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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, January 17, 2005

Hawai'i Convention Center books 6 more meetings

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

A meeting planners' conference last week at the Hawai'i Convention Center has so far resulted in six bookings at the center, with one expected to draw up to 20,000 delegates.

Four organizations, including the American Medical Association, on Jan. 10 committed to events between 2007 and 2009. Convention center officials said two more organizations have also committed to holding conferences at the center several years from now, and nine more are in final negotiations.

The commitments followed an offer made to the Professional Convention Management Association, which held its annual meeting at the center last week.

SMG, the convention center's marketing and management firm, has offered association delegates free rent for events booked through 2010.

Sales and marketing director Randy Tanaka said the names of the two organizations that recently committed to the center will be announced after their boards formally ratify the arrangement.

He said one conference is "substantial," and could draw about 15,000 to 20,000 delegates. The other likely will bring about 3,000 delegates to Hawai'i, he said.

The largest conventions held at the center include the 2000 International Association of Lions Clubs meeting with 35,000 delegates; the 1999 American Dental Association convention with 30,000 delegates; and the 2003 American Association of Orthodontists conference with 17,000 delegates.

The four organizations that signed contracts with the center Jan. 10 include the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the National Association of College Auxiliary Services and Sweet Adelines International.

Convention center officials expect the four events to draw a total of nearly 16,000 more delegates to O'ahu between 2007 and 2009, adding $48.9 million in visitor spending and nearly $3.8 million in state tax revenue.

Officials say the conferences secured so far and the ones still in final negotiations are estimated to generate a total of $209 million in visitor spending and $17 million in state tax revenue.

The free rent offer to PCMA delegates expires Jan. 31.

Tanaka did not rule out making similar arrangements to other organizations and said he expects other associations to seek that deal. He said the free rent, typically about $120,000 per convention, does not result in a loss from an operating standpoint because the center still collects revenue for services such as food and beverage. And the real gains come from visitor spending and tax revenue, he said.

"We're going to do what we need to do to get revenue in the state," Tanaka said.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at 535-2470 or larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.