By Ahmed Wafi Rashid
Its that time of the year again! IIUMs Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) in collaboration with Enactus IIUM has organised the annual Stalls and Bazaar (STABAZ) in conjunction with this years convocation.
This years edition promised more variety and fun, fun, fun! The festival took place from 11Â until 15 October the Convest hill (next to AIKOL) and it boasted a number of exciting events, games and a wide variety of stalls. Everything ranging from cars to horses (yes, horses) were available throughout the length of the festival. Admission was free and open to the public.
You would think that this event was organised exclusively for women based on the number of stalls that sold womens apparel! Everything from shawls to cardigans were on sale from the different stalls and theyre all affordable too! But once you get through the first few stalls selling womens apparel, you would start to notice the different shopping choices you have.
And this years STABAZ proved to be a good platform of publicity for small local brands that were just beginning their rise to financial success as well as the well established local brands and everything in between. Some of the local brands that showcased their products include Hijabers, the Unitee Project and Hello Soda. On a larger scale, Perodua and Rasamas were also renting stalls for all to see.
I actually managed to have a chat with Alia Zulaikha, a Bachelor of English first year student in IIUM who happened to have been one of the stall keepers for an Enactus owned stall. When asked about the artists she looked forward to seeing she said she cant wait to see Asyraf Muslim and Hafiz AF live. Shes also looking forward to the ˜Coffee Talk organised by Enactus on 12Â October.
A significant number of stalls being operated were actually student owned. The future looks bright for our young entrepreneurs! Apart from the abundant clothing that was for sale at this years edition of STABAZ, events and games were aplenty! And theres everything for everyone. A petting zoo and horseback riding (for only RM5 per session) for the animal lovers, futsal, rollerblading and other sports for the athletes, go-karts for those with a need for speed and video games for those who feel that their thumbs need a good workout. In fact, I managed to have a go at the new FIFA 15 video game available at STABAZ. Unfortunately, my video game skills did not match my opponents and I ended up losing more than once.
On the first day of the event I managed to catch up with Nishan, assistant head of promotion, STABAZ who is also a final year ICT student. He claimed that this years STABAZ was different from the previous editions mainly due to the amount of celebrities who were making appearances and also because of the wide variety of events that were taking place throughout the five-day event. Asked to comment on the event, he explained that it took more than six months to plan for it and that the committee was working very hard to make it a success.
Another aspect of the event that is worth mentioning was the atmosphere surrounding the bazaar. Students, parents and children of all ages were simply having fun! It definitely did make for a positive environment and emitted a very positive vibe. Especially at night when the sun was not beating down on our heads, even then smiles could be seen all around! Being around people who were happy will make you happy! I urge everyone out there to just keep a smile on your faces and surround yourself with positive vibes. Dont be too upset about the ending of STABAZ 2014. See you next year!
