The Hawaii Tourism Authority and Hawaii Convention Center announced today the securing of agreements with three national sports organizations to host futsal (indoor soccer), basketball and volleyball tournaments played on the Center’s new sports courts, starting this year.
All three tournaments are set to be held in the Hawaii Convention Center’s Kamehameha Exhibit Hall and should collectively attract multitudes of teams of youth players in different age groups from outside the state, accompanied by families and supporters, to compete with teams from within the islands.
The four-year agreement with U.S. Futsal to host the Pacific Futsal Cup, from 2018 to 2021, is the organization’s first international tournament. The three-year agreement with Amateur Athletic Union Basketball, from 2018 to 2020, will bring the Jam on It Pacific Rim Championships to Hawaii. AAU Volleyball, was the first organization to host a tournament on the new sports courts last February featuring hundreds of girls competing in age-group team matches, is returning for a tournament this year.
“The Hawaii Convention Center’s sports courts are proving to be a valuable contributor to our sports marketing strategy for the state, both in motivating groups to come here who might not otherwise do so, and also giving our local teams the opportunity to compete against teams from outside Hawaii without having to travel abroad,” says George D. Szigeti, HTA president and CEO. “Ultimately, the sports courts are helping to support Hawaii’s tourism industry, particularly the service providers that visiting teams rely upon to play in the tournament and enjoy their experience in the islands.”
Introduced in 2017, the fully portable sports courts can be configured to simultaneously stage up to 28 regulation volleyball or badminton matches, 18 high school basketball games or 11 futsal matches. The Center also has a regulation NBA- and NCAA-approved basketball court with a solid wood floor.
In addition to volleyball, basketball, futsal and badminton tournaments, the sports courts can also accommodate events and competitions for wrestling, gymnastics, martial arts, table tennis, dance, cheerleading and group fitness activities. Elevated seating can be added for spectators.
“The sports courts are allowing us to diversify our development of group business opportunities for Hawaii and to help fill hotel room nights by offering a first-class venue to accommodate events with participants from around the world,” says Teri Orton, general manager of the Hawaii Convention Center. “The response from tournament organizers has been very positive and these new agreements to host futsal, basketball and volleyball tournaments in the coming years will help us to attract more events and teams from domestic and international markets.”
In 2017, the Hawaii Convention Center hosted AAU volleyball and basketball tournaments featuring youth teams from outside Hawaii and within the state, as well as the Hoops in Hawaii Holiday Classic Tournament, the first-ever NCAA basketball tournament held at the center.
Because of its new sports courts, the Hawaii Convention Center was recently recognized by SportsEvents “2018 Readers’ Choice Awards” in the categories of “Venues for Youth & Amateur Sports” and “Sports Events Planners & Rights Holders to Watch.” More than 5,000 sports events planners and industry professionals cast votes in determining the winners. SportsEvents Media Group, publisher of SportsEvents magazine, is the industry leader in providing products and services designed to connect sports events organizers with sports commissions, convention and visitors bureaus, hotels, insurance companies and other sports events industry suppliers.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority is responsible for strategically managing the state of Hawaii’s marketing initiatives to support tourism. HTA’s goal is to optimize tourism’s benefits for Hawaii, while being attentive to the interests of travelers, the community and visitor industry. Established in 1998 to support Hawaii’s leading industry and largest employer, HTA continually strives to help ensure the sustainability of tourism’s success. For more info, visit www.hawaiitourismauthority.org.
