The Wycombe Management Conference
At the beginning of March, the 29th Wycombe Management Conference was held; a two-day business simulation for all LVI girls along with 90 boys from the Royal Grammar School. Throughout the conference students became members of a company that launched and ran a pizza business. With the guidance of a mentor (Wycombe and RGS parents who generously gave their time) they had to consider factors such as location, pricing, marketing, wages and product diversification with the aim of making as much profit as possible. Interspersed with this were keynote speakers and other activities.
We were delighted to welcome back Lord Bilimoria (founder of Cobra beer) and Steve Bourne (negotiation and communication specialist) along with new speakers Peter Higgins (Founder and former CEO of Charles Tyrwhitt) and Wendy Becker (Chair at Logitech). Their insights and messages on how to be successful in business were truly inspiring, particularly the recurring message that mistakes are part of the pathway to success. Other tasks included the replication of a commodities trading market led by Paul Anderson (Deutsche Bank) and Negotiation and Production Line games to develop the critical skills of problem solving, innovation and communication that we know will help Wycombe girls to thrive. After two energetic and stimulating days the winning team was crowned – Red B, mentored by Dr Speed. The Wycombe girls in the team were Jasmine, Isabelle, Emily, Ingrid and Martha, LVI. We hope that all delegates left with a sense of excitement and greater understanding of what a career in business might entail.