MEDIA RELEASE

The value of the Hawaii meeting experience will be the main message behind a Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) sales-driven trade show promotion June 16-17 at HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® West expo in Long Beach, Calif.

Presented by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), the two-day event at the Long Beach Convention Center is expected to draw 1,000 top meetings industry professionals, mostly corporate, independent and association planners, from throughout the Western U.S. region.

Michael Murray, CMP, CMM, CASE, vice president of sales and marketing for HVCB’s corporate meetings and incentives division, says affordability and return on investment are the two biggest concerns for meeting planners, which makes Hawaii a great value proposition.

“Hawaii delivers on value as effectively as anywhere in the world,” said Murray. “A big factor working in Hawaii’s favor is that people really enjoy coming here for meetings and conventions, which typically leads to higher-than-projected attendance figures. Plus, meeting planners will find our industry partners statewide are offering excellent rates and added-value incentives for groups wanting to do business in the Hawaiian Islands.”

Organizing the sales effort at the Long Beach tradeshow is Joan Palmtag, HVCB’s western regional sales director. Joining her to promote Hawaii’s value message and meet with meeting planners in attendance are sales professionals representing the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel, Kauai Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach, and Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

HVCB will further emphasize Hawaii’s value and affordability at the tradeshow by promoting its Added Value Resource Center and the cost-savings and incentive benefits that are offered to meeting planners through 2011. Available online at BusinessAloha.com, the Added Value Resource Center offers seven programs to help make the Hawaii experience more affordable for meetings and incentive events.

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.