JAKARTA - Under the endorsement of Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation (MOT) and the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN Indonesia), Sphere Conferences today organised the inaugural transportation conference Future Transport Asia 2013, held in the Grand Hyatt Jakarta from 25 to 27 June 2013.
Sphere Conferences is the conference arm of Singapore Press Holdings, the country's leading multimedia group which publishes newspapers such as The Straits Times, its flagship English-language newspaper and one of the region's oldest and most established newspaper.
Future Transport Asia 2013 is the only integrated event in Asia to bring together government, regulators, rail & airport operators, airlines, financiers and world-class solution providers. With three co-located conferences, "Smart Passenger Rail Asia", "Smart Terminal Asia" and "Smart Traffic Asia", this event saw close to 400 leaders from the transportation sector across 15 countries congregated to discuss, strategise and unveil new, intelligent solutions and innovations to address Indonesia's transportation needs and challenges.
This three-days conference will cover key areas of infrastructure and transportation, ranging from market access strategies, passenger rail operations, to aviation and urban transport planning and development.
Some of the region's key transportation industry players in attendance included SMRT, PT. Kereta Api, KLIA Express, State Railway of Thailand, Changi Airport Group, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, and Land Transport Authority (LTA), as they shared their experience and expert insights interview of finding solutions to resolve Indonesia's growing transportation challenges.
Dr Bambang Susantono, Vice Minister at the MOT, said: "Infrastructure development is fundamentally the greatest area of concern if the nation's economy wants to continue moving forward. That is where our role as the Ministry of Transportation comes in, to be a leader in implanting inter-island and international connectivity. The Indonesian Government has pledged to multiply infrastructure spending to USD$250 billion until 2025, in order to boost annual economic growth to 6.8 per cent by 2014."
One of the key highlights of the Future Transport Asia 2013 conference was a ministerial forum featuring key Indonesian ministers, mayors and provincial representatives where they interacted with key industry players to discuss on project showcases, market access and public-private partnerships (PPP).
Mr Chua Wee Phong, Chairman of Sphere Conferences, said: "In the first six months of 2013, the government has tendered 17 PPP projects valued at USD$10.63 billion, with many entering the construction phase. This is a timely development and we are proud to feature key industry players in the transport sector to speak at Future Transport Asia 2013. With engaging topics surrounding Asia's infrastructure and transportation, the attendees will gain valuable insights as they seek to leverage on business opportunities and establish long term partnerships with key Indonesian stakeholders."
He added: "With a burgeoning economy and the government's commitment to improve existing infrastructure, it is timely for Sphere Conferences, in partnership with the Ministry of Transport Indonesia and PT. Angkasa Pura, to engage and support the Indonesian government in this key pillar of economic growth."