Successful Meetings - December 2008 - (Page 48L)

Maui KAPALUA LAHAINA Outdoor Paradise or many Americans, “Hawaii” equals “Maui.” From images on television and the movies, we recognize the 10,000-foot Haleakala Crater, the scenic 53-mile Hana highway, the migrating whales, and the charming town of Lahaina—and equate it all with fun and relaxation. But that’s not all: The island is well-equipped with resorts that offer up the finest amenities and facilities. “We looked at various islands for our meeting,” says Kristi Mirocha, owner of Journeys and Gatherings, an independent meeting planning company in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, about an association meeting held at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. “For this group, Maui had that perfect combination of a feeling of paradise along with the first-rate facilities.” That’s no surprise to Terryl Vencl, executive director of the Maui Visitors Bureau. “One of the key things about Maui is that it’s somewhere between a cosmopolitan feel and a rural environment,” she says. “We have all the amenities that groups want, but there’s still a lot of small town aspects and a sense of being away from it all.” Mirocha says the program was “scaled differently than usual,” specifically to allow more free time to attendees because of the exotic and unique nature of the meeting site. A day of activities at the beginning offered three day-trip options that allowed smaller groups to experience different attractions and network: the Maui Ocean Center aquarium, a snorkel cruise, and a flight to Honolulu on Oahu to see Pearl Harbor and other attractions there. Just three miles from Lahaina is Kaanapali, another major resort area and F AY Haleakala State Park WAILEA HANA the first planned resort destination in the islands. Several first-rate hotels cluster in Kaanapali, including the 510-room Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa, where groups can get a taste of the real Hawaii every night at sundown when a young cliff diver takes a breathtaking dive from Black Rock into the surf below. Other hotels at the resort include the 806-room Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, with over 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space; the 758-room Westin Maui, with an 87,000square-foot aquatic playground with five pools and a waterslide, along with water- Find your happy place. 10 DECEMBER 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS http://www.PrinceResortsHawaii.com/Meetings http://www.PrinceResortsHawaii.com/Meetings

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - December 2008

Successful Meetings - December 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
Corporate Events
On the Record
Calendar
Research
Planner Spotlight
Personal Success
Technology Talk
Food & Beverage
Professional Development
Quick Tip
Tools of the Trade
On Site: Retire Those Tired Power-Point Slides
On Site: 12 Tips for Thriving on a South African Safari
Deep Impact
Recession-Friendly Speakers
Showing Off
Hawaii Insert
Places & Spaces
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Fort Worth
South Florida
Beijing
Gurus

Successful Meetings - December 2008