Security system blamed over lack of visitors to Indocomtech

Security system blamed over lack of visitors to Indocomtech

JAKARTA (JP): The promoter of the computer exhibition
Indocomtech 2000 complained over tight security measures at the
exhibition venue on the final day of the five-day exhibition on
Sunday, describing the arrangements as preventing people from
visiting the event.

Soehoed Kosasih, the operational director of the event's
organizer Dyandra Promosindo, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday
that the committee had earlier targeted some 100,000 visitors for
the exhibition since its opening on Wednesday.

"But up until this afternoon, there have only been some 75,000
visitors.

"The decline was especially noticeable on the final day,"
Soehoed said.

"It's probably because we have to share the arena with the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference," he added.

The six-day IPU conference, the first of its kind to be hosted
by Indonesia, was opened by President Abdurrahman Wahid on Sunday
and is being attended by 1,300 delegates from 120 countries.

The computer exhibition had occupied a part of the Jakarta
Convention Center (JCC) in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Meanwhile, the IPU conference will occupy most of the center,
from the lobby to the main hall, and almost all of the parking
area.

Dozens of security officials were seen in the area,
prohibiting cars from coming near the conference venue. As a
result, visitors to the exhibition were forced to park their cars
far from the exhibition hall.

"Many visitors have complained that the parking lot was too
far from the hall. They had to walk farther and it was a big
problem for those who bought something here," Soehoed said.

As a result, he added, some officials of the organizing
committee were tasked with helping visitors carry their purchases
to their cars.

"We have assigned 15 people to help the visitors. They were
actually liaison officers and sales staff," he said.

A visitor, identified only as Ian, said that security
officials had overreacted.

"I was only walking across the parking area nearby, but they
told me to turn around. I had to walk farther to come here," he
told the Post, citing that the visitors should have been informed
about the arrangements earlier.

"I can understand it if we were not allowed to go past the
hall, but in the parking lot? That's ridiculous. Aren't they
(Indonesian delegation members) supposed to be our
representatives?" he asked.

But, Soehoed said, such tight security measures did not hamper
promotional activities.

"We don't know how much the overall sales turnover was as yet.

"But, I heard that some 1,000 printers had been sold. And when
we asked the traders, they said they were happy with their sales
figures," he said. (09)