Convention center makes more history
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Despite its modern veneer, the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) is quickly becoming one of the most historic edifices in the country. This week it will add to its already impressive roster of events by hosting a summit of over five dozen Asian-African leaders.
In the early 1990s, JCC emerged as one of the premier convention arenas of Southeast Asia. Its location within the Senayan Sports Complex makes it relatively secluded from the bustling traffic of adjacent throughways. This also means that security is slightly easier to manage, as 'outsiders' cannot just stroll through the building's entrance.
Much of the building's interior today is a result of massive 10-month renovation costing US$100 million conducted ahead of the 1992 Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit.
A 950-meter-long underground passageway was built connecting the main convention center with the Hilton International Hotel where dignitaries often stay. A photo display of leaders attending the 1992 NAM Summit hanging in the corridor of the underground passageway is testament to the history of the complex.
Since 1992, this 64,000-square-meter building located in Central Jakarta has hosted numerous international conferences, along with a slew of expos and concerts.
There have been at least two ministerial level meetings and a summit of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN), the NAM Summit, the APEC meetings in 1994, and most recently the Tsunami Summit.
This week's meeting of Asian-African leaders is only rivaled by the 1992 NAM Summit. Over 106 countries will send high level delegations. Add to this the media fanfare that will attract several thousand journalists.
This would be a daunting task for any committee assigned to organize such a undertaking. But preparations thus far have been sufficient.
To facilitate thousands of local and foreign journalists, organizers have designated a 6,000-square-meter area at the rear of JCC as a media center.
In an attempt to shield delegates from the press, the media center is sequestered behind the Plenary Hall, where heads of state/government from Asian and African countries will begin meeting on Friday.
As of Tuesday, there are about 2,000 journalists, including 634 from the foreign media, who have registered to cover the summit.
Event organizer Pacto Convex Ltd., said that the company had prepared 25 desktop computers and an additional 25 internet lines at the media center.
"We have also provided 30 booths for media. Most of the booths are rented by the Japanese media," an official from Pacto told The Jakarta Post.
The Antara news agency is thus far the only local media organization to rent one of the 3x3 meter booths. Each booth costs US$950, with an additional $1,000 required for an Internet connection.
Telecommunication company PT Telkom have also prepared facilities such as satellite services, a mini studio, Internet cafe and phone booths.
The organizing committee of the summit earlier said that some 20 booths had also been allocated at the plenary hall to facilitate bilateral meetings between leaders of Asian and African countries expected to take place on the sidelines of the summit.