"We will not leave MSMEs alone. We will provide opportunities for them to benefit from the grand event," the committee's head of marketing, Faisal Arif Nasution, said here on Friday.
Nasution added that a place will be provided for MSMEs in the on-site group in the tournament arenas and surrounding areas.
Earlier, the North Sumatra provincial government curated the MSMEs that will be involved in the 21st PON, which will be held from September 8–20, 2024.
According to Nasution, MSME actors will be placed in two zones, namely the official area in the tournament arenas and the non-official area outside the arenas.
"The MSMEs in the official area will be placed together with sponsors. Meanwhile, we plan to arrange the non-official area at a strategic point, such as near the athletes' and officials' accommodation," he said.
In addition, the committee will provide online booths on the official website of PON North Sumatra to help MSMEs who cannot exhibit their products on-site. The MSME products on the website will be connected to the marketplace.
"You can easily browse for the 2024 PON souvenirs there (on the website)," he said.
He emphasized that small businesses will be provided opportunities to engage in the national sports event, starting from production to sales.
However, he said that all products related to PON will need to be approved by the committee, which is acting as an extension of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI).
"All products by the MSME actors must get approval from us," he added.
The 2024 PON will be held in two provinces, Aceh and North Sumatra. It will open in Aceh and close in North Sumatra.
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Translator: Michael S, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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