Hawai‘i tourism at SXSW sydney

The event started with a fashion breakfast with fashion media and students who came to listen to Kumu Micah Kamohoalii and First Nations activist and model Samantha Harris and also to watch a fashion show with Micah’s designs.

Then in the afternoon, we hosted media and travel industry professionals for a panel discussion on the importance of the inclusion of an indigenous voice in the tourism industry. This included Kumu Micah Kamohoalii and Director of Regions at Māori Tourism, Matt Ammunson-Fyall.

During the day and throughout the evening, the venue was open to SXSW pass holders so that they could experience Hawaiian food, music and hula. Throughout the day a Hawaiian rum tasting was also available with a selection of Koloa Rum Company rums and a host giving an insight into the history of rum in Hawaiʻi.

overview

Conceptualisng the event ideas, content and theme
Securing participants for all three elements of the event - the fashion breakfast, panel discussion and rum tasting
Project management including all communication with internal and external stakeholders
Securing Hawaiian made products
Securing post-event media coverage

our role

The highlight of this event was a panel discussion with the goal of bringing together indigenous representatives from the Hawaiian Islands, Australia and Aotearoa - three destinations with extraordinarily rich indigenous cultures and traditions - for an important discussion about the value of indigenous tourism.

the objective

The vision for the event was to showcase Hawai‘i's unique culture, indigenous fashion and local cuisine, exploring how this adds depth to the visitor experience. This project was in partnership with Brand USA, Visit California, Visit Austin, Travel Texas, and Explore Louisiana.