On 3rd February 2012, City College Norwich launched its pioneering new StartUp Lounge in the heart of their city centre campus.
During the event, students had the opportunity to showcase their businesses to the invited guests, who were given virtual credit cards for purchasing products. The three finalists then pitched their business ideas live to the three judges; College Principal Dick Palmer, founder of Indian cooking sauces company Masala Masala, Priya Lakhani, and creator of ethical underwear company Pants To Poverty, Ben Ramsden. The launch was also hailed as the first in a series of key events for Gazelle, a new group of private and public sector leaders, which has been established to transform the Further Education sector through entrepreneurship.
As one of the most comprehensive colleges of further and higher education in the UK, boasting six different National Skills Academies and with Principal Dick Palmer, Chairman of Generator Enterprises, City College Norwich is embracing the government's drive to support business development and develop young entrepreneurs who are looking to start their own business.
As such, the StartUp Lounge at City College Norwich, has been created to provide a hub for enterprise education for the college's 14,000 students. It has been designed to challenge and re-think the way teaching is delivered and students learn, and offers an innovative 21st century learning space at the college's city centre site.
Dick Palmer, Principal, City College Norwich, said:
"The fantastic facilities within the StartUp Lounge have been designed to give students at City College Norwich opportunities to practice the skills that employers demand and to learn the entrepreneurial attributes to be able to set up their own businesses."
Working hand-in-hand with Snelling Business Systems, the college has used cutting edge technology to create a multifunctional open plan space which generates a ground-breaking inventive learning space for students, taking them through each of the key stages in a business start-up journey, as well as creating a WOW factor for visitors.
The StartUp Lounge includes a showcase 103" Plasma Display in the Intereaction presentation area, and a curved presentation space, in The Studio, complete with geometrically corrected HD projection system designed to create a 'Dragons Den' type of environment which will give budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to 'Pitch' to business mentors or prospective clients (i.e. the 'dragons'). In addition, the space features interactive booths in the Collaboratorium to promote knowledge sharing, where students can use electronic sticky notes to post their questions on screen which other users may then be able to answer, and there are interactive display screens throughout.
Budding entrepreneurs 'Pitching' can be live streamed to the 103" Plasma display to allow other others to view technique and method employed, in addition the pitches can be recorded complete with content via Sonic Foundry Mediasite for later review and appraisal.
In addition, the StartUp Lounge was installed with two 70" wall-mounted Smart Interactive screens running meeting Pro software, providing a brainstorming space for students, with a collaborative learning space where work can be shared between screens and saved and e-mailed out to individuals. Digital Signage, in the form of a dedicated wall mounted 60" LED full HD signage screen welcomes students, lecturers and visitors alike.
The entire system is touch screen controlled and fully equipped for both digital and analogue connections.
Toby Wise, Managing Director of Snelling Business Systems, said :
"It was a real privilege to be involved in such a pioneering project with City College Norwich. It is extremely rewarding to be part of such a ground-breaking installation, which will change the way in which students at the college learn and prepare for their futures."