The NCR Biz-a-thon 2026 ran on 7 and 8 October: two days of workshops, teamwork, problem solving and pitching, built around a real business challenge set by NCR Atleos. It was my third Biz-a-thon, and this year I delivered a workshop, designed the event poster and joined the judging panel.
Day one: from analysis to viable solutions
My workshop, Strategy Toolkit: From Analysis to Viable Solutions, was the first real outing for my new Learning Lab, which I had launched the day before.
Students played Bank the Unbanked, a game about financial inclusion. Teams choose a real community, design a solution within a tight budget, face a reality check and then pitch their idea in 30 seconds. Alongside it they used the Strategy Toolkit, which brings together 11 established strategy tools at easy, medium and complex levels, each with practical examples, guidance and references.
Over the session, students moved from understanding the problem to developing a viable solution, and then pitched it. The engagement was strong, there were some wonderful pitches, and the feedback throughout the session was really positive.
Using the game in a real room also showed me where it needed more range. Following that feedback and testing, Bank the Unbanked can now be played in three modes, Easy, Medium and Hard, so it works across different classes, timings and levels of challenge.
Day two: judging the pitches
On the second day I joined the judging panel with Gillian McGovern, Fiona Page, Daniel Wade Clarke and Liam Brown. Every pitch took a different approach to the challenge, which made choosing a top three genuinely difficult.
Huge congratulations to the winning team, Team 5, and to every student who took part. The effort that went into this year’s challenge was tremendous, and you should all be proud of what you produced in two days. The top three teams now go on to visit NCR Atleos, where they will have the chance to strengthen their pitches and share their ideas with senior staff.
Meanwhile, in Search Marketing
Later on day one, I ran Ad Auction Live with my BU51025 Search Marketing students. Teams compete for the top Google ad position in a simulated auction, experimenting with bids, quality, cost per click and profitability, and quickly discover that the biggest bid does not necessarily win.
I designed the game so its key assumptions are transparent, with the teaching model explained inside the activity itself. Students can see not just who won the auction, but why.
The student feedback made my day:
“Wonderful! Very engaging” · “So fun!” · “Very lively” · “It was so interesting”
Search Marketing students, October 2026
Thank you to my Search Marketing students for bringing such great energy. It was a lovely way to finish the day.
Try them in your own classroom
Everything in the Learning Lab is free to use in teaching. No student logins, no apps: just open it on a projector and use it in the room.
- Bank the Unbanked (with a teacher’s guide)
- Ad Auction Live (with a teacher’s guide)
- Strategy Toolkit
- Or explore the full Learning Lab
Thank you
A big thank you to Kirsty Beaumont, Craig Reoch and everyone at the University of Dundee and NCR Atleos who made this year’s Biz-a-thon happen. It was a very good couple of days for turning ideas into actual classroom practice, and I’ll keep building the Lab from here.
Originally shared on LinkedIn.
