Students at University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business Host Community Entrepreneurship Conference

Students at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland will host a community-wide entrepreneurship conference, Turning your Passion into Profit, Saturday, April 14, 2007, at the Universities at Shady Grove (9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, Md.) The Smith Schools chapter of CEO (Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization) organized the daylong conference, which begins at 9 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m., engaging prospective and future business owners, entrepreneurs, and students throughout the Washington region.

The conference will feature keynote speaker Skip Yowell, co-founder of JanSport Inc. Hell talk about his experience starting and growing JanSport and sign copies of his book, The Hippie Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder and Other Mountains.

Other prominent speakers from various fields will talk about essential aspects of starting, running and expanding a business, including basic start-up concerns such as the business type and structure to choose, effectively evaluating a potential business idea, where to look for funding when starting a new venture, and the challenges of marketing a company. Additionally, specialized areas of business and entrepreneurship will be covered, such as nonprofit organizations, selling to the government, and starting a business while in college.

The conference will also feature several events sponsored by the Smith Schools Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, an institute that helps students and entrepreneurs from the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. region to start and grow their businesses. Dingman-run activities at the conference will include: one-on-one consultations with business experts; Pitch Dingman, an opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to give a five- to eight-minute overview of their business ideas to the Dingman Center team with a $500 prize for the best pitch; and an entrepreneur-networking lunch, with the box lunch provided by University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

The conference will be the first of its kind held by the Smith School to assist individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit to work for themselves and turn their passion into profit.

Susannah Campbell, MBA Candidate 2007, Smith Media Group