Convention center makes more history

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.