Registration Open for MNHCoC Business Fest

MNHCoC Business Fest protocols begin at dawn on Wailea Beach. Photo provided by the Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce.

The Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce will explore the intersection between conservation and business at its 9th Annual Business Fest on Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, at the Grand Wailea Resort.

This years theme is “Pono: Environmental and Social Values in Business.”

“Tourism continues to be the driving force behind Hawai‘is economy and the recent series of tropical storms remind us that climate change is a very real threat to our future as one of the world’s top destinations,” said MNHCoC President Doreen “Pua” Canto. “Our ancestors understood that balance between environment and economy was necessary to ensure a prosperous future. This biz fest will encourage discussion about how this cultural value is expressed in the 21st century.”

MNHCoC Business Fest protocols begin at dawn on Wailea Beach. MNHCoC photo.

To honor both Mother Earth and female leadership, sunrise protocol on Wailea Beach will feature wahine cultural practitioners arriving in double-hulled canoes powered by all-female paddlers. The women will offer ho‘okupu (gifts of nature) to representatives of the ahupua‘a of Pae‘ahu before proceeding to the Haleakalā Ballroom for a light breakfast and conference opening ceremonies.

When the program begins at 7:45 a.m., guests will enjoy a special hula performance by Hālau Ke‘alaokamaile, Kumu Hula Keali‘i Reichel, followed by a welcome from Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa, Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Carmen Hulu Lindsey and MNHCoC President Doreen “Pua” Canto.

MNHCoCs past president Kai Pelayo will serve as master of ceremonies.

Chipper Wichman. Photo provided by MNHCoC.

Chipper Wichman, president and CEO of the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kaua‘i is the opening keynote speaker. He led the successful effort to entice the IUCN World Conservation Congress to convene in Hawai‘i in September 2016. His session will be followed by the panel discussion, “Why Conservation is Good for Business,” featuring business and conservation professionals Rob Parsons, Penny Levin, John DeFries and Wes Crile. Ramsay Taum will serve as moderator.

‘Aulani Wilhelm. Photo provided by MNHCoC.

The Lunch Keynote Speaker is ‘Aulani Wilhelm, founder of Island Water, director of Ocean Initiatives Program for NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and a social innovation fellow of Stanford University. She will speak on balance between commerce, culture, conservation and community.

In between sessions, attendees are encouraged to visit the exhibit area featuring displays by MNHCoC members, spanning health and wellness, community and social services, cultural practitioners, business consultants, designers, artists, restaurants, retail and more.

Ramsay Taum is MNHCoC’s Business Fest closing speaker. MNHCoC photo.

Closing Speaker Ramsay Taum will summarize the day’s learning with his talk, “Hawaiian Values in the Workplace.”

The festiveal will conclude around 3:30 p.m. with a Pau Hana reception featuring the music of Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning Ikaika Blackburn and Friends.

As part of the MNHCoC’s commitment to the next generation of business leaders, 50 students from Kamehameha Schools Maui and King Kekaulike High School will receive scholarships to attend this event.

Event sponsors enable free admission to all sessions except for the Keynote Luncheon; the meal cost is $55 per person. Space is limited; registration by Oct. 18 is mandatory. To register or for more information, go online.

The 9th Annual Business Fest is hosted by Grand Wailea and funded by an Ahahui Grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and presented by NextEra Energy Hawai‘i LLC and the Alexander & Baldwin Foundation.

Supporting sponsors are the Maui County Office of Economic Development, Dowling Company Inc., Goodfellow/Pacific Rim Land, Inc., Auwahi Wind Energy LLC, DeCoite Trucking, First Hawaiian Bank, Matson Foundation, Maui Electric Company, Munekiyo & Hiraga and Dorvin D. Leis Inc. In-kind supporters include Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co., Maui Tropical Plantation, E Ola Pono LLC, A Big Wow, Na Mea Hawai‘i and Honu Publications.

To learn moreThe Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, go online.