The Entrepreneurship Student Activity Unit (UKM) of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Jember (UNEJ), once again held the 2024 UKM Festival Bazaar on August 30th and 31st, 2024. This event aims to enhance the branding of local Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), with a primary focus on attracting Generation Z. In line with this year’s theme, “Empowering Gen Z: Embracing Disruption, Building Authentic Brand and Driving Digital Innovation”, the festival promotes innovation and creativity in introducing MSMEs in the digital era.
The bazaar, held at the UNEJ Shaun The Sheep Field, featured a variety of local products, ranging from traditional cuisine to modern snacks and handmade creative products. The Entrepreneurship UKM of FISIP UNEJ hopes that this festival can serve as a platform for MSMEs to expand their market and strengthen their brand, especially among the dynamic younger generation.
The Head of the 2024 UKM Festival Committee, Alamsyah Prasetya Hadi, explained that “This event aims to empower MSMEs, especially in Jember, to be able to compete in the digital era.” Alamsyah said.
In addition to the bazaar, the festival was also enlivened by various interesting activities, such as music and dance performances that added to the excitement of the event. The bazaar participants, most of whom were local entrepreneurs in Jember, showed great enthusiasm in utilizing this opportunity to promote their products, especially to Generation Z. Many entrepreneurs acknowledged that the promotion conducted by the committee through various social media platforms significantly helped increase sales during the bazaar.
The 2024 UKM Festival also included several other activities such as an Entrepreneurship Seminar and a Business Case Competition, which aimed to provide insights into technological developments and branding strategies in the digital era. The highlight of the event was the bazaar, which focused on the development of MSMEs in Jember. With the existence of this festival, it is hoped that MSMEs can adapt to modern market changes and expand their connections with young consumers.