Islands No. 2 on convention list

Advertiser Staff

In a boost for Hawai'i's efforts to become a major meeting destination, a Metropoll IX study has ranked the state No. 2 among 40 major convention sites in North America. San Diego received the No. 1 ranking.

The Metropoll study is conducted every two years. More than 1,000 meeting planners in the United States and Canada are surveyed.

In the 2001 survey, Hawai'i jumped nine spots from its No. 11 ranking in 1999. In 1997, prior to the construction of the Hawai'i Convention Center, it was No. 17.

Between 1997 and 2000, the number of visitors coming to Hawai'i for meetings, conventions and incentives grew by 30 percent, according to Sandra Moreno, vice president of the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau.

"In the last five years, Hawai'i has decided to go down a much more aggressive path in building up the meetings industry," said Tony Vericella, HVCB president and chief executive officer.