The first of its kind in Bangladesh, NSU Haat Bazaar took place at North South University (NSU) campus on 10th December, 2014 to give undergraduate students from the School of Business an opportunity to get a feel of first hand marketing experience.
Students from 4 sections of BBA were asked to form groups and invest TK 10,000 as their business capital. Altogether, there were 40 groups, with 4 members each. Each group was assigned a spot in the plaza area on campus with its own 6×3 table. Commencing at 9 in the morning, the Haat Bazaar participants were to be evaluated on their business management skills including team management skill and how well they handled their customers. In addition, students had to earn profits on the capital they had invested!
While NSU YES! Managed and provided all logistical support to the one-day-entrepreneurs, the groups were each responsible for the promotion of their individual stalls and of the event as a whole. This was done through Facebook since it is the medium that directly engaged the target audience, which in this case was the student population of NSU.
The plaza was decorated with the diverse display of individual stall banners and merchandise. 9 AM signaled with official opening with the Proctor’s visit and by a clearance from the officer in charge of all security. One by one, the respected faculties and admin personnel visited the individual stalls. Slowly the numerous students/buyers poured in, bringing with them even great challenges for the young sellers. To begin with, there was the mammoth hoard of customers whom the sellers had to handle with patience and constant courtesy. Furthermore, the relationship between the sellers themselves was another issue. The hype reached its peak around 2 PM when a pair of ducks and hens were brought into the center of the plaza and the scenario of a haat bazaar was hence simulated.
An initiative of faculty members Mr. Faisal Wali and Mr. Maruf-Ibne Wali, Haat Bazaar was an immense success judging from the sentiments of the numerous participants. The event allowed the young nation builders of tomorrow great insights into the minds of actual marketers and how they experience the heartaches of actual entrepreneurs. There are high expectations that the event would be organized in future by NSU, and their example emulated by other universities across the country.
About the Author
Meer Farhan Shahriar is a final year student of BBA department of North South University. Currently he is pursuing a dual major in Finance and Marketing.
