On December 13, the students of the Accounting, Business, and Management (ABM) strand organized the 2022 Holiday Bazaar — the occasion’s first physical observance in two years.
ABM students designed their own business stalls and selected a variety of products or services to offer. Most groups chose to sold products such as food and drinks while a few others offered interactive activities to win prizes. The school allocated a portion of Bazaar proceeds as Poor Urban Child (PoUCh) Program donations.
Both student and teacher customers explored nine different ABM-led stalls stationed throughout the Luxembourg Hall. Also present inside the venue was an art fair where various students of the Art elective displayed their works for sale.
Holiday Bazaars are annual events where ABM is given the opportunity to showcase their talents and skills with regard to business and marketing. Their critical thinking and problem-solving skills are tested as they face the pressure of working and serving actual customers on the day.
Joshua Lacson of 11-Innovation, one of the organizers of the Jingle Balls stall which had customers shoot through basketball hoops for prizes, said that his group overcame initial challenges to have a profitable experience during the event.
“I was nervous at first since I thought [the booth] wasn't going to go well.… We all felt creative and confident about our ideas, and because of that, the event was fun and we sold a lot in return,”
His classmate, Danielle Cruz, helped oversee the Kusina de Wafol (lit. Waffle Kitchen) stall that sold freshly-cooked waffles. She remarked that her group had difficulties in dealing with customers in the bazaar, but ultimately overcame that.
“We all struggled, because for most of us, it was our first time doing something like this [bazaar], especially since the pandemic. It… got easier once we got to know how to deal with what we were doing.”
She left a piece of advice for future students who will be organizing such bazaars, saying, “Make sure to really prepare. Without preparation, it’ll be like squeezing lemon into a bottle while under pressure.”
With stalls like Jingle Balls and Kusina de Wafol, the ABM organizers ensured that their fellow Monarchs had a myriad of entertaining and enticing stalls to choose from. Other notable products included iced coffee, brownies, snowcones, Brazilian pão de queijo, Japanese rice dishes, and Korean tteokbokki.
When asked to share about his experience being a customer in the bazaar, Adrian Tan of 11-Competence said, “Participating in the Bazaar was fun, especially for a student like me, who loves eating and exploring new activities. It helped me get a grasp of how students like me can be creative for their school events.”
“I tried most of the stalls and I loved how there weren’t just food and drinks as choices but also activities I could play,” he added.
Erico Esteban of 11-Competence, another active customer of the event, also said that it was a great experience and he also noticed that the students running the stalls tried their best to make their customers feel as comfortable as possible.
The ABM strand faculty regarded this year's Holiday Bazaar as one of the highlights of this school year, branding it as a success. Its outcome has left the students with not only full stomachs and happy hearts, but also a feeling of excitement for more bazaars to come in the next academic years.
About the authors:
Juliana Denise Tan is a student entrepreneur with a passion for entertaining and sharing her knowledge. She is a hardworking and outgoing young woman dedicated to making the most out of life. She loves volleyball, singing, shooting, robotics, and many more.
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