NEW YORK, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Students from around the world will display a wide range of products and tout their marketing campaigns at the 13th annual Virtual Enterprises trade fair on Thursday, March 25, 2010, 9:45 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. at the 69th Regiment Armory, 68 Lexington Ave. at East 26th Street, in Manhattan.  Students have been mentored and supported by a who's who of top U.S. corporations.  The more than 145 VE exhibitors will display and promote virtual goods and services and include student-run businesses from the U.S., Austria, Canada, China, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Finland, Latvia, Great Britain, Indonesia, Spain, Sweden, Italy and Romania.  

Virtual Enterprises International is a program in which students create and manage a virtual business with the guidance of a business partner, and engage in real business practices with their peers via e-commerce strategies through a worldwide network of over 3,000 virtual businesses in more than 30 countries. The Trade Fair is an opportunity for students to exhibit and sell virtual products and services through their virtual businesses in a competitive marketplace with their local and global colleagues and peers.

"We believe that high school students can best be prepared for whatever comes next with a rigorous curriculum that includes increasingly more challenging work and a program like Virtual Enterprises, which offers a truly hands-on experience in the world of business," said Peter C. Davis, president of McGraw-Hill Education. "Combine academic achievement with strong performance in this program and you've got a recipe for success in any career in the 21st Century's knowledge economy."  

Virtual Enterprises International was launched in New York City public schools in 1996 to develop future business leaders.  There are now 500 schools offering Virtual Enterprise programs representing 11,500 students. The U.S. Network of Virtual Enterprises is holding its sixth national event -- the U.S. Networks of Virtual Enterprises National Business Plan Competition and the top three prizewinning teams of this competition will be announced at the opening ceremony of the Thirteenth Annual Virtual Enterprises Trade Fair.  

Because the event brings together thousands of students and guests from around the globe, the fair will be dedicated to those who have been affected by the devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. Virtual Enterprises International is proud to be working with The United Way to support that effort.  Donations at Booth 1 will help disaster victims rebuild their lives and their communities.

The Exhibits

Exhibitors include:

• A.C.T. Professional Services (audit and tax consultants) from Norman Thomas High School in partnership with Deloitte & Touche;
• Office by Dezign from HS for Art and Design in partnership with Avrett Free & Ginsberg Advertising
• DSigns from Westinghouse High School in partnership with HSBC
• ASAP from The Academy of Finance and Enterprise in partnership with Citigroup.

The Crystal Leadership Awards

The following individuals will be recognized for their outstanding leadership and commitment to Virtual Enterprises International at the:

• Gregg Betheil, Executive Director, Office of Postsecondary Pathways & Planning, NYC Department of Education
• JoAnn Chester, Principal, Ft. Hamilton High School
• Joe Fennessy, Chief Operating Officer, Deloitte & Touche
• Barry Lippman, CEO, Learning Express
• Michael Mulgrew, President, United Federation of Teachers

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education; NYC Dept. of Education

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