ROMPING TO SUCCESS
1st April 2011
ROMP, an enterprising student start-up business, has beaten four other finalists to win £1,000 from Bath Spa University’s fourth annual business plan competition. Benjamin Jackson-Cook, Adam Rockall, Adam Vooght and David Goosen, all studying Commercial Music in the University’s School for Music & Performing Arts, will invest the prize money in their live music promotions business.
With 39 entries, competition was fierce from the start and culminated in an intense judging day of presentations to a panel of industry experts followed by an awards ceremony on Thursday 31st of March 2011 at the University’s Newton Park campus.
ROMP is a live music promotion business based in Bath, bringing student audiences to small venues around the country. In addition, Romp Comp is a competition exclusively for unsigned artists to showcase their talent and Romp Tour is a 5-day European tour for the winning artists of Romp Comp. Further detail is available on their website www.romp.com.
David Goosen, Adam Rockall, Adam Vooght and Benjamin Jackson-Cook from ROMP
ROMP’s Adam Rockall says, “We are thrilled to have won the competition. The business plan competition has been an excellent experience and the prize will be used to further develop our brand.”
In a surprise turn of events, the judging panel decided that the runner-up – Bodhi Image – should also receive financial recognition for their remarkable start to running an ethical clothing retail business. Consequently, one of the judges – Professor Stephen Lee – put forward £250 from his own company as a prize, which was matched by the University’s Business Support Office.
Additionally, funding was made available for two ‘Enterprise in the Curriculum’ merit awards. Although these did not reach the competitive finals, they were considered interesting business ideas to have come out of curriculum enterprise projects in the Commercial Music and Business & Management departments. Each received an award of £250. The first was Sounds Rubbish - a business run by final year Commercial Music students Matthew Young, Simeon Bates and Bobby Eccles, which encourages children to make instruments in the classroom out of recycled material, write, perform and record a song. The second was Yoghiez, put forward by final year Business and Management students, Rebecca Richards & Meggan Caddey, who hope to start a frozen yoghurt company for in Wales.
Four business experts formed the judging panel and gave excellent advice to the finalists. These included Paul Clarkson – Managing Director of PA2C Ltd, Anna Ruddick of Razzamatazz Theatre Schools, Andy Batten-Foster – an independent media production professional, and Stephen Lee - Course Director for Business & Management Postgraduate Programmes at the University.
Paul Clarkson, as Chair of the Judging Panel, said “We were impressed by the quality of the presentations and the enterprising ideas submitted by all five finalists. The winners – ROMP – have developed a brand with the potential to extend beyond the music scene and we wish them and all the finalists every success in the future.”
The Business Plan Competition, together with its supporting programme of workshops and events, encourages and develops the enterprise culture within Bath Spa University and is open to any current student. For those students thinking of starting their own business, it helps them to follow their idea through with the aim of keeping and developing new businesses in the local community.
Joshua Taylor and Michaela Coote from Bodhi Image
Matthew Young, Simeon Bates and Bobby Eccles from Sounds Rubbish
Rebecca Richards and Meggan Caddey from Yogiez
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