Site design and build
Large-span tents, trading aisles, entrance gates and back-of-house laid out from a measured site plan, with power distribution and night lighting across the square.
Overview
A market platform, not a market stall
ENQU was commissioned under the SNV-LIWAY programme as a public–private partnership activation: a shopping festival that would put micro and small enterprises in front of ordinary Addis Ababa shoppers at scale, on a public square, on 27 and 28 December 2025.
Ashengo acted as lead implementing partner across every layer of it — the site, the vendors, the stage, the crowd, the donor reporting, and the campaign that filled the square. With our marketing and communications partner we ran the full cycle: concept, design, media buying and rollout across mainstream broadcast, social, public LED screens and print, built around the festival’s influencer face, Mekdes.
The Brief
What SNV-LIWAY asked for
A donor-funded activation with a fixed opening date, a bare public square and a results framework attached to it.
150 enterprises to be sourced and vetted, with trading space shared fairly between sectors
A public square with no infrastructure on it, to be turned into a trading venue and returned as found
Enough reason for a general Addis Ababa audience to come — and to come back the second day
Awareness at city scale: the programme needed reach before it needed footfall
An official opening fit for government and donor principals
Evidence at the close: sales figures, visitor counts and a report SNV-LIWAY could file
What We Delivered
Seven work streams, one site
Vendor onboarding
150 micro and small enterprises recruited, vetted and briefed, with stand allocation balanced across food, textile, leather and craft sectors.
Full-cycle marketing campaign
Concept, creative, production and rollout with our marketing and communications partner — broadcast, social, public LED screens and print, all centred on festival face Mekdes.
Stage programme
Bands, vocalists, public fitness sessions and vendor showcases scheduled across both days to hold the crowd into the evening.
Crowd and security operations
Ushering, entrance control, security deployment and crowd management for peak evening footfall on an open public site.
Official opening and protocol
Delegation arrival, ribbon-cutting, escorted stand visits for the minister and partner principals, and media accreditation.
M&E and donor reporting
Vendor sales tracked through the week, visitor counts logged and a data-based evaluation report submitted to SNV-LIWAY at close.
The Campaign
Every channel in the city, one face
ENQU needed a general public, not an invited list, so the campaign was treated as a primary deliverable rather than a support activity. We owned it end to end with our marketing and communications partner: positioning, creative concept, artwork, video, media plan, buying and daily rollout.
Mekdes fronted the campaign throughout — in broadcast spots, promo video, social content and print — giving the festival one recognisable face across channels that rarely carry the same message at once.
What the campaign returned
7,000+Visitors through the gates across the two trading days
7M+ ETBVendor sales taken by the 150 enterprises on site
11MBoosted ad views on Facebook and Instagram
1.1MOrganic views on TikTok (387,000) and Instagram (780,000)
34,000Likes across platforms
Mainstream mediaTelevision and radio spots and press placements in the run-up to opening.
Social mediaDaily content, reels and creator posts on @enqu.fest through the build and both trading days.
Public LED screensMotion creative on public screens across Addis Ababa in the final week.
Print and outdoorBanners, site branding, flyers and vendor-facing print produced in house.
Media house presence and coverage
RadioAwash FM, Sheger FM and Ethio FM 107.1
TelevisionEBS, Amhara TV, Ethiopian News Agency, Fana TV, Hagere TV, EBC and OBN
PrintEthiopian Press Agency — Gazeta Plus
YouTubeDireTube
Campaign artwork produced with our marketing and communications partner. Broadcast and promo video on file.
Gallery
On site at ENQU Festival
7,000+Visitors through the gates across two days
150Micro and small enterprises trading
7M+ ETBVendor sales generated
Seven thousand visitors, 150 enterprises trading and more than seven million birr in vendor sales — reported to SNV-LIWAY with the data behind each figure.
Services Used
Same Hands, Your Event Next
Event planning
Concept, budget, supplier negotiation and the master schedule that holds a week-long public build together.
See the serviceEvent production
Tents, stage, power, signage and site infrastructure built and struck to programme.
See the serviceBranding and experience
Campaign identity, site branding and the influencer programme that carried footfall.
See the serviceMore Flagship Projects
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Send dates, headcount and what success looks like when it is over. An approach and an indicative budget come back to you promptly.