Try opens Jakarta Fair, stressing its importance
Try opens Jakarta Fair, stressing its importance
JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno underlined yesterday
the importance of making this year's Jakarta Fair a means to
evaluate whether Indonesia is ready for free trade, which is
scheduled to start in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
in 2003.
Speaking at the opening of Jakarta Fair '97 in Kemayoran,
Central Jakarta, Try said it would also be important to gauge the
effectiveness of the event in promoting Indonesian businesses.
"We have to produce quality products to enable us to face free
trade. But quality products do not mean anything if producers are
unable to market them," he said.
Try said people must become more aware of the importance of
marketing in promoting the country's products.
Delivering customer satisfaction was particularly significant,
he said, urging all the companies participating in the fair to
give the best possible service to all their customers.
The highlight of the extravagant opening ceremony was the
performance of 300 colorful dancers performing a magnificent and
mesmerizing Acehnese dance.
High-ranking guests at the opening included Governor Surjadi
Soedirdja, Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso,
ambassadors and delegations from several neighboring countries.
A group of 30 people from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry
of Nigeria were among the honorary guests. They said they
were astonished by the ceremony.
The ceremony also attracted more than 1,000 members of the
general public.
The colorfully decorated showrooms on either side of the
fairground's main boulevard included the latest built-up, four-
wheel drive cars, sedans and motorcycles.
Smiling attendants in colorful and chic outfits were ready to
serve all the curious visitors. Some stands also offered snacks
and beverages temptingly packaged in a variety of designs.
Surjadi said 18,000 people were working at the fair. He said
he expected it to especially help and encourage small businesses.
The chairman of the Jakarta International Trade Fair,
Soekardjo Hardjosoewirjo, said around 2,600 exhibitors were
participating in the event, including 1,234 large-scale domestic
and foreign companies.
Soekardjo said the one-month extravaganza was expected to
attract 2.5 million visitors and generate US$50 million worth of
business.
Entrance tickets cost Rp 2,000 (81 US cents) and people over
60 can enter for free.
Soekardjo also said the municipality was providing 520 public
transport vehicles, plying 29 routes, to take people to the
fairground.
The fair's daily entertainment and games will include a one-
hour evening carnival, rock and jazz performances and in-line
skating and skateboarding displays. Thirty thousand Chinese
lanterns depicting dinosaurs, the national monument and the Al
Azhar mosque, will be exhibited from June 21.
Other attractions include Brazilians performing their sensual
Samba Dance from July 9 to July 13, between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00
p.m. and a percussion concert from July 7 for three days from
8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on the main stage.
This, the 30th fair, is being held in conjunction with
Jakarta's 470th birthday. The Jakarta International Trade Corp
has invested Rp 11 billion in the event. (10)