Team Unlimited
By Russ Lynch
lands HTA pact
Star-BulletinTeam Unlimited, headed by longtime isle tourism marketing and sports promotion executive Tom Kiely, has been picked for a one-year, $475,000 contract to manage events funded by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
The HTA announced the choice after a board meeting yesterday.
The HTA earlier approved $6.5 million in funding for calendar 1999, to cover 31 events including the NFL Pro Bowl and three major golf tournaments -- the Sony Hawaiian Open, the Senior Skins and the PGA Grand Slam.
The funding doesn't only cover sports events, however. Other examples are the Aloha Festivals, the King Kamehameha Celebration, the Hawaii International Film Festival and the French Festival.
The HTA expects to spend $7.5 million on similar events in 2000.
The events are expected to aid tourism by bringing in people and investments and by giving Hawaii added exposure in the international media.
Under the contract, which is expected to start running later this month, Team Unlimited will manage the HTA's relationship with the events' organizers.
It will have to develop a statewide events marketing and management plan and one of its first jobs will be to evaluate projects yet to take place in 1999. It will then evaluate proposals for year 2000 events.
One of the firm's responsibilities will be to solicit sponsors and partners to help finance and improve the events that the HTA funds.
And the firm will be responsible for measuring how effectively the events promote Hawaii and boost tourism numbers.
HTA board member Mark Rolfing, chairman of the body's events committee, said Kiely's firm was chosen for its expertise and connections. Team Unlimited has a strong working relationship, for example, with a research firm in Connecticut, a New York marketing firm, a sports marketing organization in Chicago and an events company in Los Angeles, Rolfing said.
Kiely's firm also has television experience, running a regular "Hawaiian Sports Adventure" show on the ESPN cable network. Kiely also is a former vice president of marketing of the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau.
Rolfing said five firms submitted bids in response to the HTA request for proposals. One withdrew and by yesterday morning the HTA had narrowed the field down to two contenders.
The unsuccessful finalist was Successful Events Enhancement and Development, an organization to be formed by Bowl Games Hawaii (Lenny and Marcia Klompus) and a major tour wholesaler, Classic Hawaii Vacations.
Rolfing said the bidders all had good proposals and he expects they will be put to work on various tasks under the umbrella contract awarded to Team Unlimited.
