Local firms told to use fair for promotion

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno officially opened yesterday the 29th Jakarta Fair in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, with a call to local companies to use the fair as arena to promote their products.

"The fair can become a place for local companies to negotiate with both domestic and foreign buyers," Try said.

Several cabinet ministers, including Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto and Minister of Social Services Inten Suweno and Governor Surjadi Soedirdja attended the opening ceremony.

More than 2,500 state and private agencies and business enterprises, including 18 foreign companies, are participating in this year's fair.

The opening ceremony, dubbed modest, featured traditional dances from West Sumatra, Kalimantan, Jakarta, East and West Java. It also featured performances by the Jakarta Symphony Orchestra and local singer Harvey Malaiholo.

The fair will be open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday until July 14. Entry costs Rp 1,500 (65 U.S. cents) per person.

The city administration has held the fair since 1967 as one of events commemorating Jakarta's anniversary.

The fair was first held on the 44-hectare plot in Kemayoran in 1992 after the administration decided to turn the Monumen Nasional (Monas) park area in Central Jakarta, where the original fair site was, into a green area.

This year the organizer, PT Jakarta International Trade Fair Corporation, expects three millions people to visit the fair, an increase from 1.95 million last year and 2.26 million in 1994.

To reach the target the organizer is presenting various attractions such as Les Arts Sauts, a trapeze group from France, and the Traveling World of Coca Cola, an exhibition of the 110- year history of the soft drink.

The fair will also have a festival of fireworks, pop music, a Qasidah (traditional Islamic music) contest, seminars, a writing contest and various sports events such as a bike rides and a walkathon.

The fair has become a place of seasonal employment to those who seek part-time jobs, particularly students. The organizer expects the fair will create 18,000 jobs this year.

"We plan to get part-time jobs in the fair during school holidays. But, the management said that all jobs have been filled. It's too bad," said Yuli, a high school student who visited the organizer's office with her friends.

The fairground is also a temporary bonanza to signboard makers, who get orders from the participating companies for their booths.

"I have been helping my uncle in signboard designing since the fair was held in Monas. We have many clients who pay between Rp 30,000 and Rp 200,000 per sign," Nana said. He said the management only charges signboard makers a flat rate of Rp 15,000. Approximately 15 signboard makers offered their services in the week before the fair opened yesterday. (yns)