Good response to Curtin Malaysia Entrepreneurship Carnival

Miri – 11 October 2022 – The recent Curtin Malaysia Entrepreneurship Carnival 2022 at the Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) campus was a hit with both the campus community and members of the public who attended.

Jointly organised by the Entrepreneurship Club, an academic club under Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Business, and students studying the Matapelajaran Umum or General Studies (MPU), Leadership & Digital Entrepreneurship, and Team Leadership and Community Service (TLCS) units, the carnival was aimed at providing Curtin Malaysia’s students with an opportunity to apply the entrepreneurship theories and concepts that they have learned in class into practice.

Dr. William Keling, lecturer in Management, Marketing and Digital Business and advisor to the Entrepreneurship Club, remarked that the annual carnival has proven very effective in promoting an entrepreneurial mindset among students through the years. The first carnival was held in 2017.

Entrepreneurship Club president Henry Kho Yong Yao said it was good to be able to hold a physical carnival after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and moreover, get such a good response. About 150 students from the Faculty of Business and Faculty of Humanities and Health Sciences participated in the carnival, and several hundred students, staff and public visited the stalls throughout the day.

Among the items for sale at 20 booths were homemade food and beverages, handicrafts, artwork and fashion accessories. There were also booths where visitors could try their hand at various games.

There was also Business Start-Up Pitch Challenge where participating students had to introduce fictional start-ups, describe what they do, and highlight client issues they would address. The goal was to provide just enough details to pique the audience’s curiosity in the start-ups’ business concepts.

Coming up tops in the challenge were champions Chua Wan Xin and Fong Jia Yi, first runner-up Wan Igill Ho, second runner-up Sherhaliza Syafia Binti Shide and consolation prize winner Zheng Yan Ter.

Meanwhile, MPU Coordinator and TLCS lecturer Valerie Velina Anaelechi said the aims of the carnival were aligned with Curtin’s Graduate Capabilities that include applying discipline knowledge, principles and concepts; and being innovative, creative and entrepreneurial.

It also supported Curtin Malaysia’s mission ‘to engage communities and transform lives through leadership, innovation, and excellence in teaching and research’, as well as Curtin’s 2030 vision to work in partnership to make a difference for people and planet, and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 4: Quality Education.

According to fellow TLCS lecturer Farahezza Hairon Nizar, a portion of the proceeds from the event was donated to the Miri Old Folks Home, Miri Methodist Children’s Home, Zero Strays, Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS) Miri, and Hamidah Yakub Welfare Complex.

Officiating at the opening of the carnival was Miri City Councillor Jeffrey Phang representing Sarawak Minister of Transport and Chair of the Curtin Malaysia Management Committee Dato’ Sri Lee Kim Shin. Also present was Professor Andreas Zins, Dean of the Faculty of Business.

Information on Curtin Malaysia can be found on its website at www.curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn or Tik-Tok.

Stalls thronged by students, staff and visitors

Some of the wide variety of items on sale

Participating students at one of the stalls