Hawaii 2003. (American Society of Association Executives: Advertisement).

BUSINESS BLOOMS IN HAWAII

The gleaming rays of sun stream down on towering palm trees surrounded by lush gardens, the tropical sounds of a 70-foot waterfall in the background. And that's just in the Hawaii Convention Center lobby! It's hard to imagine a lovelier place to do business, but Hawaii delivers much more than Bali Hai landscapes and great weather. It's a fertile environment for business relationships of all varieties, and this "Crossroads of the Pacific" is especially rich for international crossbreeding.

When ASAE moves in for its annual convention this August, the best Hawaii has to offer will be on display. Association executives and exhibitors from all over the world will take that trans-Pacific journey to a convention site unrivalled, both in meeting facilities and pre- and post-convention opportunities. It takes a lot to convince the board that it's worth the trip, but this island chain does not disappoint. It's why Hawaii has been ranked the second most desirable meeting site in the United States on the recent Metro Poll IX survey, and associations cheer about "our most successful meeting ever" in both attendance and productivity.

Mini-meetings around the big show

When you've traveled hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles for a meeting, make it worth your while on both the business and the personal fronts. That's a breeze with the world-class selections in this meeting paradise.

The $300-million-convention center, opened in 1998, starts with beautiful architecture that marries the outdoors and interiors in dramatic open spaces and stunning works of Hawaiian art. Polynesian canoes stand by towering murals outside meeting space of more than 150,000 square feet, topped with a landscaped roof garden terrace spread over two acres. With 47 meeting rooms and three theaters; state-of-the-art fiber optics, uplinks, ubiquitous dataports, simultaneous translation capability; and views that will keep your attendees coming back, this convention center will deliver on the main event and serve your small pre- and post-meeting needs with aplomb.

Oahu has more than 200 hotel properties, many at nearby Waikiki Beach, offering more than 30,000 convenient (within a mile) rooms and a surfeit of meeting services at each. The Rainbow Tower of the Hilton Hawaiian village still lords over the beach, with 22 acres, the Mandara Spa, and enough rooms (2,998) and function space to make both family and executive feel welcome. The Hyatt Regency's addition of a new spa has boosted its resort status, and the renovated Kuhio tower at the Waikiki Beach Marriott resort, complete with a fresh tropical feel, has some of the most awesome ocean views in town. Starwood has the most historic site, the largest ballroom, and the pinkest hotel on Waikiki in three of its six Honolulu properties, and makes the most of these superlatives. The grand old-world feel of the Sheraton Moana Surfrider (on the National Register) has been maintained as modern luxuries, including room facelifts, are being added. The Sheraton Waikiki is staging its own massive room renovation to complement i ts comprehensive meeting facilities and beachfront location. And the legendary pink Royal Hawaiian, with a major room renovation of its own about halfway completed, still commands respect, and not a little bit of attention, with its colorful beachside presence.

If you don't want to island-hop, but need a change of scenery, head to Oahu's newest planned resort community, just 40 minutes west of downtown Honolulu. Ko Olina Resort's JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa will soothe away that week of convention tension with the specialty of its multi-tier spa, the Thasalasso ocean therapy, and a secluded location. The Turtle Bay resort on the North Shore features ocean views from every room, and meeting spaces with equally dynamic surroundings. And the windward coast's Polynesian Cultural Center serves up an "unconventional" meeting, complete with an outdoor amphitheater, Maori warrior ceremony, and flying flaming torches.

But if island hopping is one reason why you came, these six isles offer up six different worlds, each with its own Hawaiian personality. Oahu, "the gathering place," is indeed the capital of the state and international commerce, but your executive board may request the best, and Lanai is the answer. "Exclusive" is the word for this special island, and the Manale Bay Hotel and its sister property the Lodge at Ko'ele are properties worthy of the description, with respective golf courses--The Challenge at Manale and The Experience at Ko'ele--that give even designers Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman pause.

Kauai tops the island chain geographically, and most concur, in the beauty contest as well. Your reason for coming to this land of Blue Hawaii may be the scenery, but more likely it'll be the world-class golf at resorts that know well how to customize small and medium-sized meetings. Pua Kea has recently expanded its course from 10 to 18 holes. But if the best is what you want, courses at Princeville Resort and the Kauai Marriott Resort were awarded Golf magazine's Gold Medal, and both rank with a course at the Poipu Bay Resort on Golf Digest's Top 100 in the world.

Maui, "the magic isle," features three separate resort areas that create magical meetings. Ka'anapali, the first of the luxury planned resort communities, lies just north of the historic whaling village of Lahaina on the island's leeward coast. Six major properties make up this popular spot, including the Hyatt Regency Maui (with a telescope for viewing the Hawaiian skies), the massive Sheraton Maui (overlooking the great snorkeling and revered spot known as Black Rock), and newly renovated Westin Maui (with its 87,000-square-foot aquatic playground). Each site offers plenty of outdoor adventures.

Newer, quieter, and a bit grander is the planned community of Wailea, south down the coast. The Four Seasons Resort Maui, Outrigger Wailea Resort, the Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort, and the Fairmont Kea Lani Maui all vie for top status in everything from Hawaiian character (the low-rise Outrigger weighs in with amazing hand-painted murals of ancient Hawaiiana and lei-making classes) to the best beach luau. The all-suite Kea Lani adds an organic garden, complete with rare exotic fruits, to its high-end fantasy architecture. The Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa may trump them all (or die trying) in its opulent offerings of $30 million in artwork, a 20,000-square-foot children's facility, and a spa more than twice that size. Kapalua, on the windswept north coast above Ka'anaapali, is the newest luxury master-planned community, led by its star property, the Ritz-Carlton, perennial AAA Five Diamond winner and home of the annual PGA Mercedes Championships.

Hawaii, The Big Island, says big in its natural wonders, ranches, and coastline. Its one major concentration of luxury hotels is on the Kohala coast, on its leeward side, north of the town of Kona (interchangeably known as Kailea--don't get confused). Here, not far from the Kona airport, are miles of chocolate-brown volcanic rock. Luckily, lush resorts that make the most of crescent beaches quickly replace this barren but intriguing landscape; they've added their own greenery with golf courses that challenge and delight the best duffers. Mauna Kea, the oldest resort on the island, built in 1965, is still one of its grandest. The 2002 renovation retained the resort's original luxurious feel of open architecture, with oceanside reception areas overlooking giant manta rays coming into the cove for a snack. And the golf course sets standards other Hawaiian award-winners aspire to. The resort is now owned by Prince Resorts. The Orchid at Mauna Lani, a favorite in Outside Magazine's 2001 Family Guide for its great outrigger canoe rides, has also changed hands: it's now the Fairmont Orchid. Outrigger Waikoloa has done some refurbishing, and offers more than 14,500 square feet of meeting space balanced by a Rainforest Spa, children's center, and ancient petroglyphs. You may not get out of town without a stop at the Hilton Waikoloa Village for a swim with the dolphins; its 150,000 square feet of meeting space may keep you around a bit longer.

Let the fun begin

Business is done, or switches in tone. Now the real decision-making begins. If golf is your passion, nirvana is here--you need only choose your challenge. Or will you take a journey back in time, Hawaiian-style at the 'lolani Palace or Bishop Museum, or in World War II fashion at Pearl Harbor? Will you snorkel Oahu's Hanauma Bay or dare to try your surfing prowess on Sunset Beach? A submarine ride (offered in Honolulu and on Maui and Hawaii by a company called Atlantis) will wow you your 47 fellow passengers; a helicopter ride will float you over velvet-covered mountains. Descend into Molokai's most storied place, Kalaupapa, Father Damien's former leper colony, on a rather hair-raising mountainside mule trek. Hotels increasingly cater to families along with conventioneers, with freshwater pools, giant slides, hula classes, and giant catamaran rides all part of a day's "work."

The biggest choice is which island (or islands) to choose. But some things should not be missed: The Big Island takes your breath away with natural drama--the Kilauea volcano continues to "erupt" at its slow-moving but awe-inspiring pace. Maui's Mt. Halealaka at sunrise when the clouds move in over an otherworldly landscape is an experience that will draw even teenagers out of bed at 3 a.m. (Many bike down the mountain.) Hike down the Kalalau Trail to hidden beaches on Kauai's Na Pali coast, the most amazing 22 miles you'll ever encounter (a Zodiac ride offshore will do just as well).

RELATED ARTICLE: ALOHA ASAE

This is one convention you can't miss: the miss: the international opportunities are too great, your key performers will perform even better when thus rewarded, and your family will thank you forever. This is a trip of a lifetime, and ASAE is even making it easier for you. Staff members can come along for a nominal $99 registration fee if they are members and a senior executive is registered. Additional incentives draw exhibitors: reduced rates, added technology and creative scheduling, an "turnkey" exhibits to save on shipping. Hawaii imports everything, so the freight services here are beyond compare, and shipping consolidators offer freight discounts approaching 60 percent. ASAE's affiliated airlines--American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Northwest/KIM Airlines, and United--are offering 5-10 percent in savings for flights, even more when purchased 60 days in advance. And that flight need not be so harsh; Aloha Air1ines has added direct flights from the mainland, even to Maui, Kauai, and th e Big Island.

And after all, that long flight will be taken up with dreaming on the way over, and counting your blessings--and your business strategies and future business contacts--on the way home. Aloha!