Hawaii wedding professionals took an afternoon off of work to get together, exercise, and hang out in the inaugural unofficial OWA/NACE Hawaii Wedding Industry Bike Ride last Wednesday, July 30. Starting at 6:00pm in the parking lot of Kapiolani Community College, riders rode out to Portlock before turning around and getting back right at sunset. Dinner and networking followed at Diamond Head Market & Grill.
The ride started promptly at 6:00pm with Brad Buckles (former NACE Hawaii member and show producer of Hawaii Bridal Expo) and photographer Eugene Kam leading a breakaway of the faster riders. Marino M. Regalado (NACE Hawaii member and professional Master of Ceremonies with Ninja Entertainment) set a comfortable pace for the rest of the group. Throughout the ride, participants laughed, talked stories, and had a great time.
After the ride, several riders met at Diamond Head Market & Grill for dinner and networking. Brad shared stories about producing the Hawaii Bridal Expo, explaining how challenging and rewarding the process can be. Marino & Eugene shared ideas on how to find a balance between running successful Hawaii wedding businesses and making time for fitness. Everyone had a laugh as we all shared stories about recent “bridezilla” weddings & events.
To those of you who came to the innaugural ride, THANK YOU! It was great riding with you. Stayed tuned here for more info on the next ride!
Michael Rabe, NACE Hawaii member and President of Creations in Catering, a full-service catering company, invites you a “Retro Rock Hawaiian Style Event” next Friday, July 31, at the Dole Ballrooms. Mike’s old band Natural High will headline a night of fun and excitement. Also appearing on stage will be Shining Star with Annette Oasay and the electrifying Hard 2 Oppose (H2O).
This will be Natural High’s first public appearance together on stage in over 30 years!
Doors open at 5:30pm, dinner begins at 6pm. Tickets are $55 presale, $65 at the door, and includes admission and a great local style buffet. You can also pre-purchase a table of ten for your friends, coworkers, employees, or favorite clients for $500.
Jerry Omo, owner of HawaiianPix (a Hawaii wedding photography company) recently got back into cycling as a way of staying fit and getting exercise. One day not too long ago, he posted some ride data on Facebook. Marino Regalado, Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies with Ninja Entertainment and a NACE Hawaii member, commented that there’s actually a good number of cyclists and bike riders in the Hawaii wedding industry. Jerry asked if anyone ever organized a group ride. Marino said not yet.
So here’s your invitation to an organized wedding/special events industry group ride. Whether you are a serious cyclist or just ride for fun and fitness, you are welcome to join in on the fun!
When is it? Wednesday, July 29, starting at 6:00pm. If there’s enough interest, we may make it a monthly thing, and eventually a weekly thing.
Where do we meet? Meet at the parking lot of Kapiolani Community College at 5:45pm. We roll out at 6:00pm.
What’s the route, and how easy/difficult is it?
As a starting ride, this one is super-duper easy. It’s relatively FLAT with only one “major” uphill section on the return ride.
Launching from KCC, you head DOWNHILL along Diamond Head Road to Kahala Avenue.
Take a left on Kahala Avenue and ride it to Kealaolu Street. It’s the street right before the Waialae Country Club and Kahala Resort.
Take a left on to Kealaolu Street and ride it all the way. Pull into the service station on your left. THIS IS OUR FIRST REGROUP.
When everyone is together, we depart the station and travel along Kalanianaole Hwy to Portlock. After the bridge just past Keahole Drive, turn right into Portlock. THIS WILL BE THE TURNAROUND.
Once everyone’s together, we ride through Portlock, get back on Kalanianaole Hwy, and go back. Just past Hawaii Kai Drive and all the way until you get to Kalani High School, there’s usually a nice tailwind to push you along.
Take a left on to Kilauea Avenue and pull into the Olive Tree parking lot. THIS IS THE SECOND REGROUP.
Get back on to Kilauea Avenue and turn left on to 22nd Avenue. At the end of this section is probably the most challenging part of the ride: it’s all uphill to the finish at KCC. But it’s not that bad, and you’ll feel good when you finish it.
Take a right on to Diamond Head Road. You’re a block away from KCC, almost to the finish line!
Arrive at KCC and congratulate yourself for a great ride.
To make this ride safe and enjoyable for everyone, there are a few RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS to participate.
HELMETS ARE MANDATORY. No helmet, no ride, NO EXCEPTIONS.
The sun will set around 7:20pm, but just in case you get caught out in the dark, bring some lights (“blinkies”) for you and your bike.
Bring enough water to keep you hydrated throughout the ride, and enough energy gels/bars/sports drinks to keep you from “bonking” (running out of energy).
Bring a cell phone, just in case you run into difficulty/mechanical problem and need to call someone to drop back and help you. A few of the more serious riders can help you change a tire or offer you an extra powerbar if you need help.
Bring some money, if you care to join in for a post-ride dinner at Diamond Head Grill on Monsarrat Avenue and Campbell Avenue.
Bring a good attitude!
RIDE AT YOUR OWN PACE. This is not a race, and you’re not going to win any medals, sprint points, yellow jerseys, or the Tour de France for being the first one at the regroups or turnaround. You want to get to a regroup and the finish still feeling good and with some reserve in the tank.
Having said that, THIS IS A NO-DROP RIDE, meaning that you will not get left behind. We wait until everyone is at the regroup area before we continue. (It also gives riders a chance to catch their breath if they’ve been riding hard.)
If you want to get back into fitness but haven’t found the right group of friends to do it with, join in on the fun! We’re all busy wedding & special event professionals, so we totally understand how busy work can get, and how easy it is to put off your workout. So make time for yourself. We’ll see you on Wednesday!
Your clients will find many photographers, videographers, DJs, Masters of Ceremonies, caterers, coordinators, and other wedding professionals for their Hawaii wedding, including many from NACE Hawaii.
And if you’re free with no events this weekend, come on down to network, hang out, and show support for your fellow NACE Hawaii members!
We’ve all come across customers at one time or another who try to negotiate your rate and services, and while there’s nothing wrong with giving your clients a “special discount,” sometimes customers will try to take it too far:
Remember:
Your clients are not just paying for the product or service rendered; they are also investing in your time, talent, and experience, as well as your staff’s time, talent, and experience, in order to give them (the customer) a great experience.
NACE Hawaii had its monthly meeting last Tuesday, July 14, at the Hale Koa Hotel, and it was a good one. Group discussions on Facebook, Twitter, and traditional marketing were the topic of the day, and many great ideas were shared and developed.
Dianna Shitanishi with Hawaii Weddings & Events shares an idea about using Facebook for marketing.
In addition, Susan O’Donnell, fundraising co-chair and the owner of Aloha Wedding Planners, talked about the recent Tasty Travels fundraiser, and how it helped to benefit NACE Hawaii educational initiatives, Hawaii Meals on Wheels, and local restaurants.
The meeting had its share of fun, as guests mingled and networked after the formal program ended, and as the delicious pupu (appetizer) dinner was served.
Special thanks to the following for helping to make this event a success:
Dora Young, catering sales manager at the Hale Koa Hotel, for graciously hosting the meeting, providing the ono (delicious) meal, and taking care of us;
Just a reminder: this month’s NACE Hawaii meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 14, at the Hale Koa Hotel. Tonight’s topic is a roundtable discussion of Facebook, Twitter, and new social media & networking.
Registration & networking starts at 6pm, with the formal program beginning at 6:30pm.
Last Tuesday, July 7, your NACE Hawaii board of directors met at the Hawaii Prince Hotel in Waikiki. It was a very productive meeting. The board discussed upcoming NACE Hawaii meetings to finalize the menus, speakers, topics, and audiovisual requirements. The board also spoke about the recent Tasty Travels fundraiser. Thanks to YOUR hard work, the association was able to raise enough funds to give to Meals on Wheels as well as to fund educational initiatives for members! So on behalf of the board,
Thank you!
Your kokua (help) is very much appreciated.
After the formal meeting ended, the conversations continued at the lounge in the hotel lobby, where the board shared some stories and delicious pupu (appetizers).
Your NACE Hawaii Board of Directors will be meeting this Tuesday, July 7 at the Hawaii Prince Hotel. Please meet around 6:30pm in the lobby, and you will be escorted to the meeting room by your gracious host Linda Leung.
Even if you aren’t a board member, come on down and help decide the future of your NACE Hawaii organization! Topics expected to be discussed include upcoming fundraisers, future meetings, and the program for the next general meeting on Tuesday, July 14. We would love to have your input.
Afterward, join some of us as we get together for drinks and pupu (appetizers) at the Reef Lounge in the hotel lobby.
I have many friends on my Facebook personal page, but I have one friend in particular who I will talk about. (Don’t worry, he’s not a NACE Hawaii member…but he is a Hawaii wedding/special event “professional.”)
On his Facebook page, he usually writes about his personal exploits, drinking, and sometimes work. A recent sampling of his updates:
yes, 10 coors light beer just gave me a buzz, meannnnn, I’m officially will drink Coors from now on and relax on heiny’s, what u think……
to all my facebooker: I got streetfighter, transformers, angels & deamons, fast & furious, & hangover on DVD, if you want a copy holla at me, it’s a one time early christmas present to you all, just send me your address or whatever, I’ll ship it for free, just buy me beer if I see u in the club!!! K K Byeeee!!!
Will Jump From Transformers To Hangover, Gonna Get My Moneys Worth, Never Thought Movies Cost This Much Especially The Snacks…WTF!!!!
LMAO!! Freaking Wedding Party Is Nutzz… Get These Filipino Group With One African Guy Doing The Philippine Prison Dance Routine To MJ Song Thriller!!! So F**king Funny, First Time I Sen This Sh*t Live!!
These are taken word-for-word from his Facebook page, with only minor editing on the last one to censor the explicit language.
His commenters can be just as bad. In a recent update, one of his friends replied with a Filipino phrase meaning human excrement.
Now he’s a great guy. I know him personally, and that’s how he and his friends usually act in person. But if I were a Facebook user who had never heard of him and came upon his page, I would be horrified. My first impression of him would be that he is uncouth, a drunk, and I would certainly not want to have him at my wedding or special event, no matter how good or talented he is. After all, if this is how he acts online, will he be like this at my event? Will he talk to me like this and act like this during the planning process? Is he reliable?
Here’s another thing: in addition to running his own company, my friend also works as an audiovisual tech for one of the largest AV companies in Hawaii. If you were the owner of the AV company, would you tolerate such language and behavior from your employees? Even if my friend acts like this and does this on his own time, isn’t it still a reflection of you and your business?
Here’s the bottom line:
How you act online is a reflection of how you are seen in person.
Remember that perception is reality: if you present yourself as drunk and uncouth online, that’s what people are going to think of you (and your business) in person. If you present yourself as professional, that’s the impression your prospects will see. If you try to do both (as in a very professional homepage, but a very “ghetto” personal Facebook page), you simply create brand confusion among your potential clients.
After the ride, several riders met at Diamond Head Market & Grill for dinner and networking. Brad shared stories about producing the Hawaii Bridal Expo, explaining how challenging and rewarding the process can be. Marino & Eugene shared ideas on how to find a balance between running successful Hawaii wedding businesses and making time for fitness. Everyone had a laugh as we all shared stories about recent “bridezilla” weddings & events.
Michael Rabe, NACE Hawaii member and President of 
Jerry Omo, owner of 
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I have many friends on my Facebook personal page, but I have one friend in particular who I will talk about. (Don’t worry, he’s not a NACE Hawaii member…but he is a Hawaii wedding/special event “professional.”)