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Asia-Pacific
leaders to talk at isle
business forum

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By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

Local businesses will get a chance to meet with Asia-Pacific leaders and develop important contacts in a Hawaii Business Forum and other events to be held in conjunction with the Asian Development Bank meeting in Honolulu May 7-11, organizers say.

The May 8 forum will include speeches by Derek Williams, executive vice president Asia-Pacific of Oracle Corp., and Tom Plate, who writes a syndicated column on Asian affairs. Organizers said the local events will include a seminar and a reception for Hawaii executives to mix with participants of the ADB's annual board of governors meeting.

There will also be a Global Pavilion, an exhibition at the Hawaii Convention Center where island businesses and others from around the country can show off their products and services to ADB meeting attendees.

The annual meeting will be a rare opportunity for local business people to network with ADB representatives and public and private sectors executives from around the Asia-Pacific region, said Seiji Naya, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.

"It is a chance for Hawaii to market itself as a world-class destination for high-level meetings and for Hawaii businesses to develop executive-level contacts throughout Asia," Naya said.

Passes will be issued to up to 1,000 Hawaii participants to attend some of the ADB events.

Based in Manila, the ADB is an international financial institution owned by 60 members countries. Last year it provided $6 billion in financing for economic development around the Pacific Rim. About 3,000 people are expected to attend the Hawaii Convention Center meeting, including top financial officials from the participating governments, bankers and other private-sector executives. President Bush has been invited to attend.

The Hawaii Business Forum is being organized by DBEDT, the office of Gov. Ben Cayetano, the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the Hawaii/Pacific Export Council. Registration is available only online at http://www.adb2001.org. There is March 30 deadline and the fee is $125 per person.

More details can be seen at http://www.hawaiibusinessforum.org.

For information on exhibiting in the Global Pavilion, call the Hawaii Tourism Authority at 973-2255 or email to adb2001@hawaiitourismauthority.org.