Funding Available to Enter “Made in Hawaii” Product Show

County of Maui News Release
If you have a locally-made product you would like to showcase in the “Made in Hawaii” festival but do not have the funds to pay for an exhibit, assistance is available. Funding is being offered for locally-made product companies in Maui, Molokai and Lanai to exhibit at the Made in Hawaii Festival, announced the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and INNOVATE Hawaii. The festival will be held August 16-18 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Exhibition Hall & Arena on Oahu.

The festival is a three-day showcase of “Made in Hawaii” products including food, books, art, gifts, fashions, plants, crafts, produce and more. The festival provides high visibility to producers of local products, and regularly attracts over 30,000 attendees each year. This year marks the 19th annual festival and is expected to be another record year for attendance.

This year the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development (OED) and INNOVATE Hawaii are offering assistance for four Molokai, Maui County-made product companies to exhibit at the festival. Packages include free ½ booth space plus a minimum stipend of $1,000 for companies that meet the festival qualifications.

All interested companies must qualify under the Made in Hawaii Festival rules (MadeInHawaiiFestival.com) and fill out the application packet available at the Maui County Business Resource Center (MCBRC) at the Maui Mall and the Kuha`o Business Center on Molokai. The application packet is also available online at mauicounty.gov/MCBRC.

Application packets can be picked up at the Kuha`o Business Center on Molokai, from June 3 through June 19. The deadline for applications is June 19 at 4 p.m. For more information call the Kuha`o Business Center at 553-8100 and make an appointment to sit down and visit with Jennifer Hawkins, Small Business Advocate at the center.

“We are pleased to partner with INNOVATE Hawaii to encourage our local companies to participate in this lucrative show,” said Teena Rasmussen, OED director. “Approximately 38,000 people attend the show and are ready to buy. In addition, there are many buyers and distributors who come to find new products. Our neighbor island companies deserve to be represented in this show, which can be very expensive. This program will help make it affordable for them to participate.”

“It’s always great to have a positive spotlight on Molokai and through this program, four Molokai businesses will have the opportunity to shine. Priority will be given to those businesses who have never exhibited at the event,” said Hawkins

INNOVATE Hawaii is a program of the High Technology Development Corporation (HTDC), an agency of the State of Hawaii. For more information, visit htdc.org/innovatehawaii.