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Honolulu, Hawaii City Guide

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Honolulu Meeting Planning

Honolulu Skyline

Honolulu isn't just a destination for pleasure trips - it also knows how to get down to business. Home to the striking 1.1 million-square-foot Hawaii Convention Center, Honolulu has hosted annual conferences and events for many well-known corporations, including the National Psychological Association, National Medical Association, Hawaii State Department of Health and National Pest Management Association.

The truly remarkable Hawaii Convention Center allows attendants to enjoy Hawaii - even from indoors. More than 60 percent of the center is landscaped with mature palm trees and lush tropical plants, while all indoor circulation areas are open to the outdoors for natural ventilation and light. The center also features a 2.5-acre rooftop tropical garden, 70-foot misting waterfall in the lobby and glass-encased meeting rooms and common spaces with unparalleled views. The center was voted the most beautiful convention center in the world by the International Association of Exhibition Management and is the winner of nine consecutive Prime Site Awards. Aside from being beautiful, the convention center features nearly 150,000 square feet of meeting space, cutting-edge technology and delicious Hawaiian cuisine.

The Hawaii Convention Center is conveniently located adjacent to the hotel-plentiful Waikiki Beach, which offers more than 30,000 hotel rooms, with 10,000 committable rooms within a one-mile radius of the center. Nationally-ranked public buses and trolleys transport guests all over the island, stopping at the convention center, major hotels, beaches, shopping areas and major attractions. Several large Waikiki resorts have recently completed or are currently under revitalization efforts. The Honolulu International Airport is also under a 12-year, $2.3 billion modernization plan to upgrade passenger terminals, infrastructure, runways and security services.

Aloha Tower Marketplace

Honolulu boasts a superior year-round climate, with temperatures averaging 77°F, so anytime is a great time to visit. Guests can feel safe and secure, as Honolulu has the lowest rate of violent crime of any U.S. city with more than 500,000 people. Honolulu not only works hard, but plays hard, with numerous championship golf courses, an abundance of adventure and leisure hiking, supreme surfing, fantastic snorkeling among living reefs and serious sun tanning. With options like these, it's no surprise that Hawaii ranks among the top 3 destinations for leisure travel in the U.S., and is a locale that entices droves of event attendants.

Honolulu's current industry mainstays include tourism, followed by federal defense expenditures, agricultural exports (chiefly pineapples), telecommunications and mining. Honolulu serves as the regional headquarters for many renowned companies, including Hawaiian Airlines, Bank of Hawaii, Oahu Transit Services, Inc., and Kaiser Permanente Medical Group. It is also home to several colleges and universities, including the University of Hawaii-Manoa, Hawaii Pacific University and Chaminade University of Honolulu.

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About Honolulu / Additional Info

Hanauma Bay

While no one knows for certain when Honolulu was founded, this Hawaiian capital is known throughout the world for its pristine beaches, rich culture and endless adventure. Honolulu is located between Makapauu and Halawa on the southeastern shore of Oahu, one of the eight main islands of Hawaii. Stretching about 10 miles across and four miles inland into the foothills of the Koolua Range, Honolulu is the most populous locale in the state and home to 910,000 residents. The island of Oahu is known as "The Gathering Place," due to its diverse racial mix - more than 20 percent of residents report two or more ancestries, the most popular of which include Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific-Islander.

Hawaiian oral histories and archaeology suggest that Honolulu, meaning "sheltered harbor," was settled around 1100 A.D. As one of the last areas on the globe explored by Europeans, Honolulu was first visited by English Captain William Brown on the ship Butterworth in 1794. Honolulu was westernized by missionaries, seaman and adventurers from America and Europe, most notably a group of New England missionaries that left behind Western religion, education and economics.

USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor

Honolulu experienced tragedy on December 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese, prompting the U.S. to enter World War II. The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, one of Honolulu's most-visited destinations today, commemorates the servicemen whose lives were lost that day. In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state in the U.S., which was followed by an economic and tourism boom as domestic and international travelers alike flocked to the islands. Honolulu still celebrates Statehood Day, held every third Friday in August, to commemorate the momentous occasion. Honolulu's rich history and culture are also showcased in several famed sites, including
 Iolani PalaceIolani Palace
Iolani Palace, the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Aloha TowerAloha Tower
Aloha Tower, Byodo-In Temple and Bishop Museum.

Numerous valleys divide Honolulu into distinct neighborhoods. Among the most popular are Waikiki, Ala Moana, downtown Honolulu and the Capitol District. The world-famous Waikiki Beach stretches from the slopes of Diamond Head, a massive long-extinct volcanic crater, to Ala Moana. A great spot for families, Waikiki's main thoroughfare is Kalakaua Boulevard, known for its high-end hotels, shops and restaurants. The Ala Moana neighborhood is home to the Hawaii Convention Center and Ala Moana Center, one of the largest open-air shopping centers in the world.

Downtown Honolulu, filled with luxury high-rises and buzzing with activity, is regarded as the financial and commercial center of Hawaii. Honolulu's Capitol District lies east of downtown and is the current and historic center of Hawaii's state government. Favorite sites in the Capitol District include the Hawaii State Capitol, Iolani Palace and Honolulu Hale (City Hall). Close by is Honolulu's Chinatown, an artsy, energetic area that's home to traditional Chinese herbalists, delicious ethnic restaurants and breathtaking Taoist, Buddhist and Shinto temples.