Work progresses on the state convention center at the corner of Kalakaua Avenue and Kapiolani Boulevard. Photo by Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin

Now that meeting organizers can see the Hawai`i Convention Center physically taking shape at the corner of Kalakaua Avenue and Kapiolani Boulevard, it is not so difficult to convince them that Hawaii, after years of talk, is finally building one, he said.

"There are still a lot of buyers that still want to see an actual facility in operation (before booking) but we are getting a lot of interest from short-term clients willing to take a chance on the venue," Chapman said.

With pile-driving complete, the convention center began to take visible shape last week with the placing of roof trusses, the beams to support the roof, atop the third-floor ballroom.

Employing about 200 construction workers, the center is one of the biggest projects helping a slow construction industry.

The design-build team of Nordic/PCL Joint Venture was chosen in August 1994 to build the $200

million center. Construction, which began in August, has been on target to meet the scheduled completion in October 1997, said Steve Bradshaw, the state Convention Center Authority's contract specialist.

"They (Nordic/PCL) have been an extraordinarily punctual contractor," he said.

And with construction progressing, the HVB has been seeing more interest from convention planners. Mostly they are businesses rather than the big trade associations, said Chapman, who moved into the HVB conventions post in early November after key convention sales jobs in Reno, Nev., and San Diego.

Major conventions holding reservations at the Hawai`i Convention Center include:

American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees: 8,000 attendees; Aug. 17-28, 1998.
American Dental Association: 30,000 attendees; Oct. 2-15, 1999.
Lions Clubs International: 30,000; June 18-23, 2000.
Zonta International: 3,000; July 22-27, 2000.
American Academy of Periodontology: 6,500; Sept. 15-20, 2000.
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans: 13,000; Nov. 9-15, 2000.
American Association of Orthodontists: 12,000; May 2-7, 2003.
Source: Hawaii Visitors Bureau.

"Corporate clients are more willing to take a chance than the trade associations," he said. The bigger trade groups are more likely to want to see the center actually open for business before booking, he said. The center is due to open in July 1998.

Still, the center has attracted some firm bookings, such as the International Association of Lions Clubs, due to bring 30,000 people to Hawaii in June 2000, occupying some 10,000 hotel rooms.

Meanwhile, Chapman said, his HVB sales team of three sales representatives plus support staff are fully organized and out there selling.

It took some months to get the sales team and its equipment and offices in place, under the authority's contract with the HVB to handle long-term sales for events that begin after the center opens in a little over two years, Chapman said.

"Actual sales promotion just started last week with Japan," said Chapman, who spent the week there on a sales mission.

Now he has begun a series of such sales missions, planning to spend the first 10 days of each

month in the field selling, going to Chicago in early May and California in early June, taking representatives of airlines and hotels as part of the missions.

The convention center authority, meanwhile, continues to negotiate a contract with Spectacor Man agement Group, the Philadelphia-based convention center management group chosen to manage the center.

SMG was chosen after a process of several months of reviewing responses to the authority's requests for proposals.

"We're still within the window" (for getting a contract with SMG), Bradshaw said. "They're not scheduled to have anyone here until July."