Jakarta Fair attracts almost 1m visitors

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Twenty days after kick off, the Jakarta Fair has managed to attract a significant number of visitors and is expected to hit its target of Rp 200 billion in sales.

The fair recorded 972,609 visitors as of Friday, an increase of 15 percent on the same period last year.

Numbers peaked on the day 10 with 110,154 visitors, even managing to attract 77,000 visitors on the day of the World Cup final.

The fair also managed to record significant rises in sales.

Budi, 25, a stand keeper of South Korean motorcycle company Kymco boasted that his company had thus far sold 180 units.

"Last year, on the 20th day, we only sold no more than 100 units," he said.

His company sold the products priced between Rp 11 million and 42 million both in cash and on credit.

"Experience shows that the last days of the fair, the sales even could reach more than 30 units a day. That's why I am optimistic that we could reach our sales target off 400 units in the next 10 days," Budi said.

This year, the organizer expected 2 million people to visit the fair. Last year, the fair attracted 1.7 million people and Rp 173 billion in transactions.

Fauzan, 45, representing liquefied natural gas-stove company Ariston, said his stand had managed to secure Rp 100 million in sales so far.

"In fact, many more customers have been willing to buy our products. But, most of them want to pay on credit instead of cash," he said, adding that the company did not offer credit schemes during the fair.

Fauzan said his company aimed to secure Rp 300 million from the sale of its products which were available at between Rp 1 million and Rp 10 million.

The fair was not only an attraction for residents of Greater Jakarta but also for many people from across the country.

Rani, 35, who arrived from Pekanbaru, Riau, on Thursday visited the fair with her five relatives from Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.

"Almost every year, I come to the fair, especially to see the new products on display," said Rani, who drove for an hour and a half to visit the venue at Kamyoran, Central Jakarta.

Rani remarked that a wide variety of new products and the fair's vast area were among the attractions compared to malls or department store.

"We need a day long to see all the products. And, that's really fun," Rani said, adding that she planned to enjoy the fair from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. She said she had spent more than Rp 2 million for a number of items, including a South Korean-made blender.

But, not all visitors come to shop, Diah, 30, a resident of Pondok Gede, Bekasi, for instance, came to visit the fair to spend time with her family.

"We have come to visit the fair three times since its opening. Though we have to drive more than 1.5 hours from our home to reach the venue, that's okay. Our children are happy to go around here," Diah remarked.

She also did not mind paying the entrance fee, which is Rp 6,000 on weekdays and Rp 7,500 on the weekends.

Several visitors interviewed by The Jakarta Post expressed their satisfaction during their visits to the fair, but they also had complaints.

"It is difficult to find comfortable restrooms here," another visitor, Andrew, 30, a resident of Pecenongan, West Jakarta.

The available mobile restrooms, Andrew said, were dirty, quiet and dark.

Visitors also complained they could not find cheap food and drinks.

"Many stalls sell very expensive food and beverages, sometime unreasonable," said Benny, another visitor from Tanjung Duren.

A bottle of tea normally sold for Rp 2,000 could reach Rp 5,000," Benny said, adding that a plate of average fried rice reached Rp 30,000.

The fair's spokesperson Adhie M. Massardi admitted that many visitors had complained about the high price of food and drinks.

"We can still control prices at some stalls we have provided for free to vendors under a profit-sharing scheme. But, we can not impose similar controls on the tenants who have paid a lot to rent the lots," Adhie said.

This year is the 35th Jakarta Fair. It was first staged at the National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta in 1968, during the tenure of governor Ali Sadikin.

In a bid to attract visitors, the organizers feature not only business and trade exhibitions but also cultural and art performances with various noted performers.

In 1992, the fair was moved to a more spacious location at the former Kemayoran airport. The fair, which was initially organized by the administration, has been organized since the early 1990s by the Jakarta International Trade Fair (JITF), which is owned by businessman Edward Soerjadjaja.