Hawaii Convention Center

The Hawai‘i Convention Center is a convention and exhibition center in Hawaii, located in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The Hawaii Convention Center is the largest exhibition center of its type in the state. It is located directly to the west of the Waikiki district of Honolulu, and near the Ala Wai Promenade.

Design and construction

Construction of the building cost $200 million. The building offers Template:Convert of ballroom and exhibition floor space. It was completed in 1997 and opened in 1998. The Hawaii Convention Center is owned by the Hawaii Tourism Authority and managed by Los Angeles based company AEG Live.

The Hawaiʻi Convention Center was the largest "design-build" project undertaken by the State of Hawaiʻi. The bid process for the design began in 1994 with LMN Architects being chosen to design the building. Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo was chosen to design the interior, incorporating historical Hawaiian quilt designs and nature based motifs throughout.

Events

Major events that take place at the Hawaii Convention Center include the annual First Hawaiian International Auto Show, the Miss Hawaii competition, the Honolulu Festival, Kawaii Kon and numerous other public and private events. On November 12–20, 2011, the Hawaii Convention Center hosted the culminating meetings of APEC United States 2011. An estimated 10,000 people arrived in Honolulu for the meetings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The National Transportation Safety Board public hearing on the Korean Air Flight 801 crash in Guam was held at the Hawaii Convention Center on March 24–26, 1998, in Ballrooms A, B, and C.<ref>"PUBLIC HEARING IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTIGATION OF AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT KOREAN AIR FLIGHT 801, B-747-300 AGANA, GUAM AUGUST 6, 1997." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on June 29, 2011.</ref><ref>"PUBLIC HEARING IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTIGATION OF AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT KOREAN AIR FLIGHT 801, B-747-300 AGANA, GUAM AUGUST 6, 1997." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on June 29, 2011.</ref><ref>"THE INVESTIGATION OF KOREAN AIR FLIGHT 801, B-747-300, AGANA, GUAM AUGUST 6, 1997." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on June 29, 2011.</ref>

November 2, 2024 Game Changer Wrestling held a live pay-per-view show at the Convention Center titled HawaiiMania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sporting events

The convention center offers 28 volleyball and badminton courts, 18 basketball courts and 11 futsal (indoor soccer) courts for sports competitions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The 2024 Pokémon World Championships were held at the Convention Center between August 16-18.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was the third video game World Championships held in Hawaii after 2010 and 2012 were held in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii.Template:Citation needed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards

The center has won the Prime Site Award for twelve-year consecutive years.<ref>Prime Site Award Template:Webarchive (Facilities & Destinations Magazine Template:Webarchive; 1999 – 2010)</ref> In 2010, it won an Inner Circle Award in the category of "Top Convention Centers".<ref>Association Meetings Template:Webarchive magazine, 2010</ref> The Center won a "Best in Business Travel" award in the category of "Best Conference or Convention Center/City"<ref>Business Traveler Template:Webarchive magazine; 2009, 2010, 2011</ref>Template:Better source needed The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) voted the Hawai‘i Convention Center as the most beautiful convention center in the world.Template:Citation needed

In popular culture

In the television show Lost, the convention center was used to portray Sydney Airport in multiple instances. It was also featured in an episode of the new Hawaii Five-0 as hosting a fictional convention similar to San Diego Comic-Con.

It was also used as the Hilton Hotel Lobby and Monorail Station in Jurassic World (2015).