Meeting planners get new guidebook

Meeting planners get new guidebook

Kurniawan Hari
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

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Jakarta Meeting Planner's Guide 2005/2006
Chief Editor Indra Sukirno,
PT Ventura Perdana Utama for the Jakarta Convention and
Exhibition Bureau,
September 2005,
216 pages
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Governor Sutiyoso was born in 1944. That means he is now 61
years old. However, his photograph printed in the fifth Jakarta
Meeting Planner's Guide 2005/2006 does not show his present
appearance.

The publisher uses an old photo of Sutiyoso, when the governor
was much younger. Maybe, perhaps, it was Sutiyoso himself who
insisted that photo be used.

Also, the use of a black and white portrait of Sutiyoso while
photos of other officials are in color is rather odd.

This was just one of many defects in the new Jakarta Meeting
Planner's Guide 2005/2006, which was launched recently.

The book is the official publication of the city of Jakarta to
help all meeting planners, either national or foreign, with
various aspects should they want to organize events in the city.

From cover to cover, the book is full of color. However, the
quality of the printing -- and the paper -- is not of the highest
quality.

Had the printing and the layout been done better, the book
would have been more attractive and eye-catching.

While other books normally display the title and the name of
publishers on the first page, this book opens with the table of
contents. The contents are divided into several sections
including Jakarta Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Indonesia at
a Glance, Welcome to Jakarta, Venues, Offices and Accommodations,
Convention and Exhibition Support Services, Other Professional
Services, Jakarta's Art and Culture Scene, Jakarta Spice of Life,
Beyond Jakarta, Important Directories and Planning Your
Activities: Trade Show.

In the "Indonesia at a Glance" section, the publisher fails to
provide new information, images or tables. Instead of using an
image of the Borobudur Temple from a professional photographer,
the publisher simply takes one from the Internet.

Information about airlines at domestic and international
airports is quite comprehensive. It also includes the location of
airline offices at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the
country's main gateway.

There is a brief dictionary of common Indonesian words
including numbers, days of the week, phrases and time.

In regard to the information about media in Jakarta, the
publisher should perhaps have separated the English-language
media from the Indonesian.

Some of the phrases in the information directory needs
correction. Instead of "People's Advisory Assembly" (the MPR), it
should have been "People's Consultative Assembly", which consists
of the House of Representatives (DPR) and Regional
Representatives Council (DPD).

Mahkamah Agung (the Supreme Court) and Kejaksaan Agung RI
should have been put into the Judicial Bodies section instead of
the People's Consultative and Legislative Assembly. The Cabinet
Secretariat is also mistakenly put into the People's Consultative
and Legislative Assembly, while in fact the secretariat belongs
to the Cabinet.

Generally, the information provided in this 216-page book is
very helpful.

However, the quality of the book should be improved in future.
Accuracy is also important aspect, so that people will not get
lost in this city, which is a chaotic mix of modern structures
and traditional customs.