Meetings Today LIVE! Hawai'i Kicks Off at Hilton Waikoloa Village

Waterfall

Attendees from all over flew into Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, this week for Meetings Today LIVE! Hawai'i 2023, and the event is officially underway. Our host hotel, Hilton Waikoloa Village, greeted attendees with authentic Hawaiian leis and front-row seats to a dolphin show before planners boarded one of the resort's four electric duffy boats for a site visit. 

Hilton Waikoloa Village is one of the only hotels in the world that transports guests around the 63-acre property via monorail and boats, said Simon Amos, hotel manager at Hilton Waikoloa Village. When guests are on the property, there's truly no need to leave. 

Following an exciting afternoon, attendees gathered within the resort's 66,000 square feet of indoor meeting space for dinner with a menu highlighting local fare like Hawaiian paella. Entertainment for the evening included authentic Hawaiian hula and fire dancers.

Take a look at a few highlights from the opening reception at Meetings Today LIVE! Hawai'i 2023. 

 

Meetings Today LIVE! Hawai'i 2023 Opening Reception

Waterfall at Hilton Waikoloa Village
Dolphins at Hilton Waikoloa Village
Planners taking a boat tour of Hilton Waikoloa Village
Opening Reception at Hilton Waikoloa Village
The Meetings Today team at Hilton Waikoloa Village
Dancers perform the traditional Hawaiian hula at Hilton Waikoloa Village
Fire dancers at Hilton Waikoloa Village
Hilton Waikoloa Village Sunset
The Meetings Today team at Hilton Waikoloa Village
A hula dancer at Hilton Waikoloa Village

Meetings Today LIVE! Hawai'i 2023 - Day One

Group Photo at Meetings Today LIVE! Hawai'i
Parfaits
Breakfast at Hilton Waikoloa Village
Kainoa Daines (HVCB)
Chefs prepare lunch at Fairmont Orchid Hotel
Lunch at Fairmont Orchid
Planners at Fairmont Orchid
Dinner at Mauna Lani with Sunset
Dinner at Mauna Lani
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About the author
Taylor Smith | Content Manager, Destinations

Taylor Smith serves as content manager, destinations for Meetings Today, where she leads coverage of global meetings destinations as well as the production of the biannual online magazine Incentives Today. She is also author of “The Z: Planning for the Industry’s Next Generation,” an award-winning column examining how Gen Z is influencing the future of meetings, events and workplace culture.

 

Recognized as one of Eventex’s 100 Most Influential People in the Events Industry (2024) and 50 Most Influential People in the U.S. & Canada (2025), Smith has quickly established herself as a leading voice on emerging generational shifts. In 2026, The Z earned a regional Azbee Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors, with national honors pending.

 

In addition to her editorial work for the FOLIO: Eddies Award-winning magazine, Smith is co-host of Meetings Today’s Eventualists podcast, shedding light on the unspoken realities of a career in the events industry through authentic, raw conversations. She is also a frequent speaker, taking the stage at shows including IMEX America, MPI’s World Education Congress and SITE Global, and often appears on prominent industry podcasts and webinars.

 

Based just outside Chicago, Smith brings both professional insight and personal curiosity to her reporting, driven by a passion for the “people-people” nature of the meetings industry.