Our first Chiefs conference in Jakarta went off with a bang. Here’s why you should visit too
I lost my virginity this week. Boy, was it fun – especially as I was surrounded by so many Monocle supporters, colleagues and incredibly talented business leaders. I’m not sure why it took me so many years to get to this point but, dear reader, I am no longer a Jakarta virgin.
The Chiefs is Monocle’s conference series that focuses on leadership by interviewing people who run successful enterprises and have had to navigate life’s hurdles, and whose stories have the potential to inspire. After editions in St Moritz, Dallas and Hong Kong, this week we headed to the Indonesian capital, where I had never stepped foot in before.
I was not alone. When we do a conference in, say, Paris or Berlin, the people in attendance have usually visited the city many times before – but that was not the case in Jakarta. Some guests had been to Bali but even those living in the region (in Saigon or Manila, for example) had often never put this place on their travel itineraries.
Why? For years Jakarta has been regarded as a place that you might visit for business but never for fun. The only thing that it has an international reputation for is traffic-snarled streets. So how about I tell you 10 things that might tempt you to lose your Jakarta virginity (unless I am too late on that front) and, just as importantly, entice you to attend our next big gathering in September: The Monocle Quality of Life Conference in Barcelona.
1.
The traffic is frustrating but if you follow the example of the locals and sign up for an app such as Gojek, you will be nipping around town on the back of a Honda motor scooter in seconds.
2.
The coffee scene is impeccable. Local and international players go big on retail design, service and space. Kurasu Kissaten is here from Japan and so are % Arabica and Oslo’s Fuglen. I was grateful as I needed all of that caffeine to carpet-bomb my jet lag into oblivion.
3.
And the bars. We had cocktails at Modernhaus, where the mid-century furniture, great lighting and cool crowd were as seductive as the drinks.
4.
There are also lots of talented people shaking up the world of retail here. One of our speakers was Cynthia Wijono, co-founder of Brightspot Market, a pop-up event that runs over two weekends in summer. Hundreds of brands compete for pitches. And you can see why: more than 100,000 people now turn up. This is a huge, young market.
5.
It’s a service culture writ large. Cable ties were added to my laptop and phone-charger leads when the hotel staff cleaned my room. I asked one of the young bellboys for directions and, as it was nearby, he walked me there.
6.
Monocle readers are great. Really. People flew in from around the world to attend and they were all engaged and fun – especially the crew who ended up dancing until 03.00.
7.
The speakers weren’t bad either. Creative director Mark Landini, for example, delivered a masterclass on branding that was comic genius. He and Nic Monisse, our also amusing design editor, seemed close to forming a double act after their session onstage.
8.
The new 25hours Hotel The Oddbird was the key conference venue. It’s good. So too is The Langham.
9.
We’re lucky to have people from across the globe working at Monocle. Jess, our senior designer, is from Bali. Having her in Jakarta was helpful on the language front but on the final day her mum also took us out for lunch and had us eating delicious food in no time… though I was happy to pass on the cow cartilage.
10.
I’ll be back. Well, once you’ve finally done it, you want to go again.
