Bali gets a facelift ahead of conference<\/p>\n
Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua<\/p>\n
Starting May 27, Bali will be host to the biggest
\ninternational meeting ever held on the island -- with more than
\n6,000 delegates from all over the world.<\/p>\n
Well-known as Indonesia's most prominent tourist destination,
\nBali has hosted numerous international meetings and events, but
\nthis time is be different. With so many participants and only
\nthree months to prepare, all parties involved in the meeting seem
\nto be a bit nervous.<\/p>\n
It was President Megawati Soekarnoputri's decision to move the
\nUnited Nations-sponsored Global Ministerial-Level Preparatory
\nCommittee Meeting (Prep-Com) IV for the upcoming World Summit on
\nSustainable Development, which will be held from May 27 to June
\n7, from Jakarta to the Bali International Convention Center
\n(BICC) in the opulent Nusa Dua resort area, about 30 kilometers
\nsouth of Denpasar.<\/p>\n
A member of the Indonesian delegation to the meeting said the
\nsudden venue move made things very difficult, since everything
\nalready had been prepared in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
But Inez Sukandar from Royalindo event organizer said they
\nwere working to make the best preparations possible in the time
\nallotted.<\/p>\n
\"It is very challenging to organize such a big event and bring
\ntogether thousands of participants. We have to fully coordinate
\nwith all related parties in the UN, the national committee and
\nthe local committee from the Bali provincial government,\" Inez
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The choice of venue in the isolated Nusa Dua resort area was
\nconsidered appropriate since it has a world-class convention
\ncenter, representative five-star hotels and beautiful ocean
\nviews. And officials can easily control the security arrangements
\nbecause delegates will stay within the resort complex.<\/p>\n
The general manager of the Sheraton Nusa Indah Resort and the
\nBICC, Michel Cottray, said all facilities, including meeting
\nrooms and business and media centers, had been renovated to cater
\nto the needs of the delegates and foreign and local media.<\/p>\n
\"In supporting the communication needs, BICC has invested Rp
\n102 million for broadband facilities for fast Internet, e-mail
\nand telephone access in all meeting rooms and business centers,\"
\nthe general manager said.<\/p>\n
Levie Martin, the public relations manager of the Sheraton
\nNusa Indah Resort and the BICC, added that the security system at
\nthe resort had been beefed up, with additional cameras added and
\nan alarm system installed, which will function 24 hours.<\/p>\n
I Wayan Harianta, the head of PT Telkom's Bali office, said an
\nadditional 300 lines of copper cables and two-system fiber optics
\nwould be tested on June 24, in preparation for the meeting.<\/p>\n
\"We are 100 percent ready to provide the delegates with
\nadequate telephone facilities,\" said Wayan Harianta.<\/p>\n
The state-owned oil company, Pertamina, will also provide
\n12,000 kiloliters of non-emission gasoline during the 10-day
\nconference.<\/p>\n
\"It is just the beginning of the use of more environmentally
\nfriendly energy in Bali,\" Wisnuntoro, the company's Bali office
\nhead, said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-gets-a-facelift-ahead-of-conference-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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