Categorized | Business

‘Smart’ event to sell Hawaii meetings (March 18-20)

MEDIA RELEASE

An innovative marketing partnership secured by the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau with Smart Meetings Magazine has brought 34 corporate meeting and incentive planners to Hawaii to develop new business opportunities.

“The Smart Meeting” tradeshow is taking place at The Modern Honolulu over three days, March 18-20, and will feature presentations about the Hawaii meeting experience, one-on-one appointments with local suppliers, educational seminars, and networking events.

Most of the planners are extending their stays to conduct additional site inspections on Oahu and the neighbor islands.

“We are pleased to welcome the corporate meeting and incentive planners to the Hawaiian Islands for the tradeshow hosted by Smart Meetings Magazine,” said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA).

“The tradeshow will provide planners from across the nation an opportunity to experience our world-class facilities first hand and see what makes Hawaii an ideal place to conduct business,” he said. “The HTA, together with our marketing partner, the HVCB, remain committed to building on the interest in our state as a premier meetings destination following the success of the 2011 APEC Leaders’ Week.”

The Hawaii tradeshow is one of 12 three-day Smart Meeting or one-day Smart Mart events that Smart Meetings Magazine is hosting nationwide this year and the only one being held outside the mainland U.S.

“This is the first time we’ve taken our Smart Meeting business tradeshow off-shore and the response from planners about coming to Hawaii has been outstanding,” said Marin Bright, publisher of Smart Meetings Magazine. “We think their experience in the islands will have a very meaningful impact for Hawaii as a meetings destination.”

The planners taking part in the tradeshow represent a diversity of lucrative industries, including technology, science, medicine, and banking, as well as high-profile third-party providers who book meetings and incentives for a wide variety of corporate clients.

Michael Murray, CMP, CMM, CASE, HVCB’s vice president of sales and marketing, said the quality of planners attending the Smart Meeting fits perfectly with the industry sectors that Hawaii is targeting for new business.

“Hawaii did a superb job hosting the 2011 APEC Summit and showcasing the advancements being made here in science and technology,” Murray said. “The Smart Meeting is an excellent springboard to build on the success in all those areas and reinforce what makes the Hawaiian Islands an optimum meetings destination for companies looking to innovate and build their business profile.”

Murray added, “This tradeshow concept has worked brilliantly in connecting planners with industry suppliers in major markets around the country and we are very appreciative to Smart Meetings Magazine for bringing it to Hawaii for our meeting professionals.”

Having the Smart Meeting event in Hawaii is a result of the marketing partnership that HVCB secured with Smart Meetings Magazine to make Hawaii their exclusive destination sponsor for all events taking place nationwide in both 2011 and 2012.

At each Smart Meeting and Smart Mart event during the year, the Hawaiian Islands receives marketing support and promotional exposure as a meetings destination and HVCB sales representatives are allowed to make presentations and network with planners in attendance.

No other destination enjoys the same marketing benefits.

HVCB is contracted by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state of Hawaii’s tourism agency, to provide marketing management services for the conventions, meetings and incentives market segment.

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