MEDIA RELEASE

In a first for Hawaii’s tourism industry, group sales professionals representing resorts, hotels and travel companies statewide are banding together to launch a coordinated telephone sales campaign this week to bring new meetings business to Hawaii.

Organized by the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau’s (HVCB) Corporate Meetings and Incentives division with support from its Island Chapter bureaus and the Hawaii Convention Center, the “Hawaii Prospect Sales Blitz” begins Tuesday, Feb. 9 on Kauai and continues on each island the rest of this week.

“We have created a list of nearly 10,000 potential clients and our goal is to contact each one and sell them on the benefits and competitive advantages of booking Hawaii for business meetings,” said Michael Murray, CMP, CMM, CASE, HVCB’s vice president of sales and marketing for corporate meetings and incentives.

Sales professionals from 50 HVCB industry partner companies on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island are taking part in the collaborative sales effort. However, instead of seeking new business for their individual properties, the partners are collectively selling the Hawaiian Islands as a world-class business meetings destination.

Murray said, “Our industry partners statewide have really stepped up to do what’s best for Hawaii as a whole. With all of us working together, I’m confident we will generate prospects and leads on new business for the state and elevate top-of-mind awareness about Hawaii’s winning qualities to host meetings and conventions.”

On Tuesday the “Hawaii Prospect Sales Blitz” begins with Kauai-based group sales professionals convening 6 a.m. at the Kauai Beach Resort and spending the next four hours calling prospective clients.

The process will be repeated Wednesday for their industry counterparts on Oahu at the Hawaii Convention Center, Thursday at the Maui Beach Hotel, and Friday at the Big Island’s Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

HVCB is targeting meeting planners and decision-makers in North America that covers all industries but is putting special emphasis on reaching lucrative business sectors, such as medical, pharmaceutical, banking, business-related services, and supply services.

HVCB is contracted by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, 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:
hvcb.org