Hawaii's Technology Industry Shines At HITECHHAWAII@2000 Conference.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

HONOLULU, Hawaii--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 11, 2000

Hundreds of technology businesses, organizations, schools and supporters from across the state turned out at the Hawai'i Convention Center today for the first day of the HITECHHAWAII@2000 conference.

"Hawaii has made significant progress in supporting the development and growth of high technology industries over the past two years," says Governor Benjamin Cayetano. "High technology industries are critical to Hawaii's transition to the new economy, and the main force driving our ability to create jobs, diversify our economy and remain globally competitive."

Cayetano made the opening remarks to Hawaii's technology industry, followed by keynote speakers David Hong of Vital Link, Susan Scott, Acting CEO of Get2Hawaii, and Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies.

"The tremendous response to this conference from local businesses sends a message that Hawaii has taken the next important step toward emerging as a technology industry leader and to becoming a significant player in the new economy," said David Hong, cofounder of Vital Link, a California-based company that helps small businesses link to the Internet.

"We're pleased to see that Hawaii's sons and daughters are proving to be successful outside of our islands," says Joseph Blanco, Governor's Special Advisor for High Technology. "This reinforces what we already know -- that Hawaii has the talent to establish a strong global technology industry."

The Hawaii technology industry has grown considerably over the last two years. HITECHHAWAII@2000 held a variety of workshops to help Hawaii businesses build the skills needed for them to succeed globally.

HITECHHAWAII@2000 workshops included everything from business development and workforce topics such as How to Find, Keep and Motivate Employees to technology topics including The Future of Digital Media in Hawaii and Human Genome Project: Its Impact on Healthcare in Hawaii. Intensive workshops to identify Millenium Workforce Needs Assessment will continue tomorrow. Topics will include Education in the New Millennium and Preventing e-Commerce Legal Problems.

"We wanted to provide Hawaii businesses with the information that they need to succeed. So we surveyed our membership to find out what topics interested them, and what they felt would benefit them most," says Ann Chung, Executive Director, Hawaii Technology Trade Association.

The first day of the conference concluded with SchmoozIt!, a networking reception capped off by a laser light show.

"With so much information for conference attendees to absorb, SchmoozIt! is a great way to end a successful first day," says Lincoln Jacobe, HITECHHAWAII@2000 Organizing Committee. "The networking mixer provides them with an opportunity to relax, network and absorb what they've learned today."

The conference continues tomorrow at the Hawaii Convention Center. Keynote speakers will include human genome expert Dr. Trevor Woodage of Celera Genomics, Georges Saab of 4Charity.com and Mike May of Jupiter Communications. The plenary session will include some special announcements.

The Hawai'i Technology Trade Association (HTTA) is the State's first private-sector trade association formed specifically to serve Hawaii's growing technology industry and establish Hawai'i as a leader in the global technology industry. Launched on September 23, 1999, HTTA currently has over 400 members. Membership is statewide with members from Hawai'i, Kaua'i, Maui, as well as O'ahu.

For more information on HITECHHAWAII@2000, visit the Hawaii Technology Trade Association web site at htta.org.