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.