Deep Diving & Marketing in the Maui Nui Visitor Industry

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Maui Arts & Cultural Center

This workshop focuses on helping businesses and organizations who either want to work in- or currently work in Hawaiʻi’s visitor industry deep dive into marketing to and within the industry throughout Maui Nui including the islands of Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi. The panel featured marketing experts from across Hawaiʻi to demonstrate a variety of marketing tools and techniques to spark ideas and engage discussions about marketing to and within the Maui Nui visitor industry.

This workshop was initially held in-person on Maui and invited attendees to take advantage of opportunities beyond this panel discussion to network with and build relationships with businesses and entities that offered various marketing services or connections, such as moʻolelo building, website development, cultural appropriateness, and many more.

The topics covered in this workshop included:

  • Audience Capture - drifting off of your own integrity to what you THINK your audience wants

  • Incorporation of community and the people from the place into your mission, your business, your organization, everything you do

  • What does a regenerative Hawaiʻi look like and how does the visitor fit into that?

  • How to market your experience or business throughout the industry

  • Asking the community - what is best for you? Aloha includes the visitor - hosting and reciprocity as a value has always included the visitor

  • Innovation is here. That knowledge is homegrown. But, we need jobs or those innovators here.

Speakers Profiles

Colleen Ching

Director of Development, Gray Media Group

Colleen Ching is the Director of Development at Hawaii News Now representing KGMB (CBS), KHNL(NBC), K5 (Independent), KSIX (Telemundo), Hawaii News Now digital and Gray Digital Media. She currently leads Hawaii News Now’s efforts in developing non-traditional partnerships in the business community, including partnerships in Japan.

Over her career, Colleen has led the development and execution of communication and marketing plans for tentpole community events such as the Honolulu Marathon, Merrie Monarch Festival, Fest Pac Hawaii and the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest.

Kainoa Horcajo

Principal Owner, The Moʻolelo Group

Kainoa focuses on sharing and building cultural competency in organizations and businesses through training, strategic consulting, and experience design. By applying traditional narratives and innovative indigenous philosophies, in ways both deep yet approachable for today’s audience, he creates meaningful experiences for his clients and the community. Derived from a native worldview and highly localized sense of place, he creates mo’olelo (stories and traditions) for his clients that help them shine.

Kauʻi Kanakaʻole

Executive Director, Ala Kukui

As Ala Kukui’s Executive Director, Kau‘i Kanaka‘ole is a kumu hula of her own Hālau O Nakaulakuhikuhi in Hāna. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and has 14 years of teaching experience, including 11 years at Hāna School. She was born in Hilo, and raised in Hāna, and maintains extensive ties to the community. She teaches Native Hawaiian arts and English, and has been awarded a sponsorship by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to write a book on choreographic theories and the practices of kumu hula, Nālani Kanaka’ole.

Dan Logtenberg

President, Maui Marketing

A veteran of the tourism industry for 25+ years, Daniel has partnered with some of the world’s best in travel, spanning the Pacific from Canada to New Zealand. As former Treasurer and currently President of STAH, winner of Hawaii’s Green Business Award, and lobbyist for the Reef Safe Sunscreen law, his dedication to eco-tourism and sustainability is ongoing. Currently VP at Hawaii Tours, Daniel is working to bring more benefits back to Hawaii by building careers that pay living wages to our local travel workforce.

Moderator Profile

Rebecca J.ʻI. Soon

Chief Operating Officer, Solutions Pacific & President, Ward Research

Rebecca has served a majority of her career in different roles as an advocate for under-served and under-represented populations, a bridge builder between the public and private sectors and the community, and a translator between key stakeholders throughout Hawaiʻi. A Lawyer, a Planner, and a Researcher by training, her work is driven by kuleana to leverage these tools to help ignite systematic change within Hawaiʻi’s communities.

Resources

Maui Nui Marketing Workshop Informational Packet

What is the FTA program?

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