Welcome to the Vail Valley and the Vail Centre for Entrepreneurship – Inspiration in Action!
This week presents an enormous milestone for those currently engaged and those soon to be engaged with the Vail Centre. As this novel idea is launched, so too is the advancement of a new era of destination learning. Fall is a season for letting go and closure.
On the Shoulder of Giants
As the former vice president of the Vail Leadership Institute, predecessor of this new endeav
or, I would first like to acknowledge the contributions of those innovative thought leaders that came before us. The Vail Leadership Institute’s work enabled the development, formation, and launch of this new direction. It’s critical to recognize those that developed the path to get us where we are today. We truly stand on the shoulders of giants!
The work conducted at the Vail Leadership Institute, brought to light the critical importance of personal alignment. Over the years, the Institute taught me the need to pause and reflect on values, purpose, and mission in order to consistently reevaluate and realign vision. The alignment of these factors is a necessary condition for the field of entrepreneurship, a discipline built on enduring passions and personal alignment.
Diverse Entrepreneurship Programming
Currently, our focus is directed on developing unique and dynamic certificate courses, in concert with doctoral-level thought leaders, representing the various relevant aspects within the field. Certificate courses provide intensified learning for participants wanting to further navigate their passions, regardless of the current positioning. These courses are fast paced, information rich, and applicable to those advancing entrepreneurship on any level. Courses are rigorous 5-day commitments taking place in Vail, CO. The curriculum is meant to stimulate participants intellectually, challenge creatively, and exercise emotionally. The all-inclusive programming is a demanding, energetic, and an exciting way to ignite entrepreneurial interests.
A second model offered through the Entrepreneurship Centre is our university partnerships. The Entrepreneurship Centre is working closely with Colorado University’s Leeds School of Business in developing a partnership model, combining our experiential environment with their world-class faculty. CU’s Ideas2Action aligns perfectly with the Centre for Entrepreneurship, placing primary attention on developing bootcamps that take entrepreneurs to the next level. The first Vail-based program will take place in June 2016 and will open for enrollment in January. Class sizes are limited to the first 20 and judging by the popularity of the Boulder-based Ideas2Action sister program, this will most certainly fill up fast. Get your name on the list to be notified when registration opens.
The Centre is also establishing fellowship programs, which will allow participants to get involved at a much higher commitment. Fellowship programs take place over three years, engaging participants on a quarterly commitment level. These programs are designed to expand entrepreneurial interests through shared experiences. Specifically, programs include speaker engagements, mentoring, peer-to-peer involvement, on location site visits, and ongoing entrepreneurial education. Those completing these programs are issued Fellowship roles offering the capacity to facilitate courses, attend various events, conduct research, and be part of a dynamic team of entrepreneurial thought leaders.
Local Entrepreneurship Awards and Scholarships
On a local level, the Vail Centre is presenting its first Entrepreneurship Torch Award on December 11th, 2015. The Entrepreneurship Torch Award will be presented to a member of the Vail Valley community who has exhibited extraordinary entrepreneurial activity during the year. In addition to the Entrepreneurship Torch Award, part of the Entrepreneurship Centre’s mission is engaging and honoring those within this community we call home. This includes the establishment of local scholarships to our catalog of programming for those choosing to launch or grow ideas locally.
Check back with us early and often and don’t hesitate to enroll in activities of interest. No two programs are alike as we strive to avoid reaching a state of equilibrium. Each program is developed to accommodate all those interested, regardless of where you are in your entrepreneurial journey. And each program is structured uniquely, offering certificates exclusive to that session’s flow of activity. Program diversity and dynamic presentation serves as our niche, creating constant avenues for learning opportunities. We strive to engage our participants in inimitable ways, each time they return!
