2009 Hawaii/Mainland Conference Returing to Florida

Organizers of the Hawaii Trade Conference/Mainland Edition have finalized an agreement with the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla., to host next year’s industry trade conference. The event will take place April 19-23.

“We had a great turnout in Arizona this year and Fort Lauderdale last year, and there were a number of requests from our regular attendees to bring the show back to an East Coast location for 2009,” said Dean Listle, sports group publisher for F+W Publications, which operates the conference. “The Innisbrook Resort provides us with a great venue for the business aspect of the conference, a beautiful resort for attendees to enjoy, and it’s in a city that can be reached via non-stop flights from most major cities. We’re looking forward to a great turnout again next year.”

The resort is set on 900 wooded acres and 70 acres of lakes and is home to four golf courses, six pools and five restaurants. It’s located 20 miles to the north of Tampa International Airport. The resort’s Copperhead Course plays host to a PGA Tour event each March. The resort also hosted the WNBA Draft this past April.

Special room rates for conference attendees will start at $154 for standard rooms, but attendees will have the option of reserving suites at higher rates. Specific information regarding lodging will be posted in the coming weeks on the conference’s website, www.hawaiitradeconference.com.

Also still to be determined are the specific registration rates for next year. Attendees will again be able to receive discounted Early Bird registration rates. That information will be posted on the website in the coming weeks, as well.

Next year will mark the 24th year of the industry trade conference. It will be the third consecutive year in which the conference has been held on the mainland.