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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, April 26, 2001



Honolulu encouraged as convention site

By Glenn Scott
Advertiser Staff Writer

Executives in the business of attracting conventions, corporate meetings and trade shows to Honolulu had only to glimpse the flashy smile of Bob Dallmeyer for assurances that, even during an economic slowdown, the city stands to benefit from the corporate quest for cross-cultural venues.

The Hawai'i Convention Center will be the site of an international meeting of conference planners and trade-show managers in June.

Advertiser library photo • April 7, 1998

Dallmeyer, the Los Angeles-based board chairman of the International Association for Exhibition Management, told a group of 75 industry professionals Tuesday at the Waikiki Sheraton Hotel that his group aggressively sought the chance to hold its mid-year meeting June 5-8 at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

Choosing to meet off the Mainland for the first time as part of its global outreach strategy, the association booked Honolulu for advantages such as modern services, a world-class convention center and a location as a centerpoint in a business-friendly time zone, he said.

"I see nothing but growth in your future because of the marvelous attractions you have here," Dallmeyer said.

The encouraging words served to balance concerns during a morning discussion that focused on the advantages and constraints in shaping Honolulu's image as a new center for business meetings and corporate travel.

Among the topics: Giving Honolulu its own branding as a corporate destination, ensuring adequate and timely airline service, and coping with ballooning competition as dozens of cities enlarge their convention facilities.

Much of the talk, of course, acknowledged the economic slowdown that has added urgency to questions about marketing Honolulu and the convention center.

Sandra Moreno, a vice president with the Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau, said the weakening national outlook has reduced bookings for corporate events here, but not drastically. Current convention bookings are running about 30 percent behind last year's pace as meeting planners delay decisions, she said, but none of the center events scheduled for this year has been canceled.

Moreno said all of the major U.S. destinations are enduring the same drop in bookings.

"We anticipated all this," she said. "So we added a couple of new sales positions. But this is a tough marketing year."

As for creating a stronger brand image for Honolulu, Moreno said the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism are exploring ways to promote the city, promoting an image distinct from the strong leisure motif connected to the state's name.

Such efforts fall in line with the thoughts of Ken Kanter, who as chairman of the Hawai'i chapter of the exhibition management association organized the discussion.

He observed that unlike rival destinations for business travel — cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas — Honolulu still holds a low-profile business image after a late entry into the major convention market.

In current conditions, though, Kanter found hope in the willingness of public and private sector leaders to make changes. "We're in a creative mode now," he said. "We're exploring everything."

That includes air service. Moreno said that, based on feedback from the bureau's Client Industry Advisory Board, no issue worries corporate meeting planners more than obtaining timely, comfortable nonstop flights to Honolulu.

Connecting flights have become a detraction, she said, as airport delays have become a more common part of travel. Another misgiving: jammed passenger jets that corporate travelers find uninviting.

Les Enderton, executive director for the O'ahu Visitors Bureau, predicted that adequate flights will follow supply: more bookings will yield more airline options.

"As long as we can continue to build demand, that's money in the bank for the airlines," he said.

As they work to attract more corporate events, though, Honolulu officials also are bound to encounter more competition from other locales. Joe Davis, the Hawai'i Convention Center general manager, itemized a list of 95 cities with centers at some stage of development or enlargement.

Like Dallmeyer and the others, though, Davis said Honolulu can become a prominent business center once it captures groups seeking the distinctive global advantages they'll find here.

Dallmeyer promised that his meeting will help by importing 500 meeting and trade-show managers — the exact people who arrange conventions and exhibitions worldwide. Among the group this year, for instance, will be a first-time contingent of 25 meeting planners from Beijing.

"The marketplace is coming to you," said Dallmeyer. "If you like to shoot fish in a barrel, this is how you do it."