Jakarta Fair 1999 poorly promoted: Foreigners

Jakarta Fair 1999 poorly promoted: Foreigners

JAKARTA (JP): Despite being a great trade event, a lack of
promotion by the organizers of the 1999 Jakarta Fair has left
many foreigners unaware of the fair's existence, a few foreign
visitors disclosed on Tuesday.

"Jakarta Fair is a great event. Too bad that the promotion of
the event is so poor," Ahmed Ali Almualla, a trade official of
the United Arab Emirates (UAE), told The Jakarta Post.

Almualla, who has visited the annual trade exhibition for the
past two years, said the UAE Embassy in Jakarta learned the exact
date of the fair opening only because it received an invitation
to it a week before the opening.

He said if the embassy had received more information from the
fair organizers, it could have promoted the fair to UAE
businessmen and encouraged them to come to Indonesia and do
business during the fair.

"UAE merchants are mostly interested in Indonesian furniture
and garments," he added.

One of the fair organizers acknowledged on Tuesday that they
did not launch a big promotion this year due to a lack of
funding.

"Besides, our promotion target is more directed at local
residents than at foreigners," he explained.

An Iranian jeweler, Ali Reza, shared Almualla's view and said
his company had participated in all Jakarta Fairs, except last
year's, when business in Indonesia was at its lowest. Reza
believes that the fair is a good opportunity for his company to
do business here.

Another foreigner from Germany commented on Tuesday that it
was wrong of the organizers to think that the fair would not
attract foreign visitors.

"We can find every domestic product here, the event is good,
but unfortunately there is not enough promotion," he told the
Post, adding that he would take more of his expatriate friends to
the fair.

About 400 local companies from across the country are taking
part in this year's fair, while nearly half of Indonesia's 27
provinces, including the troubled provinces of Aceh and East
Timor, have enlivened the exhibition with their stands.

At the Acehnese stand, traditional Acehnese handicrafts and
popular granite and marble stones are on display. Daily sales of
handicrafts since opening day could reach Rp 1 million (US$143),
according to chief of the Acehnese trade delegation, Razaly
Yussuf.

The East Timor stand, which is exhibiting Sikalau (traditional
fabrics) and commodities like coffee and honey, could earn Rp
600,000 per day, said Horacio, an official in charge of the stand
who arrived in Jakarta from Dili just two weeks ago.

Horacio said he hoped that East Timor could join next year's
Jakarta Fair as well, implying that he hoped the direct ballot in
East Timor scheduled for later this month would favor
integration.

The 17-day fair has many attractions, especially this week.
There will be traditional performances like Debus, Reog Ponorogo
and Tanjidor. A series of boxing matches, participated in by
local and foreign boxers, will also be held.

On Sunday there is a Vespa Club show and a competition of news
reporting in English. (04)