Competition Information

2024 HSBLC Competition Guidelines

The High School Business Language Competition hosted by the Whitmore Global Business Center at BYU consists of two parts: a marketing plan development and a marketing plan presentation. Participants are required to complete both parts to participate in the competition.

Teams

Each team must consist of three (3) High School students who are currently enrolled in the sponsoring high school. Each high school may sponsor a maximum of TWO teams per language (Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic, German). No native speakers* are permitted to participate in the competition, and only one heritage speaker** is permitted per team.

*Native Speaker= Where one language was the main source throughout primary and secondary schooling and education, as well as all other settings.

**Heritage Speaker= Where one language is spoken in the home, but another language is predominant in a work, social, or school setting.

If you have any questions regarding the language status of a student, please contact us.

Marketing Plan Development

Teams will have until November 21, 2024 to complete their presentations and email their two-page marketing summary to Adeline Hedges - businesslanguage@byu.edu by 12:00 Noon (MST).

The following steps are recommended to create an effective marketing plan:

  1. Learn about the company. Understand the basic details of the business. Learn about the products they sell, understand the way they market and sell their products, and find out the type of consumer they target. Analyze the key trends of the industry to which they belong and identify key competitors.
  2. Learn about the products. Understand what the products are used for, their unique qualities, benefits and cost.
  3. Learn about the target consumer. Teams should learn about the behavior and attitudes of the target consumer, where and how they shop, and what influences them in making a purchase decision, as well as the accessibility of the target consumer.
  4. Understand the basic principles of marketing. Understand the basic marketing fundamentals (price, product, place, and promotion). Learn about the industry’s channel of distributions and marketing tools.

Teams can refer to the company’s website, government agencies, books, and other publications. Please do not contact the company directly.

Marketing Plan Presentation

Each team will send its marketing plan presentations to businesslanguage@byu.edu on November 21, 2024 by 12:00 Noon (MST). The presentation should contain all items listed below:

  1. A one-two page summary with the proposed marketing plan.
    The report should be written in appropriate business style and should include information about the company, the product, the consumer, and the team’s marketing plan. 
  2. A copy of the presentation.
    You may use Google Slides or PowerPoint within the presentation. It should include:
  1. Company and industry background
  2. Profile of target consumer
  3. Marketing plan and communication strategy (using at least two marketing tools)
  4. Marketing plan financial analysis

All presentations and written materials must be in the team’s competition language.

Competition Day Presentations

All members of the team must participate in the oral presentation of the plan. Each team will have ten minutes to present its plan in their presentation in front of a panel of judges. There will be 2 rounds of presenting, once in the morning and once after lunch. 

Teams will be scored on language ability, written and oral presentation skills, and the content of their original marketing plan represented in their written summary and presentation.

Teams are responsible for bringing their own laptop and USB with your presentation as well as printed copies of your marketing plan for the judges. 

Coach Participation

Students, NOT THE COACH, must prepare the marketing plan. The coach can help the team by teaching the students business and marketing principles and providing guidelines on how to write a marketing plan. However, the coach should not give specific suggestions for the development of the marketing plan. Coaches do not have to be native language speakers. They may direct team members in grammar and business terms as needed. 

Judging

Judges will not, and should not, know which school the presenting team represents! Teams cannot infer this information verbally or through colors or graphics (on clothing or in presentations). For competition logistical purposes, teams will use a fictitious name assigned to them the day of the competition.

Winners are determined based on a cumulative score from their presentations. The GBC Staff will compile scores to determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams to be announced in the award ceremony at 4:00 pm on November 22, 2024.

Contact Information

For questions or concerns, please contact:

Adeline Parker
businesslanguage@byu.edu

Veronica Stoltz
veronica_stoltz@byu.edu