Jakarta Convention Center no stranger to big events
Jakarta Convention Center no stranger to big events
By Lenah Susianty
JAKARTA (JP): According to Javanese legend, knight Bandung
Bondowoso built 1,000 temples in a single night to win the heart
of the beautiful Loro Jonggrang,
In Indonesia's contemporary history, PT Indobuilco constructed
the 64,000-square meter Jakarta Convention Center adjacent to the
Jakarta Hilton International Hotel two years ago in only ten
months, just in time for the 10th summit meeting of the Non-
Aligned Movement.
This year, the Jakarta Hilton Convention Center, known simply
as JHCC, will be written again into Indonesia's history books for
its appointment as the venue of the forthcoming APEC (Asian
Pacific Economic Cooperation) meetings.
What is so special about the JHCC? Why do international
meetings and other high-profile events take place in the
convention center run by the Hilton management?
Firstly, because there is no better venue in Jakarta for
international conferences. Long before the 10th NAM Summit was
held here, Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunication Joop
Ave, then Director General of Tourism, informally suggested to
Pontjo Sutowo, president of PT Indobuilco and also owner of the
Jakarta Hilton Hotel, to build a convention center in order to
enhance tourism.
Secondly, the prime location in the Senayan Sports Complex,
the complete array of facilities, the huge space for thousands of
people and a vast parking lot for hundreds of cars, make the JHCC
an ideal location for international conferences.
JHCC's 1994 calender of exhibitions shows that the center is
fully booked until Dec.19. No fewer than 30 exhibitions,
including those which display furniture, housing and textiles,
have been or will be held at the JHCC this year.
Seven international conferences have also chosen the JHCC as
their venue this year. The Society of Petroleum Engineers
conference brought 900 persons in January, the Australia-
Indonesia Business Forum set up shop in June and the just-
completed Asean Valuers Congress and the World Infrastructure
Forum-Asia 1994 both took place in October.
The Convention Hall is also a prestigious place for wedding
receptions and musical performances. Famous model Vera Kinan
married an heir from the conglomerate Ongko Group there and Ria
Moerdani, the only daughter of Minister of Defense and Security,
married L.B. Moerdani in 1993.
World class singers such as Natalie Cole, Sting and Julio
Iglesias have also held performances in the JHCC.
Metamorphose
The Convention Hall, a metamorphose of the old one which was
built in 1970, is designed with Indonesia's cultural splendors
and taste, harmoniously blended with western architectural
designs and equipped with sophisticated electronic devices,
international telecommunications network and security needs-- all
of which are very useful for international level meetings.
The basement of the three-story JHCC contains bars, lounges,
restaurants, cafeterias and several small conference rooms. The
fist floor is a spacious multi-purpose platform and the second
floor is where the huge conference room is located, along with
the exhibition hall and media center.
The entire JHCC which is decorated with reliefs depicting
various local scenes done by Balinese artists and wooden pillars
carved by craftsmen from Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.
A 950-meter long underground corridor links it with the
Jakarta International Hilton Hotel. The corridor will facilitate
travel for the APEC delegates staying at the hotel.
Another point of Indonesian pride is the fact that the JHCC
building was designed by Indonesians and used locally made
materials in all of its construction, except for the electronic
appliances and machinery imported from abroad.