UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) alumnus Ahadin Syarifudin Fahmi Adimara once again brought international recognition to Indonesia. A digital content creator and Deputy of Creative Economy Committee of Sidoarjo Regency, Adimara introduced East Java’s culture and creative industries to a global audience. He was among a select group of Google Local Guides worldwide officially invited by Google to attend Connect Live 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.
The event, held at Google’s Shibuya office, celebrated a decade of the Google Local Guides program and nine years of Connect Live. This annual gathering connects Local Guides from across the globe, fostering cross-cultural collaboration while promoting their home regions.
Experience at Connect Live
At Connect Live 2025, Adimara met with fellow Local Guides from around the world and engaged in direct discussions with Googlers—Google employees—who shared their vision for the future of digital platforms, particularly Google Maps.
Adimara also presented a collaboration with a Surabaya-based intellectual property (IP) brand called Robot Cimot. He proposed dressing the character in traditional costumes from various regions of East Java, including Banyuwangi, Surabaya, Ponorogo, Madura, and Sidoarjo. He shared this project directly with Googlers managing the Google Local Guides community.
For Adimara, the invitation to Connect Live 2025 was both an honor and a motivation to continue promoting East Java’s potential, particularly Surabaya and Sidoarjo. “Through Google Maps, we can help countless people—expanding the visibility of local businesses, strengthening the creative economy, and showcasing destinations that are still under the radar. I want Sidoarjo, Surabaya, and East Java to gain wider recognition worldwide,” said the UNAIR alumnus.
Commitment to promotion
Google’s invitation to Adimara was no coincidence. He has been an active Local Guide for nearly a decade, contributing primarily through reviews and photographs of hidden gems across East Java, especially in Sidoarjo and Surabaya.
Through these contributions, Adimara has helped communities and small businesses reach larger audiences. He also initiated and expanded several Local Guide communities in Indonesia, including Sidoarjo Local Guides and Surabaya Local Guides.
This was not Adimara’s first recognition from Google. In 2017, he was invited to the Google Local Guides Summit in San Francisco, United States. With this year’s invitation, Google has acknowledged his contributions twice at its international events.
Beyond that, Adimara organized Meet Up Nusantara 4 Surabaya, a major Local Guides event that gathered 150 participants and 50 organizers from Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia, running from Friday (July 18, 2025) to Sunday (July 20, 2025). The gathering made history as the longest and largest Local Guides meet-up globally. Over three days, participants explored Surabaya and East Java’s culture, cuisine, and tourist attractions, including the region’s history, arts, and culinary heritage.
Author: Ahza Riga Falimbani
Editor: Yulia Rohmawati
