Developed specifically for undergraduate university students in Thailand, the contest offers budding executives from all faculties the opportunity to develop, present and possibly even implement a genuine business strategy for an international hotel group – and win a trip to Tokyo.

Students from universities across the Kingdom are invited to form teams (maximum four students per team) and create a digital business plan that can be used by Best Western Hotels & Resorts in real life. These plans should be submitted to the hotel group by video and the best strategies – based on factors including creative thinking, budget control and presentation skills – will be selected to take part in a live final event, where the teams will present their ideas in person to a panel of expert judges, including Best Western’s top regional executives, in an apprentice-style environment.

The successful team will win a holiday for all four people to Tokyo, including flights and a three-night stay at Best Western Tokyo Nishikasai Grande. The runners up will be rewarded with a trip to Phuket, including flights and accommodation at Best Western Patong Beach. Other prizes will be awarded to all the finalists, and every team that enters will gain valuable business experience.

“Best Western understands how important it is for students to gain practical experience before they enter the workplace,” says Olivier Berrivin, Best Western’s managing director of International Operations – Asia, who will be one of the judges at the live final event.

“This new contest provides a great way for students in the latter stages of their university courses to test their theoretical knowledge in a real-life working environment. We look forward to seeing what ideas the students come up with, and I’m confident we’ll receive some ingenious, creative and professional business plans.”

The contest gets underway on August 15 and student teams will be able to download the registration form at http://www.BwDreamsComeTrue.com. All business plan entries (video and written) must be email to asiamarketing@bestwestern.com by September 25. Only five teams will progress to the live final, which will be held at Best Western Plus Wanda Grand Hotel on October 19. This contest is open to third and fourth year students only