First Friday in Honolulu

If you’re planning a trip to Hawai’i for business or pleasure, consider coming during the first part of any month. That’s when downtown Honolulu hosts First Friday, a social, cultural, and business networking event held on the first Friday of every month from 5-9 p.m. Art galleries, restaurants, and businesses open their doors, and wonderful exhibits and free entertainment feature Hawai’ian artists and musicians.

Begin at the Hawai’i State Art Museum and view The Art of Hawai'i, an exhibition featuring two- and three-dimensional works by more than 250 Hawai'i-based artists with inspirational themes steeped in Hawaiian and Asian cultural traditions. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.hawaii.gov/sfca.

Work your way up Hotel Street towards Chinatown to the Gateway Marketplace and support local small businesses at the Hawai’i Women’s Business Center (www.hwbc.org). They showcase all manner of goods: handcrafted jewelry, all-natural spa products, Hawai’ian crafts, clothing, yummy food, and more.

Move on from there to the many restaurants and art galleries, and then to the Hawai’i Theatre. The atmosphere is fun and festive. In fact, there is so much to do, it can get confusing. That’s why local business consultant Ernest Abrams decided to build a website based on his custom web and database technology to provide a free resource for anyone interested in what First Friday has to offer. The site is http://firstfridayhawaii.com and it has the scoop on everything from exhibits to special coupon deals to where to park.

Ernest is the owner of MacBusiness Consulting (www.macbusiness.com) and has been in business in Hawai’i for thirteen years. He offers his clients internet and database solutions that are creative and yet efficient and cost-effective. Ernest is not officially affiliated with First Friday, but he maintains the website as a free resource for the community. According to Ernest, “Volunteerism is a great way to connect with people and give something back at the same time.” He says he’s met hundreds of people through the free website—people he would not have had the opportunity to meet through other means.

The ease with which Ernest maintains the site is amazing when you consider that he also runs another free community website devoted specifically to the thriving neighborhood of Kaimuki, a few miles northeast of Waikiki (www.kaimukihawaii.com).This is a great place to learn what’s new in the community, in both the public and private sectors.

I use both websites often to keep up-to-date on my friends and business contacts in Kaimuki and on those who participate in First Friday. I’m a staunch supporter of First Friday because it’s a great place to network. I’ve been going for several months now as an exhibitor and a patron. The contacts I’ve made there are developing into true friendships and solid business connections.

For me, First Friday is no ordinary “trade show” event. It is a quick and effective way to take the pulse of the community—to find out first-hand what they like and don’t like and to adjust my marketing plans accordingly. It also gives me a chance to meet other business owners and to find out what networking events they attend and why. First Friday keeps me in the loop, and I can’t imagine missing it.

So by all means come to Hawai’i. Bask on the beaches, learn the hula, attend a luau, and buy lots of souvenirs. Those are all good. But do yourself a favor and schedule your trip so you can attend First Friday and enjoy the best in Hawaiian culture, music, and art, and connect with the real Hawaiian community—the way we locals do.

Contact Sandy at SandyM@TheNationalNetWorker.com or TNNW Blog.