MEDIA RELEASE

Meet Hawaii team of 40-plus meetings industry representatives is selling the benefits of the Hawaiian Islands for meetings, conventions and incentives (MCI) programs Oct. 8-11 at the IMEX AMERICA tradeshow in Las Vegas.

“Hawaii’s meetings, conventions and incentives market continues to be important for our tourism economy,” said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA).

“Our presence at this year’s IMEX AMERICA tradeshow will provide an opportunity to promote our Hawaiian Islands as a premier meetings destination to thousands of industry representatives from across the nation.

The HTA will continue to collaborate with the HVCB, and all of its global marketing partners, to promote Hawaii’s MCI attributes and to attract a healthy mix of business and leisure travel for a sustainable and healthy tourism economy.”

Now in its second year, IMEX AMERICA is already the nation’s largest meetings industry tradeshow with an estimated 3,000 qualified buyers representing associations, corporations, and agencies taking part, 80 percent of which come from North America.

Its successful format is notable for having buyers take part in pre-scheduled appointments with exhibitors throughout the tradeshow.

Leading the Meet Hawaii exhibitor team will be John Monahan, president and CEO, and Michael Murray, CMP, CMM, CASE, vice president of sales and marketing, for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB).

Monahan commented, “IMEX AMERICA presents a superb opportunity for our statewide sales team to generate new bookings for Hawaii and show buyers throughout North America the range of assets that our islands collectively offer to help make their program a success. In making our case, we will continue to capitalize on Hawaii’s successful hosting of APEC last November and show how our industry collaborated to exceed the expectations of organizers for this high-profile international summit.”

The Meet Hawaii team will have a dominating presence in the IMEX AMERICA exhibitor area highlighted by its sweeping, 10-foot-tall Hawaii Pavilion showcasing the imagery, colors, music, and inviting appeal of the Hawaiian Islands.

Murray said, “The response from our industry partners statewide has been fantastic and we have sold out all of our available spaces for display. A full schedule of appointments with buyers has been secured and we expect the results will be very positive in supporting Hawaii’s meetings industry and the ancillary businesses that rely on its success.”

Joining the Meet Hawaii sales team will be sales representatives for HVCB’s Island Chapter Bureaus for Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island, the Hawaii Convention Center, and 40 industry partners representing resort properties, activities, attractions, service providers, and destination management companies statewide.

In addition to the tradeshow, the Meet Hawaii team is hosting a breakfast Oct. 10 for invited buyers at which Murray will make a presentation about the advantages that the Hawaiian Islands offers for meetings and conventions.

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.

HTA was established in 1998 to ensure a successful visitor industry well into the future. Its mission is to strategically manage Hawaii tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with the state of Hawaii’s economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, community desires, and visitor industry needs.

— Find out more:
www.hawaiitourismauthority.org