MEDIA RELEASE

Meeting planners nationwide have spoken and voted the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) and its Island Chapters representing Kauai, Oahu, Maui Nui, and Hawaii, the Big Island, the prestigious Pinnacle Award for 2011.

“Congratulations to the HVCB and our industry partners for the hard work and dedication in extending their aloha spirit to serve our meetings industry and being honored with the prestigious Pinnacle Award,” said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of Hawaii Tourism Authority. “Our meetings market has grown significantly this year and this recognition demonstrates Hawaii’s ideal location as a global meetings destination as we prepare to host the APEC Leaders’ Meeting this November.”

HVCB’s earning of the Pinnacle Award was determined by the votes of meeting planners based on their experience in working with the Bureau and its Island Chapters on client programs held in the Hawaiian Islands. Presenting the award is Successful Meetings magazine, one of the meeting industry’s leading trade publications.

Voting was conducted by meeting planners and industry professionals representing associations, corporations, incentive houses, and trade groups throughout the nation.

“We are very pleased about earning the Pinnacle Award because it signifies the approval of the industry professionals who seek our support in helping them to plan and implement a world-class business meeting experience for their clients in the Hawaiian Islands,” said John Monahan, HVCB’s president and CEO.

“We are operating within an extremely competitive industry that is also very selective in where business meetings are held and it’s gratifying to know that HVCB and its Island Chapters are meeting the criteria of planners for hosting a successful meeting.”

HVCB offers meeting planners the resources of one-stop, full-service support for the planning and execution of a client program that begins with the initial contact and also includes marketing support and on-site support during the event.

Along with its central headquarters in Waikiki, HVCB has four mainland-based regional sales directors selling Hawaii as a meetings destination and serving the needs of planners in key markets nationally.

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.