The Hawaii Convention Center (HCC), USA, says it is ready to welcome guests again with new health and safety protocols adopted for meetings and an easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
Effective 11 March, 2021, the City & County of Honolulu eased Covid-19 restrictions for the Island of Oahu to allow for select gatherings, meetings and events under the Tier 3 reopening strategy.
Tier 3 allows venues such as convention centers, third-party conference room providers, and banquet halls to host low-risk structured events.
Travel to Hawaii from other US states is allowed with a confirmed negative Covid PCR test.
The HCC has introduced new technologies and food and beverage options, and revised layouts for socially distanced gatherings. Over the past year, the HCC has implemented health and safety measures led by ASM Global’s Venue Shield programme. This includes:
- Enhanced cleaning and sanitation and the use of electrostatic sprayers
- The installation of thermal cameras and touchless temperature checks;
- The use of personal protective equipment (PPE);
- Modified food and beverage operations, including fresh, individually packaged meals and snacks;
- Increased availability of hand-sanitiser dispensers;
- Contactless transactions, special signage and social-distancing guidelines.
The Center has also developed new virtual meetings packages to allow guests to attend meetings remotely, including an array of turnkey video-production services, webinar and live-stream production, and hybrid meeting design and execution across a variety of popular virtual platforms.
“We are excited to welcome guests back to Hawaii with the legendary Aloha spirit and service that sets us apart as a productive, relaxed and enjoyable place to conduct business,” says Teri Orton, general manager of the HCC.
While conferences have not been possible to host during the pandemic, the Center has been working with state agencies to provide space for services such as unemployment claims processing for the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Covid-19 contact tracing for the Hawaii Department of Health, and vote counting for Hawaii’s Office of Elections. The Center also implemented a programme of repairs and upgrades throughout the building.
In September 2020 and February 2021, the State Judiciary selected the Center for the Hawaii Bar Exam.
Visit HawaiiConvention.com for update. The Center’s interactive virtual map offers a 3D tour of rooms and facilities.
The HCC is a state-owned facility opened in 1998, and is located close to 30,000 hotel rooms in iconic Waikiki. It is managed by ASM Global.
