In the early spring of March, the 2014 Black Horse Competition, hosted by Entrepreneur Magazine, has officially kicked off. The internet travel sector, the first to launch, brought a wave of warmth to numerous entrepreneurs amidst the lingering chill of spring. This year, Red Bull continues to serve as the "Entrepreneurial Energy Support Partner," providing substantial energy support.
In April, the finals of the internet travel industry, as the first sector finals of the 2014 Black Horse Competition, made a strong debut. The internet travel industry refers to an ecosystem that relies on the internet, with the core objectives of meeting travelers' information queries, product bookings, and service evaluations. It encompasses tourism service providers such as airlines, hotels, scenic spots, car rental companies, and domestic and international tourism bureaus, as well as online travel platforms including search engines, OTAs, telecom operators, travel information websites, and community sites. In 2013, China's total tourism market transaction volume was approximately 2.9475 trillion yuan, of which the online travel market accounted for about 252.2 billion yuan. Looking at the domestic online travel market, amid huge demand and promising financial prospects, numerous emerging websites have sprung up like mushrooms, entering the battlefield.
Therefore, in this environment where opportunities and challenges coexist, entrepreneurs need more support for entrepreneurial energy.
In the first industry track of the 2014 Black Horse Competition, Wang Jiang from Flight Manager, Zhou Hang from Yidao Yongche, and Wu Zhixiang from Tongcheng.com respectively presided over three mentor-apprentice selection matches. They provided entrepreneurial inspiration, addressed industry development dilemmas, and offered insights into the broader trends of the internet travel industry, delivering three engaging sub-competitions for all participating entrepreneurs and attendees. Red Bull, committed to supporting more innovative, dynamic, and growing enterprises, provided entrepreneurial energy support to the competing Black Horses, influencing many entrepreneurs.
On the morning of April 11, the "Red Bull Entrepreneurial Energy Gas Station," jointly launched by Red Bull and Entrepreneur Magazine, invited mentor experts to provide pre-competition training and consulting services to contestants, offering professional knowledge and spiritual support to the entrepreneurial Black Horses. The "Entrepreneurship Classroom" was also upgraded this year, launching the official WeChat account of the "Red Bull Entrepreneurial Energy Gas Station." It provides content such as investment and financing knowledge, industry trends, new business models, case study analyses, corporate culture sharing, and founder growth, delivering entrepreneurial energy to entrepreneurs and Black Horses through an online classroom format.
Additionally, the "Red Bull Entrepreneurial Role Model" selection, jointly initiated by Red Bull and Entrepreneur Magazine, will select 5 out of 15 outstanding "Red Bull Entrepreneurial Role Model" candidates chosen from the three mentor-apprentice selection matches, advancing them as finalists for the top ten "Red Bull Entrepreneurial Role Models" at the end of the year.
The "Red Bull Entrepreneurial Role Model" selection aims to uncover and share exemplary entrepreneurial stories, seeking entrepreneurs among the Black Horses who are "dream-driven, passionate, innovative, and courageous." It highlights their fearless, striving, resilient, and innovative entrepreneurial spirit, spreading more positive energy to entrepreneurs and the general public, and establishing a flag of hard work and innovation in the entrepreneurial field.
The 2014 Black Horse Competition will focus on eight specialized industries, connect with eight industrial parks, adopt the mentor-apprentice selection match format, gather more industry leaders as guests, and provide a stronger investment and financing matchmaking platform. The stage of the Black Horse Competition is meant to show more entrepreneurs that starting a business is not a particularly lonely endeavor—every entrepreneur on the path should have more positive energy to face challenges and ignite passion.
The strong partnership between Red Bull and the Black Horse Competition brings significant benefits to the many entrepreneurs striving forward. Both are dedicated to serving entrepreneurs and injecting fresh vitality into societal development. Starting from the mentor-apprentice selection matches, Red Bull accompanies the Black Horses and more entrepreneurs all the way to the industry finals and even the annual championship, helping more entrepreneurs navigate through entrepreneurial confusion and supporting them in realizing their dreams.