Bootcamp: Lessons in how to start an IP Centric Company" Tuesday, November 15, 2011 WPI Campus Center - Hagglund Room 4:00-5:00PM This workshop will explore how to start an IP centric company using the licensing model. The "Big Bang Theory" will be used as a way to look at the time line in taking an idea from concept thru the steps of reduction to practice, prototype, and licensed royalty bearing commercial distribution. The barriers to licensing large corporations will be examined by taking a close look at a typical idea submission agreement. The steps that bridge the inventor/founders goals to successful licensing outcomes will be analyzed with real world examples from the process. Speaker David Schwartz is the Technical Founder of Productive Education, LLC

Global Entrepreneurship Week

Worcester, Massachusetts

14 November 2011-19 November 2011

WPI will host a weeklong celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation through seminars, all open to the public.

Elevator Pitch Skills Seminar

Worcester, Massachusetts

14 November 2011-15 November 2011

Monday, Nov 14, 2011, 1:00-3:00PM, WPI Campus Center, Odeum Room. Elevator Pitch Workshop Developing an artful yet influential Elevator Pitch is something everyone should be able to do. From trying to argue a point in a heated debate to trying to sell a new business or product idea to an investor, Elevator Pitches are valuable tools for effective communication in the art of persuasion - often used at a networking event. You will learn about the pitch, start writing one, present it, and rework it until it is perfect. Time is an important factor in keeping your audience engaged. How much time you have to communicate is not always open-ended. You may only have a fleeting moment to convey the essence of your thoughts. What can you say in one minute? Will you impress the listener? Will you be prepared to make an impression when you have one of those rare opportunities? It can be a challenge -- and this workshop will prepare you for those opportunities by having attendees think about writing an Elevator Pitch. This two-hour workshop is open to to the public.