Another year, another consecutive Prime Site Award for the Hawai'i Convention Center from Facilities & Destinations magazine.

Officials are hardly ho-hum about it, however.

It is the center's 11th consecutive award from the industry publication and comes on the heels its November award from Business Traveler magazine. In the second year of the magazine's Best in Business Travel Awards, the convention center won its second in a row.

Both publications' awards are important for the center, said Joe Davis, general manager.

“;The Business Traveler magazine is, by definition, focused to the business travelers who read that particular publication. This one (Facilities & Destinations) is read by meeting planners, those who make decisions about where to take their meetings; trade show producers; and ... corporate planners—it's a different audience,”; he said.

This time around is “;particularly gratifying for us, in these rough economic times.”;

The Facilities & Destinations award includes “;a very objective voting system by the readership,”; which based its decisions on such aspects as the “;facility itself ... and the overall attractiveness of the destination.”;

Davis conceded that in the latter category, Hawaii likely has a leg up on many of its competitors. “;It does, but if you've been to the finest restaurant and had a bad experience, you don't go back.”;

“;Up to 30 to 35 percent of our business is repeat business. The biggest challenge we have is getting them to agree to come for the first time. Once we get 'em here, they have a fantastic meeting, very productive, so the sales negotiation process is easier in the future,”; Davis said.

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» facilitiesonline.com

Radio vet returns

Lifelong radio personality and programmer Michael T. Shishido is back on the air at KUMU-FM 94.7, succeeding longtime afternoon drive guy Lee Kirk last week.

“;For the first time in a long time, cracking the mic, I actually got nervous,”; Shishido said. “;Some of that was the long layoff,”; while some of it was dealing with a broadcast console that was different from the type he'd operated before—including the years he and your columnist spent as co-workers at KSSK-AM 590/FM 92.3 radio.

Shishido was furloughed from the Honolulu-based Ocean Network, which provides ocean-themed TV programming to Oceanic Time Warner Cable, in May, but had otherwise worked in radio since his youth.

Of the Amana Street suite of studios and offices, Shishido said, “;It looks like a radio station, as opposed to a corporate office. This is definitely a place where a whole bunch of jocks (disc jockeys) come in and play. You kind of don't see that anymore,”; he said.

In addition to the on-air shift component of Shishido's gig, he is also director of creative services for KUMU and its Oahu sister-stations that belong to Visionary Related Entertainment.

ON THE NET:
» www.kumu.com