Surabaya, Indonesia — The Indonesia Marketing Association (IMA) successfully held the National Working Meeting (Rakernas) 2025 along with the IMA UMKM & Tourism Award 2025 at Four Points by Sheraton Surabaya, gathering national leaders, marketers, policymakers, and MSME innovators. The event emphasized Indonesia’s commitment to elevating Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), and collaborative marketing strategies.
Driving Theme: “Rising and Collaborating for a Stronger Economy”
Rakernas IMA 2025 highlighted three strategic pillars:
- Digital Transformation for MSMEs, enabling entrepreneurs to strengthen branding, market access, and competitiveness.
- AI-driven Marketing Approaches, inspired by insights from industry figure Hermawan Kartajaya on “Punakawan & AI as the two new pillars of modern marketing.”
- Cross-sector Collaboration, uniting government, private sector, academia, and communities to support MSME resilience and global market readiness.
IMA emphasized that MSMEs—contributing over 60% of Indonesia’s GDP—must be equipped with modern marketing skills to expand beyond traditional markets and enter the global value chain.
Key Guests & Institutional Support
The national event received strong support from strategic stakeholders, including:
- Official Remarks from the Mayor’s Expert Staff (Staf Ahli Walikota Surabaya), stressing the city’s commitment to strengthening MSME digital capacity.
- Representatives from the Ministry of Cooperatives & MSMEs, including the Assistant Deputy for Marketing, who highlighted the government’s vision for MSME scale-up through technology and integrated national programs.
These contributions reinforced the importance of a united national effort to elevate Indonesia’s MSME sector.
Program Highlights
1. Pre-Event Sustainability Action
The agenda began with a symbolic environmental initiative:
Planting 1,000 mangrove seedlings at the Wonorejo Mangrove Ecotourism Area—showcasing IMA’s commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices.
2. National MSME Expo
A curated exhibition showcased 20 MSMEs from across Indonesia and 6 leading MSMEs from Surabaya, along with industry partners and sponsors. Exhibitors featured innovative products in food, fashion, craft, technology, and tourism.
3. IMA UMKM & Tourism Award 2025
From more than 20 nominees, 6 Grand Winners were selected based on:
- Innovation and product development
- Marketing strategy & digital readiness
- Creative economy and tourism integration
- Long-term growth potential
The Tourism category, introduced this year, recognizes MSMEs contributing to Indonesia’s rising tourism and creative economy sectors.
The Indonesia Marketing Association pro