Honolulu Travel and Things to Do Guide

Searching for a space to bring your Honolulu meeting planning together? 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, National Pest Management Association, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and IUCN World Conservation Congress.

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 14 consecutive Prime Site Awards from Facilities & Destinations magazine. Aside from being beautiful, the convention center features nearly 200,000 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 resort area, 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 Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) is undergoing a 12-year, $2.3 billion modernization plan to upgrade passenger terminals, infrastructure, runways and security services. Completed upgrades include new flight display monitors, additional food and beverage vendors, a new centralized rental car facility and a new parking garage. Oahu 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 the city of Honolulu has the lowest rate of violent crime of any U.S. city with more than 390,738 people. The island of Oahu 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 frequently ranks among the top destinations for leisure travel in the U.S., and is a locale that entices droves of event attendants and Oahu meeting planning professionals.

Oahu'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.