Convention Center recruiting foreign visitors
POSTED: Friday, December 26, 2008
The Hawaii Convention Center's effort to create a global marketing program aimed at making Hawaii into an international destination for high-level meetings has paid off with increased attendance; now, the center must work on making sure that the visitors from their new-found markets are satisfied.
Since Hawaii's $350 million convention center, which opened in 1998, is still a relative underdog in the competitive business meetings and incentive market - where bookings are made six to eight years in advance - Hawaii Convention Center marketers are using global networks between associations to build demand in Asia.
At a time when the U.S. economy is at almost unprecedented levels of softness, it only makes sense for the center to go after international delegates who might not be as impacted by the U.S. credit crunch and mortgage crisis, said HCC General Manager Joe Davis.
“;Japan is a very promising market for us,”; Davis said, adding that he expects attendance from South Korea and China to grow albeit at a slower pace. Since launching its international program, the Hawaii Convention Center has expanded its business conference attendance by more than 10 percent through a marketing effort that pairs foreign markets - mostly Japan, South Korea and China - with their domestic counterparts that are conducting business in Hawaii.
“;We are getting more proactive about searching out new opportunities, especially in the international conference market,”; said June Matsumoto, HCC director of international sales and marketing.
The efforts have paid off, Matsumoto said. So far, for 2009, there are 24,020 international attendees who are expected to attend eight scheduled Hawaii conventions, Matsumoto said.
But success is about more than just getting these international delegates to Hawaii, she said. There's no doubt that the Hawaii Convention Center's stunning architectural center is a world-class facility; however, if it wants to succeed in the global arena it has to understand culture enough to deliver world-class service, too.
“;In the U.S. culture we tend to love to go over the top and exceed expectations, but while that can be appreciated, they appreciate it more if we are able to deliver on every point that they have asked us to deliver on,”; Matsumoto said.
In keeping with the vision of becoming a world-class international meetings and conventions destination, HCC has developed a weeklong orientation program with the Yokohama Pacifico in Japan. Recently, Hawaii Convention Center employees Sherry Pokakaa, John McCabe and Janice Kamemoto were sent to the program to experience events from a Japanese perspective. In addition to visiting the Yokohama Pacifico, the HCC team also got a chance to inspect other conference facilities in Japan, such as the Tokyo Forum and Tokyo Big Sight.
“;They found that the Japanese are truly customer-service oriented and that the customer is king and how wonderful that feels,”; Matsumoto said.
The Japanese training time also provided an opportunity for Hawaii to recruit potential delegates from the Japan Dental Association's congress and convention. The event, which takes place every four years in Japan, drew 60,000 attendees to the Yokohama Pacifico.
It was perfect timing for the Hawaii Convention Center team, as the HCC is hosting three dental conventions in 2009, Davis said.
Hawaii convention center
International Groups - Dec. '08 - Dec. '09
| Event Dates | Group | Forecast Attendance |
| 2008 | ||
| Dec. 28 | Corporate Convention | 720 |
| 2009 | ||
| Jan. 15, '09 | Corporate Convention | 1,000 |
| Jan. 18, '09 | Corporate Convention | 300 |
| Jan. 31, '09 | Corporate Convention | 1,500 |
| March 11-16 | Honolulu Festival 2009 | 15,000 |
| April 5-9 | U.S. China Green Business Exchange | 500 |
| May 23 | Shinnyo-en Hawaii 2009 | 4,000 |
| Nov. 13-15 | International Waikiki Hula Conference | 1,000 |
