- Meet Hawai‘i has launched a digital meeting planner guide to equip meeting planners with enhanced digital-planning resources such as engaging visual assets, detailed fact sheets, comprehensive information on Hawai‘i’s convention services, meeting facilities, event spaces, hotel accommodations, transportation and more. Meeting planners can explore the digital meeting planner at hawaiimeetingguide.hvcb.org.
- The Hawai‘i Convention Center has launched a first-of-its-kind program that provides carbon offset opportunities for all meetings and events. The program provides meeting organizers with the opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of their meeting, as well as offer individual attendees the ability to select and plant endemic and native trees virtually or in-person. hawaiiconvention.com
- In August, the Hawai‘i Convention Center announced new connectivity upgrades to improve the 21st century guest experience at meetings and events. AT&T 5G is now live at the center, offering users fast speeds and more immersive experiences for entertainment and productivity applications that include hybrid events, telepresence, augmented reality, social media, video streaming services, digital conference badges and more. hawaiiconvention.com
- (Kaua‘i) Sheraton Kaua‘i Coconut Beach Resort recently debuted its open-air event pavilion, Hālau Ho‘okipa, on the easternmost point on the Garden Island. Designed as a beachfront open-air event space, the 4,500-square-foot pavilion fronts the ancient surfing grounds of the Royal Coconut Coast, boasting sweeping sea views just steps from the sand. In addition to hosting lūʻau performances, the space also serves as a venue for group gatherings, hula classes and more. Hālau Ho‘okipa is open on three walls to allow for easy event set-up and larger group gatherings. www.marriott.com
- (Kaua‘i) Kō‘a Kea Hotel and Resort unveiled its $5 million renewed look, designed to “embrace the beauty and serenity of the Garden Island” this summer. Each refreshed guest room prominently features colors and patterns inspired by Kauaʻi’s lush foliage, red earth and koa wood. Beyond the refresh, guests still have access to the resort’s amenities, including The Spa at Kō‘a Kea, tropical pool with ocean views, outdoor bar, lava rock hot tub, oceanside fire pits, fitness studio, onsite watersports and more. www.koakea.com
- (O‘ahu) Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa has announced plans to refresh its largest ballroom. Slated to debut in November, the Regency Ballroom refresh will offer guests over 9,800 square feet of newly remodeled wedding and large group event space, with designs by Clear on Black. The space will consist of warm grays and neutrals throughout. The space will receive new carpet, which the design will be based on the topography of Hawai‘i’s eight Hawaiian Islands. The ballroom will receive wall covers and paint. www.hyattregencywaikiki.com
- (O‘ahu) Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa completed a multi-year $80 million resort-wide transformation last year. It now boasts a new one-acre Queensbreak pool and amenity deck and 1,310 refreshed guest rooms, including 135 Crown Suites. The resort’s newest group offering is a unique Pīkai ceremony performed at the former site of Queen Lili‘uokalani's Summer Home to educate visitors and share a unique spiritual and emotional cleansing experience. www.marriottwaikiki.com
- (O‘ahu) The Queens Waikīkī Lū‘au in the heart of Waikīkī at International Market Place is held three nights a week (Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday) from 5pm to 8pm. Guests enjoy dinner, bar access and interactive activities. Capped at 70 attendees, this authentic Polynesian revue from across the Pacific includes music, song and the famed fire knife dance. It is excellent for groups, as its Waikīkī location saves time and transport costs. Fees vary. www.queenswaikikiluau.com
- (O‘ahu) Explore the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum’s Sculpture Garden through ʻImi Ā Loaʻa, a new, interactive augmented reality experience. ʻImi Ā Loaʻa was created by the Honolulu Theatre for Youth and supported in part by funding from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. This free, family-friendly multi-media experience mixes elements of live performance, walking tour and digital gaming, bringing artwork to life. Museum admission is free. www.sfca.hawaii.gov
- (Maui) The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua announced a $100 million resort-wide transformation set to be unveiled by the end of 2022. Guests can expect an all-new lobby lānai with unobstructed views of Honokahua Bay, an exclusive club lounge experience, and a new premium room category, the Fire Lanai Collection. For guests looking to host a celebration, the hotel has transformed the Aloha Garden Pavilion, one of the only indoor-outdoor event venues on Maui. www.ritzcarlton.com/maui
- (Maui) Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, a AAA Four Diamond resort, completed a multimillion-dollar renovation to its 810 guestrooms and lobby in 2021. Led by Wimberly Interiors, the rooms now feature a spacious and contemporary design with open closets, elevated furnishings and private lānai with glass balconies for seamless views of ocean, mountain and garden views. The new lobby welcomes guests into an idyllic open-air atrium which effortlessly filters light into the space and offers unmatched views of the Pacific Ocean and blue Hawaiian skies. www.hyattregencymaui.com
- (Maui) Wailea Beach Resort offers meaningful cultural opportunities for groups to connect with the land, the ocean, and one another. Situated at the ocean’s edge, groups can engage in an on-site immersive voyaging experience on a traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoe, where foundational Hawaiian values of respect, care, and collaboration align with teambuilding, bonding, and co-working principles. Groups also have the opportunity to participate offsite in mālama ‘āina (caring for the land) experiences such as the restoration of Kō‘ie‘ie Fishpond in South Maui. www.waileabeachresort.com
- (Hawai‘i) Hilton Grand Vacations Club Kings’ Land Waikoloa will be undergoing room renovations in 2023. The soft renovations in Phase 3 will include carpeting, bedspreads, seating, and fabric. www.hiltongrandvacations.com
- (Hawai‘i) Kailani Tours recently debuted the "Volcano Express" tour, with 8am and 3pm departures from Waikoloa and Kailua-Kona. The tour highlights Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and Kīlauea, which is currently erupting within Halema‘uma‘u Crater. With minimal stops along the way, the tour maximizes guests’ time at the park, while minimizing time on the road. It is Kailani’s shortest full-day tour at 8 hours, leaving guests time for other activities before or after their time on tour. www.kailanitours.com
- (Statewide) Makana Hawai‘i Incentives is a full-service destination management company serving all islands in Hawai‘i. The company supports the Mālama Hawai‘i program by incorporating a community giveback option for all of its clients who bring groups to the Hawaiian Islands. Whether it be an actual community service project supporting a local non-profit or school, or even purchasing plants for event decorations and donating them to a community organization to plant once the event concludes, there are many ways to leave a positive footprint in Hawai‘i. https://makanahi.com/
Work With the Meet Hawai‘i Team
Our sales professionals — combining the expertise of the Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau, the Hawaiʻi Convention Center, our international MICE specialists, and our Island Chapters serving as on-island resources — have helped meeting planners execute some of their most successful and memorable meetings in the Hawaiian Islands. www.meethawaii.com/resources/meet-hawaii-sales-team/
John Reyes - Senior Vice President and Chief MCI Sales Officer, jreyes@hvcb.org
Lynn Whitehead - Senior Director, Citywide Sales (Territory: East Coast), lwhitehead@hvcb.org
Adrienne Nudo - Senior Director, Citywide Sales (Territory: Midwest and Canada), anudo@hvcb.org
Meredith Parkins - Regional Director of Sales, mparkins@hvcb.org
Kathy Dever - Regional Director of Sales, kdever@hvcb.org
Adele Tasaka - Senior Director of Sales, atasaka@hvcb.org