A total of 20 student-run Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) enlivened the inaugural Friday Evening Festival held at the Pine Forest (Zone B) of UGM’s Innovation and Creativity Hub (GIK UGM) on Friday, Apr. 25.
Initiated by the GIK UGM Marketing Communication Division and themed “Games Fantasy, Role-Playing Games,” the event aimed to provide a promotional platform for UGM student MSMEs to showcase their businesses.
Among the 20 MSME tenants were Rumbai Coffee, Mentaiku Dimsum, Meowtcha, and Portophoto.id, Yumss, Djemari Sally x Khansa Gallery, GoatDay Goat Milk, Nekarasa MSME, Wearson Apparel, Freshade, Waku Waku Literature Club x Project Amaryllis, HYT Handsart, Ciase, Yuki Tako, Born to Inspire, Chia Seed & Namchi, Heavenlystudio, Bebungaan Atelier, Pisang Kembung Sarjana, and MilkyMoo.
The festival was not only attended by UGM students, but also attracted members of the general public who came to visit the MSME booths and explore their products.
One of the most popular booths was Meowtcha, a student-owned matcha drink. Rima, a student from UGM Faculty of Agricultural Technology, said she attended the Friday Evening Festival because she was curious to try Meowtcha.
“I saw it on platform X yesterday, so I got curious and wanted to try it,” she told the media.
Another highlight was the Rice Bowl Sambek booth by Nekarasa. Initiated by students from the UGM Faculty of Animal Science, this MSME sources its meat from goats raised by the faculty itself.
After three months of operating their kitchen independently, the Friday Evening Festival was Nekarasa’s first experience participating in a bazaar, particularly one hosted by the university.
“Personally, I respond positively to this event and hope the Friday Evening Festival can regularly involve other student entrepreneurs to join us here,” said Akram, one of Nekarasa’s team members.
The Friday Evening Festival ran until dusk, accompanied by an acoustic performance by GamaBand on the main stage.
Muhammad Chamdan Husein, Marketing Communication Officer of GIK UGM, stated that the organizing team hopes to make the event a regular monthly occurrence on the third or fourth Friday of each month. While the theme and participating tenants may vary with each event, the overarching theme of Games Fantasy will remain.
“The goal is, of course, success, high attendance, and increased public awareness about what GIK is and what it offers,” Cham Husein added.
He said the event aims to increase engagement with student-led MSMEs, especially those run by UGM students. However, while the focus remains on UGM students, the event remains open to public MSMEs that wish to participate in future editions of the Friday Evening Festival.
“In addition to student MSME booths, the festival also invites visitors to participate in costume-playing with their best costumes and expressions. We also offer interactive sessions to raise public product knowledge of GIK UGM,” Husein explained.
Reporter: Warta EQ/Shaffa Az Zahra and Chelsea Deswita Sianturi
Author: Lintang Andwyna
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya