Books: Latest edition of 'Jakarta Meeting Planner's Guide' released
----------------- Jakarta Meeting Planner's Guide 2005/2006 Chief Editor Indra Sukirno, PT Ventura Perdana Utama for the Jakarta Convention and Exhibition Bureau, September 2005, 216 pages ---------------
Good news for all meeting organizers and planners: the latest edition of the Jakarta Meeting Planner's Guide is now out and it is crammed full of useful information.
The 216-page guidebook covers a wide range of topics, from meeting venues to media outlets, government offices and flight schedules.
"It is hoped that this book will help all meeting planners, either local or foreign, with various aspects should they want to organize events in the city," said Indra Sukirno, the executive director of the Jakarta Convention & Exhibition Bureau, the guidebook's publisher.
Certainly, the book will help the Jakarta administration fulfill its ambition of making the city a center for conventions.
From the first page all the way through to the last, the book is full of color. It opens with a table of contents, divided into several sections including the Jakarta Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Indonesia at a Glance, Welcome to Jakarta, Venues, Offices and Accommodations, Convention and Exhibition Support Services, Other Professional Services, Jakarta's Art and Culture Scene, Jakarta: Spice of Life, Beyond Jakarta, Important Directories and Planning Your Activities: Trade Show.
The information about airlines at the domestic and international terminals is quite comprehensive. It also includes the location of airline offices at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the country's main gateway.
Finding a good master of ceremonies, conference interpreter, professional convention organizer, exhibition organizer or stand designer are among the challenges faced while planning a convention. Thanks to this guidebook, planning a convention will be so much easier because it provides a comprehensive list of people and companies that provide all the services and equipment needed for a convention.
Most businesspeople like to mix work and pleasure when at a convention, and this guidebook provides a list of golf courses and travel agents that can arrange outings.
Foreigners can find a brief dictionary of common Indonesian words on pages 36 and 37. These include numbers, days of the week, common phrases and time.
Regarding the information about the media in Jakarta, the publisher should have separated the English-language and Indonesian media, which would have been more useful for foreign executives.
There are also a few corrections that need to be made in the book. For instance, instead of the People's Advisory Assembly (MPR) it should be the People's Consultative Assembly, which consists of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).
Mahkamah Agung (Supreme Court) and Kejaksaan Agung RI (which should be translated as Attorney General's Office rather than Attorney General) should be in the Judicial Bodies section instead of the People's Consultative and Legislative Assembly. The Cabinet Secretariat is also mistakenly placed in the People's Consultative and Legislative Assembly, while in fact the secretariat belongs to the Cabinet.
Despite such defects, the information provided in this 216- page book is very helpful, which makes it a must-buy for all convention planners.