Clubs & Community

Jakarta doesn't introduce itself. Long-term residents agree that the people who settle best are the ones who joined something in their first few months.

National chambers of commerce run networking evenings, business lunches and briefings, and are the fastest way into a professional network if you've come to work.

Cultural and heritage societies offer study groups, lectures, museum training and trips around Java. They are cheap, welcoming to every nationality, and especially good for accompanying partners.

Chambers and business networks: several foreign chambers cluster around the World Trade Center complex on Jalan Sudirman. BritCham Indonesia and the Indonesia Australia Business Council both work from CentreSpace at WTC 3, and EuroCham Indonesia is at WTC 5. In Menteng, EKONID, the German-Indonesian chamber, also offers market entry and business partner search services to companies that are not yet members.

Culture and newcomers: the volunteer-run Indonesian Heritage Society at Sentral Senayan has run museum tours, study groups and heritage trips since 1970.