The annual Made in Hawaiʻi Festival recently completed its three-day run at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center, and organizers are calling it a success.
The numbers back that up.
Last year’s festival drew 49,000 attendees and about 450 local vendors. This year, more than 70,000 people attended from Aug. 23 to Aug. 25, visiting more than 700 vendors.
This 30th annual installment was hosted by the Hawaiʻi Food Industry Association. Many of the local businesses displaying products were in the food industry, while others brought apparel, jewelry, home decor and other products.
For the vendors, the festival is an investment.
Booths in the general floor section ranged from about $900 to nearly $2,300. Premier placement and sponsorship packages approached $7,000.
Organizers told PBN that 20% of the vendors flew in from Neighbor Islands.
Vendors can sell products at the event, though final revenue figures aren’t yet available.
Besides being seen by tens of thousands of kama‘āina, vendors also benefit from access to more than 1,500 retail buyers who can get those products onto store shelves.
