The long-awaited moment arrived as the Ganesha Business Festival successfully hosted its highly-anticipated annual Business Exhibition at Trans Studio Mall Bandung on April 16-17, 2023. This eagerly-awaited event, open to the public, served as a platform to showcase the diverse range of businesses created by students from SBM ITB at various levels and majors. A total of 144 businesses participated in this exhibition, representing courses such as Integrated Business Experience (IBE), Integrated Business Asia (IBA), Introduction to Engineering and Design (PRD), Start-up Business Practice (SBP), as well as prototypes from the Entrepreneurship major.
Upon entering the exhibition venue, visitors were welcomed by the business plan posters created by the International Business students of SBM ITB. The exhibition boasted an impressive line-up of booths, each offering a unique experience. Some booths enticed visitors with their products available for sale, while others delighted onlookers with intriguing product prototypes. The showcased businesses showcased an impressive level of innovation and diversity, spanning across various industries. From pet supplements and powdered breast milk to soap bars shaped like traditional snacks, the exhibition offered a glimpse into the cutting-edge ideas and creativity of the participating entrepreneurs.
One of the booths that presented their product prototype was Asstle, a combination between an ashtray and a water bottle, created to encourage responsible smoking behavior. Aside from being an ashtray, this product offers a unique feature to absorb cigarette smoke so that other people in the users’ surroundings will not be bothered by the smell of it.
“Nowadays, cigarette butts are the most littered waste. So, we want people to throw their cigarette butts directly into [Asstle products] instead of carelessly littering them,” said Alldyo Novan, a member of the Asttle group.
Aside from the business booths, this year’s Ganesha Business Festival Exhibition was also enlightened by various events, such as talk shows, cooking demonstrations, and musical performances by ITB students from various faculties. On the first day, the guest star was Jehian Panangian Sijuangan, the CEO of Mantappu Corp. Meanwhile, Icha Swavira, the founder and owner of Lokasaji, and Awla Fajri Assalam, the regional partnership account manager of Samsung RnD Institute joined the talk show on the second day.
Not only showcasing their products, but the exhibition participants also took part in doing a business pitching to the consultants of Progressio Consulting Group on the first and second day of the event. Eight companies were picked to do open pitching on the main stage, seen by all visitors. The winners of the business pitching were Manair from IBE, Ramai from PRD, Cody Kit from SBP, and Comvee from Prototyping.
After two days of exhibition, many booths were crowded with customers, including Gema Angin Laut. Better known as Gemala, Gema Angin Laut sells fashion products with Indonesian fabrics, such as vests, obi belts, shirts, and scrunchies.
“The exhibition was exciting because this is the first time we ever held offline sales. Usually, we only reply to customers’ texts and ship the products directly to them. Now, we can communicate directly with our customers and express our brand values better,” said Danny Lewi, CEO of Gema Angin Laut, “Overall, it made us happier each time a customer looks satisfied after purchasing Gemala’s products.”
