On 6 and 7 March Wycombe Abbey hosted more than 200 sixth-form pupils as part of the annual Wycombe Management Conference. Now in its 33^rd year, the Management Conference enables pupils from Wycombe Abbey and RGS to meet, hear talks from and interact with experienced business people and entrepreneurs. Over the course of the two days, the pupils undertook a series of activities which were designed to develop their commercial awareness, teamwork, creativity, innovation and leadership.

The activities included a virtual simulation game led by Business Smart International, who work with major corporations and business schools, including Barclays, Vodafone, King's College London and Cass Business School. In small teams, the students were tasked with making decisions to launch and run a new mobile phone shop. This provides an opportunity for pupils to learn about the different aspects involved in running a business, including finance, product costs, staffing management and marketing, all within a changing market. The game tested the pupils’ teamwork and management skills, as they had to make strategic decisions in a short period of time.

The pupils were also privileged to listen to presentations from inspirational keynote speakers. These included, Lord Bilimoria, the Founder of Cobra Beer, former chair of the CBI, Peter Higgins, co-founder of Charles Tyrwhitt and Catherine Wyman, medical product developer. 

Overall, the conference was a great success with the pupils receiving inspirational advice and gaining hands-on business experience. We look forward to the next one in 2025.