Feature

The International Entrepreneurs Fair 2006: An example of determination, progress and success

Tawsif Anam

Amidst the rush of city life in Dhaka, a compilation of pleasures and pain, troubles and solutions, joy and tears, and thousands of treading steps and rolling tyres, and certainly numerous happening events, the special effort of a group of hardworking individuals was given a full form and presented in front of the people. This full form was the International Entrepreneurs Fair 2006, organized by the Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES!) of North South University. The fair took place at the Gulshan Youth Club on the 24th and 25th of November 2006. With the motto “Progression towards globalization”, the objective of the Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES!) in organizing this fair, was to bring together the various constituents from the very primary level to the highest possible level in the business sector of the global economy.

While on the subject of Young Entrepreneurs Society of NSU, it should be made clear that "YES!" is basically a club for the business and economics major students, working on developing their entrepreneurship skills and also searching for ways to manifest their creative and innovative ideas. Further, "YES!" gives them an opportunity to spread the cognizance of the need for entrepreneurship skills, which is a requisite for the alleviation of poverty by expanding the business sector of our country. In order to uphold and broaden the drive towards development, the potential of youth and their latent talents have to be nourished and their skills enriched through appropriate guidance. Currently, Mr Saiful Huda Chowdhury Shatil is the President, Mr Maruful Islam Jhalak is the Vice President, Mr Saiful Anam Tonmoy is the General Secretary, and Md Zahidul Hoque is the Treasurer of the Young Entrepreneurs Society.

For the training and enhancement of both the members of YES! as well those from outside the club, programs and conferences are usually undertaken. Further, in order to keep up to date with the latest in the field of business and economics, members of YES! carry out research and surveys.

Alongside the promotion of development skills, YES! also facilitates the start of new businesses by endowing prospective young entrepreneurs, especially students, with corporate networks and contacts. “The availability of these provisions should not be limited within the boundaries of North South University” this is what the members of YES! have on their minds, and this is the major reason behind organizing the International Entrepreneurs Fair 2006.

The idea of arranging an event that would be a complete blend of essentials in the field of business clicked in the summative mind of YES! quite some time back and the initiative was then taken to materialize the thought into reality. Hence the mission began and the combined faction of YES! steadily started working upon their designated objectives that would lead to the successful accomplishment of the entire design of the International Entrepreneurs Fair 2006.

The plan was being worked on and with utter keenness the members of YES! worked, and matters advanced. But the concatenation of the arrangements was disrupted by the sudden strikes and formidable political unrest.

But progress was not to be stopped, and the members of YES! made improvisations, worked day and night, and overcame all the impediments.

Finally 24th of November arrived and under the bright shining sun, the field of Gulshan Youth Club gleamed with joy. In the opening ceremony, there were successful personalities whose presence encouraged all those working or participating in the International Entrepreneurs Fair 2006. Mr. Abdul Awal Mintoo, Former President of FBCCI and CEO of Multimode, was the Chief Guest. The Special Guest was Dr Hafiz G.A. Siddiqi, Vice Chancellor of North South University. Also present were Dr ANM Meshquat Uddin, Dean, School of Business of North South University. Among the other honourable guests, there were Mr Naim Kadir, Chairman of Rainbow Tex, Mr Aminul Islam Mintu, Chairman of Texmart Ltd, Mr Mustafizur Rahman, Chairman of Max Reliance, Mr Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, Managing Director of FM Yarn Dyeing Ltd. Throughout the entire planning and execution of the Fair, the Young Entrepreneurs Society of NSU always had the support of our most respected Nazrul Islam Sir, who is the Faculty Advisor of YES!. He has always been our mentor and source of inspiration in organizing the International Entrepreneurs Fair 2006.

In the fair, there were stalls set up by students who were just getting started in the field of entrepreneurship. Also present were the stalls of local entrepreneurs and firms, as well as multinational companies. The sponsor of this grand event was T.K Group of Industries and various items under their brand name Pusti were exhibited in a large stall at the Fair. Close to their stall was situated another big stall of Masafi Bread and Biscuit Industries Ltd, with a wide range of their consumer foods. The Indonesian Embassy set up a stall at the fair and promoted their country's culture, tourism, education and business sectors by providing informational and attractive catalogs and brochures. The presence of the Malaysian Embassy at the Fair also filled us with encouragement and happiness. There were also stalls of multinational companies such as Samsung and HSBC. In order to achieve success in the field of business, one has to have foresight and be innovative. The example of such a firm is Ideal Auto, and their stall had all kinds of latest car accessories for sale: undoubtedly an attraction for those with a passion for automobiles. Other businesses like NIFD, Hallmark, Atrium, and Pan Supari were also present. With attractive items on display, there were Iranian Emporium and Pakistani stall as well. For food and beverage items, some of the popular names in the fair were Jimbo's, Hot Cake and another special stalls from Old Dhaka with their delicious fuchka, chatpati, samosa, shingara, moglai, haleem, etc. Students of the North South University Debate Club (NSUDC) also set up a stall of clothes in line with the current feature of fashion and style. Numerous other stalls were there, selling a variety of consumer items, starting from dresses, ornaments, electronic goods, food and beverages, etc. For encouraging upcoming entrepreneurs to accelerate the process of their self-nourishment, rewards would be indispensable. Hence MindCraft came up with a smart offer of providing three stalls, chosen on the basis of some judging criteria, of newcomer entrepreneurs with sufficient financial, managerial and technical support and guidance on certain terms and conditions. The three stalls of the International Entrepreneurs Fair 2006 that succeeded in gaining the eligibility of attaining this prize are Mrith Kabbo, a stall that displayed products of clay pottery and jewellery, Shailpik, a stall of showpieces, bedsheet, ornaments, sarees, and shawls, and Ananna Handicrafts from Bogura.

The fair not only had a manifestation of entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity, but also and overflowed with entertainment. An exclusive fashion show took place on the second day of the fair, and it was undoubtedly the time for newest trends, and glitz and glamour, all over. To rock everybody's hearts came the beats of drums, and the striking tunes of guitars formed the blanket that covered everybody's minds with pleasure and joy. Artcell, DNA, and Icons rocked the Gulshan Youth Club field, and to everyone's surprise, Sakib Bhai of Cryptic Fate made a sensational appearance and presented a stunning performance.

Hence concluded the International Entrepreneurs Fair 2006. Every moment that we, the members of the Young Entrepreneurs Society, spent in organizing and completing the fair, left us with hope and satisfaction, and also a yearning for an even bigger event in the near future. The members of YES! are full of energy and hope for arranging a variety of other events for promoting entrepreneurship. For whatever contribution I could make as a young member of YES!, I personally thank Shatil Bhai, Jhalak Bhai and Tonmoy Bhai for their brotherly affection and guidance, and I want to thank two of my friends Sharna and Tasneem, who introduced me to the Young Entrepreneurs Society and have been encouraging me all the way. This Fair has certainly strengthened the bond that the members of YES! share with each other, and we hope to move forward with determination of progress.