More than 1000 students from 86 different countries have descended on Brisbane for a four-day conference from tonight, May 14 to May 17….and they mean business.
Organisation of the event can be credited to 387 business management students in The University of Queensland Foundation Year Program.
Senior Lecturer in Business Management, UQ Foundation Year, Dave Craven said the event had been organised totally by the students as part of their learning program.
The University of Queensland Foundation Year prepares international students for entry into the first year of all undergraduate courses at The University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia.
As the education provider offering this program, International Education Services (IES) enrols students from more than 40 countries.
This week's conference is organised by IES, and brings together students who learn business skills through the management of companies trading online. Every two years, students meet together to share their learning experiences, hear from business experts and trade products with each other.
The students are members of Virtual Enterprise Australia. Virtual Enterprise Australia (VEA) is a network of training businesses that students manage and operate as part of their learning programs.
Each of these simulated businesses, 'or virtual enterprises', follows real-world business practices and trades within a virtual economy. These businesses are in turn linked to over 5500 member businesses trading across the world.
Victoria Shablina, the conference coordinator, said that the next four days would be "very challenging and the learning curve as steep as the roofs in her home town of Vladivostok".
Supported by local businesses, the business students have compiled a busy schedule which culminates in an awards evening on the Brisbane river on Saturday night.
Members of the public are invited to attend the trading event on the closing day at the Coffee Club Pavilion at the RNA Showgrounds and experience first hand this learning experience.
Details: www.tradefair2008.com
Contact: David Craven, Senior Business Lecturer 0421 976 853 or (07) 3832 7699
