SITE Classic on Maui celebrates a week of connection and giving

More than 280 senior incentive travel professionals gathered for three days at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua for a SITE Classic leadership summit.

Originally a fundraiser for the SITE Foundation, SITE Classic has evolved into a summit focused on connection, learning, and cultural discovery, guided this year by Hawaiian values and SITE’s pillars of connect, learn, discover and shape.

Hosted on the island of Maui, this year’s program blended high-impact education with immersive destination experiences. Highlights included a first look at insights from the 2025 Incentive Travel Index, roundtable discussions, and a co-created playbook capturing practical actions for the year ahead.

Tuesday’s education presentation featured a “seed the future” activity, designed to protect Maui’s watershed.

“This week in Maui reminded us that incentive travel is at its best when it builds genuine relationships and leaves a positive legacy,” said SITE CEO Annette Gregg. “Hawai‘i’s values of mindful meetings and the spirit of mālama, caring for each other and for the land, were woven through the program, showing how incentives in Hawai‘i can be both rewarding and responsible. We are grateful to our partners, buyers and suppliers, and the local community who welcomed us. SITE Classic has evolved to become a powerful thought leadership summit, and the energy and ideas shared here will carry through to shape meaningful incentive programs around the world.”

A signature element of SITE Classic is its companion fundraising activities led by SITE Foundation. This year’s live and silent auctions raised $295,000, fueling the Foundation’s work to strengthen the industry, people and careers across the incentive industry.

“SITE Classic is generosity in action. Funds raised here translate directly into scholarships, new research, chapter and industry grants, and industry relief support that keeps talented people engaged and growing in the incentive profession,” said Rhonda Brewer, SITE Foundation President. “Thank you to every bidder, donor, and partner for continuing to make a tangible difference.”

“The incentive market creates meaningful opportunities to deepen relationships between visitors and our island home, fostering economic vitality while integrating cultural education and environmental stewardship,” said Lynn Whitehead, vice president of Global MCI Sales & Marketing for Meet Hawai‘i. “Programs like SITE Classic demonstrate how purpose-driven gatherings can strengthen these important connections, inviting participants to learn more about our culture, and restore our environment through seed planting and reforestation. We are grateful to SITE for choosing to gather here on Maui with intention.”

“Mahalo to our headline partners, Meet Hawai‘i, MC&A, our local DMC partner, and our host hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, for helping us deliver a program that was both rewarding and responsible,” concludes SITE CEO Annette Gregg. “Their leadership embodies the destination’s legacy as a leading incentive location and its commitment to mindful meetings, sustainability, and the spirit of mālama. Together, we showed how incentive travel in Hawai‘i can connect people to culture, contribute to community, and send participants home transformed by the journey.”