The lecturers of the Craft Entrepreneurship and Craft Management courses, namely Bintan Titisari, S.Ds., M.Ds., Ph.D., Nadia Arfan, S.Ds., M.S.M., and Sasanti Puri Andini, S.Ds., M.Ds., who is also the owner of Alun Biru Studio, and Tania Kardin, S.Ds., who is also the owner of KAR Jewelry, were present at the event. Together, they aimed to replicate the Shark Tank TV Show concept in a simplified manner.

Bintan Titisari, S.Ds., M.Ds., Ph.D., mentioned that apart from showcasing their works, students were required to do pitching for 5 minutes in front of lecturers and guest judges.

“They presented the background of their creations and proposed business designs to attract value and 'investment' from the judges," she said. The 'investment' referred to here is in the form of buttons, each considered to be worth 1 billion.

The invited guest judges were entrepreneurs from various fields. They included Mutia Safrina, owner of Addictea and Aumone; Fitria Vidyawati, owner of MKS Shoes; Slamet Riyadi, owner of Pala Nusantara; Nurdini Prihastini, owner of Dama Kara and Indogarment; Tisa Granicia, owner of Kandura Ceramics; and Dani Effendi, owner of Jejakurcaci. The presence of these guest judges was intended to provide more objective evaluations and constructive feedback for the participants.

“The guest judges provided positive responses to this event. They voluntarily came to evaluate the students' works, providing input for the student's learning process, and shared their knowledge in delving into the business world," Bintan continued.

Craft Entrepreneurship and Craft Management are compulsory courses for 7th-semester students. She emphasized that students should not only create good product designs but also be able to sell their work and generate profits.

The products created varied and were related to the product realms that the students had previously studied. In this exhibition, works from 8 groups of Ganesha Craft and 4 groups of Cirebon Craft were showcased.

She admitted to being proud of her achievements. According to her, it's not easy to shift from the perspective of a designer to that of an entrepreneur. Students were asked to describe their ideas and then contemplate the best marketing strategies to maximize profits in a short period.

"I hope that the students can realize their business designs when they graduate. They can mass-produce their work and achieve success through these creations. This Final Showcase provides a space for students to interact with artisans, entrepreneurs, and the general public. Ultimately, they can hone their communication skills as well as time and human (resource) management. Their confidence and seriousness in working on these projects increase because their work will be enjoyed by the public. I hope other lecturers can emulate such an assessment system," stated Bintan Titisari, S.Ds., M.Ds., Ph.D.

In addition to the craft exhibition, visitors witnessed a fashion show that served as the final project for the Fashion Research course and a Structural Design Exhibition that showcased various creations made from threads.

Reporter: Maharani Rachmawati Purnomo (Oceanography, 2020)
Editor: M. Naufal Hafizh
Translator: Firzana Aisya
Editor: Ayesha Lativa Mafaza