Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, is a city that has been meeting the needs of travellers and traders for almost 500 years. Its perfect location at the hub of Southeast Asia has always drawn people to the city's famed climate, tradition and culture.

Today, modern Jakarta is a booming metropolis of nine million people, and is the gateway to an Indonesian population of 200 million. The fast development of well designed infrastructure has made Jakarta an ideal trading place and Indonesia's main centre of commerce. The city offers world-class facilities, an exotic tropical environment, gracious people, and an extraordinary geographic and ethnic diversity. Recreational options are in abundant supply with chosen activities that involve history, culture, scenery, art, shopping, dining, dancing, exercise or a combination of these. In addition, many international airlines serve Jakarta's modern airport, with direct flights from five continents, as well as an extensive domestic flight network.

Moreover, its recognition as a meeting destination is gaining steady ground with an increasing number of international conferences and events choosing Jakarta. Business travellers meet here for the high-tech resources and presence of Asia's premiere location to do business - the Balai Sidang Jakarta Convention Centre.

The foundation stone of the Indonesian convention and exhibition market was laid with the construction of the Balai Sidang Jakarta Convention Centre, which was primarily built for the 10th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in September 1992, attended by more than 65 heads of state and delegations from 109 countries. Being one of the largest and best-equipped facilities in Indonesia, it offers versatility, modern efficiency and traditional Indonesian hospitality - all designed to serve the world's business, professional and government leaders. After holding literally hundreds of successful events each year, the Centre's success can be attributed to the recognition of Jakarta as a major business and political hub in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, to its flexible function rooms and approach in dealing with many clients and to the support of a vibrant domestic market.

The Centre, a low-rise building, is located in the heart of Jakarta's business district, close to the Jakarta Stock Exchange, and is surrounded by more than 16,000 rooms in starred hotels. The most convenient is the 1,100 room Jakarta Hilton International hotel complex, which is connected to the Centre by an underground tunnel with travelators. Other nearby illustrious names include Grand Hyatt, Holiday Inn, Le Meridien, Mandarin, Radisson, The Regent, Pan Pacific and Shangri-La. A car park for more than 6,000 cars is available directly in front of the Centre, under a separate management.

The Centre has no rules written in stone; there is no room that cannot be reconfigured to suit individual requirements. Rooms cater for everything from seminars, boardroom meetings, workshops, classroom or theatre-style conferences, exhibitions, luncheons or dinners, gala balls, pop and fashion shows, award ceremonies, concerts, graduations and weddings. Companies like Mercedes Benz, BMW and Mitsubishi have used the Centre for major product launches, along with concert stars like MC Hammer, Sting, Michael Bolton and the Johan Strauss Ensemble.

The Internet can be accessed anywhere within the exhibition halls or function rooms. Other additions to the original building include the 2,122sqm Cendrawasih Room, which is divisible into two or three smaller rooms and is specially designed for meetings and conferences. Facilities include a Barcodata 8,100 video projector for computer and audio-visual presentations, a built-in ceiling-mounted 6.6m by 10m projection screen, built-in interpreter rooms for up to eight languages, Sennheiser Simultaneous Interpreter Systems (SIS) and advanced conference discussion systems.

With this additional space, the Balai Sidang Jakarta Convention Centre can now offer a total of 17 meeting rooms (six of which have built-in interpreter booths) seating from ten to 5,000 people. There is also an impressive lobby space, two Exhibition Halls with a combined total of 9,550 sqm, and two pre-function lobbies of 1,000 sqm each. They are equipped with telephone and communication outlets, MATV points, single or triple phase electricity, water, drainage, compressed air and have direct truck access. For increased flexibility, a bonded warehouse guarantees fast customs clearance of temporary imported convention and exhibition goods. Exhibition activity spans real estate, furniture and office equipment, computer, automotive, photo and video, audio-visual, cosmetics, textiles, finance (banking and investment), education and training, environmental, oil, gas and mining technology and leisure products.

Other supporting facilities include 12 organiser offices or board rooms, VIP lounges, a business centre, a 2,000 sqm media centre with broadcasting infrastructure, televideo conferencing throughout, a guaranteed electricity supply of 11.6 megawatts backed by in-house generators, 3,100 telephone lines, and 5,380-ton capacity of ref-air conditioning. Also available is the art department for the design and construction of stages and backdrops, a gardener and florists, a full range of audio-visual equipment, stage lighting and fixtures including technical staff, an in-house kitchen and a catering department.

For such a short history, the Centre has a prodigious track record, hosting the World Infrastructure Forum Asia 1994, the United Nations and World Bank Conferences, and the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Meetings 1994. Many successful events for an impressive array of the world's most famous leaders include:

• Team Canada, a Canada-Indonesia business forum attended by the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien;
• The Asia Urban and Peri Urban Strategic Sanitation Conference, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in conjunction with the World Bank Water and Sanitation Programmes Group for East Asia and the Pacific (RWSGEAP);
• ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry Meetings (CCI);
• The Jakarta '96 International Geophysical Conference and Exposition;
• The ASEAN Ministerial Meetings '96, ASEAN Regional Forum, and ASEAN Post Ministerial Conferences;
• The World Bank Conference on Frontiers of the Public-Private Interface in East Asia Infrastructure;
• The 7th Asian Congress of Architecture (ACA);
• The 25th Annual Convention IPA (Indonesian Petroleum Association);
• The 5th Asia/Pacific Mining Conference and Exhibition;
• The Conference of the Islamic Chambers of Commerce and Industries;
• The 27th World Congress of the International Association of Financial Executives Institution (IAFEI)
• The IGTI (International Gas Turbine Institution)/ASME Turbo Asia '96 Congress and Exposition;
• The Future of Asian Cities;
• The Conference of the Islamic Organisation;
• The First ASEAN Business Summit;
• Technical Symposium from Baden-Württemberg; Germany;
• Asia Pacific Dental Congress and Exhibition;
• Indian Ocean Tourism Fair;
• Biotechnology Conference and Exhibition;
• Qualification Asia Education Expo;
• The 11th ASEAN Congress of Cardiology and Exhibition;
• The Asia Pacific Co-operatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Network Conference and Exhibition '97.

Some major forthcoming events include:

• Analytical and Lab Exhibition;
• Asia-Pacific Initiative 1997 Conference and Exhibition for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency;
• The 3rd Annual Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Asia-Pacific Conference and Exhibition;
• The ASEAN Council of Petroleum (ASCOPE) Congress and Exhibition;
• Organisation of Islamic Conference on Religious Affairs Ministers Meeting;
• The World Congress and Exhibition of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI);
• World Infrastructure Forum and Exhibition;
• Meeting Net-Asia '98;
• The 41st FOREX World Congress and Exhibition;
• The 41st General Assembly of the Association Internationale des Palais de Congrès; (AIPC);
• PATA Conference and Exhibition;
• GASTECH Conference and Exhibition;
• American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) World Congress.

For more information, contact the Balai Sidang Jakarta Convention Centre, JL Jend, Gatot Subroto, PO Box 4916, Jakarta 10049, Indonesia, Tel: +62-21-572-6000, Fax: +62-21-572-6523