So I learned and observed a few things at [re]think Hawaii, but now it’s time for some uncomfortable questions about the conference that left me confused.

Where’s the Hawaii in [re]think Hawaii?

At the outset, I had the expectation that [re]think Hawaii would focus on Hawaii and look at how our islands can be re-thought with respect to startups/entrepeneurs, environmental sustainability, and social media. Of course, my immediate assumption was of major representation from Hawaii in these areas along with international experts lending their experienced views.

The attendee list showed significant Hawaii participation, but my surprise upon arriving at the conference? More not from Hawaii than from Hawaii. Yes, confusing. This was [re]think Hawaii, wasn’t it? I had to re-examine the intent of [re]think Hawaii, and the event is described accordingly:

At [Re]Think: Hawaii, a group of amazing people will be retreating from the day to day that conforms their thinking and venture outside of their digital ponds to meet offline in Hawaii.

There really is no inference that the event is targeted for Hawaii per se, just that it is held in Hawaii to connect:

entrepreneurs and investors during a series of panels, lunches, excursions, dinners, cocktails and aloha style exchange of ideas and relationship building in Hawaii.

So with regards to making connections and building relationships, [re]think Hawaii met its goal. However…

I would have appreciated more Hawaii representation, both as presenters and attendees. Where were Hawaii’s social media pioneers, @hawaii and @bytemarks? Wouldn’t you think @hawaii would be at [re]think Hawaii? There were a few conference go-ers from Bytemarks’ Top Social Media Geeks in Hawaii list, and Hawaii’s aloha ambassador, @alohabruce, was engendering the Hawaii way. But there should have been more. And this is where it gets messy. Why weren’t there more people from Hawaii? One main reason was the conference cost. Daily admission went for just under $300, the entire week for $1300. Luckily discounts were available and for disclosure purposes, my invitation to [re]think Hawaii from @NEENZ came with a $100 discount. I wouldn’t have gone without this discount, and even then I hesitated. It’s my simple belief that more didn’t attend purely because of the cost.

So what about [re]think presenters from Hawaii? Again, I only attended Day 3 Blogworld Social Media Business Summit, and for that day, there were three Hawaii panelists (Nathan Kam, Neenz Faleafine, and Jay Talwar) who participated in the Basics of Social Media and Participatory Marketing. That’s it.

The counter point is should and could there be more [re]think representation from Hawaii? Should, yes. Could, not yet. At this point, I doubt Hawaii could have presented a delegation to match the expertise and experience of the [re]think presenters and attendees. Don’t get me wrong. Hawaii has passionate people fighting for their causes, and I have no doubt their passion rivals that of Jill Buck, Amanda Rose, and others. But as far as launching successful national and global campaigns, Hawaii does not lead the way.

Was It Worth It?

As I mentioned above, I struggled with the cost of attending [re]think Hawaii. Even at the discounted rate of $200, that is costly for one day at a conference. What convinced me to attend was the caliber of people. Known names were attending and when else would these names be available in Hawaii? Maybe never again? And that’s why I went. The opportunity was too good to pass up even at the cost.

Would I have preferred a cheaper price? Sure, but we have to be realistic. There are costs involved with an event like this. There’s renting out the facilities and equipment, providing snacks and meals, paying fees for speaking engagements, and of course, the event hosts have to make a living too.

So in all, yes, I was satisfied with price of [re]think Hawaii. But I was vitalized with the combination of [re]think Hawaii and TEDxHonolulu! This yin and yang duo completed each other so well there’s no question about cost.

What About Next Year?

I really do hope that [re]think Hawaii becomes an annual event that further exposes Hawaii in new, innovative ways. While I believe outsiders need to comprise a big part of the [re]thinkers, I look forward to more Hawaii representation. Let’s showcase our own high tech, sustainable, and entreprenurial efforts! And a kamaaina discount wouldn’t hurt either. 😉

Finally, I have to say thanks to Christine Lu and NEENZ for organizing this wonderful week. Through my initial confusion, I learned and observed so much to make me rethink Hawaii.

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Besides learning at [re]think Hawaii, I observed a few things that for whatever reason tickled my mind.  These aren’t necessarily derogatory or anything.  They just are. 🙂

All Asians Are Not Alike

Ever since my days at the Asian-laden UC Irvine, I always wondered about the noticeable differences between Asians from Hawaii and Asians from the mainland. There is a difference; you can just tell. Hearing Asians from the mainland speak is the dead giveaway. But often times, you get initial, non-verbal cues. Is it the fashion choice, the personal grooming, the hair? Look at this group picture from [re]think Hawaii, and I think you’ll be able to pick out the non-locals.

Well-coiffed Guys

With the mixture of rethinkers in attendance, I’m thinking the dudes were more well coiffed than the ladies. Yup, just my opinionated observation, but the guys were on the fashion edge at [re]think Hawaii. If I didn’t love my wife so, I might be man-crushing on Kaiser Kuo’s long hair.

Loving Apples and Canons

There was a ton of Apple and Canon love on display. MacBook Pros and Airs littered the conference along with the iconic iPhones. Usually paired with the Apple hardware was Canon DSLR camera gear. I’m thinking this Christmas would be a good time to personally step into the DSLR world.

Trusting in Paradise

I think Hawaii is a pretty safe place, but I don’t know if I would leave expensive Apple hardware unattended.  I lost count of the times I saw unattended laptops like these.

Sure, people were around the conference room, but I wouldn’t know whose computer was whose and wouldn’t think twice if someone came by and walked away with a laptop. For that reason (and a bad experience with stolen work laptops at Marriott Hawaii years ago), here’s my notebook that I came equipped with.

I had no reservations leaving this old school notebook sitting on the table as I took a break from the conference.

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I’ve been mentioning [re]think Hawaii for a while now, so what’s it all about? This three-day conference brings:

a core group of people from our collective networks together who have a shared interest in solving problems and rethinking tech, business and sustainability

I only attended the last day themed Blogworld Social Media Business Summit but other days focused on the economics of Startups aka Startonomics and Sustainability. Here are some tidbits I learned from the day.

The Basics of Social Media and Participatory Marketing

National Geographic is a huge social society and is integrating social media into this historic mainstay. There are and more National Geographic resources that support content generated by users, and did you know that the dog artwork on Weezer’s latest CD Raditude originated at the National Geographic’s site?

Hawaii is playing catchup in the social media space. There is a lot of interest but also a lot of mistrust in social media, primarily based on Hawaii’s old school/tech xenophobic culture. In the PR field, Social Media is viewed as yet another job to perform which causes some resistance for adoption. Already working longer and harder during this economic downturn, PR and marketing people don’t want additional tasks. Though Marriott Hawaii witnessed huge spikes in site metrics from their MarriottHawaiiTweets contest – 50% more visits per month, 120% increase in pages viewed per month, and users spending more time on the web site.

Moms and Dads in Social Media

The reality check for blogging is that there is no check. You don’t make money from blogging. You do get your voice heard and if you leverage that then you can make money.

Getting that first comment and engaging was the reason Jim Turner became a blogger. For Beth Blecherman aka TechMama, she blogged to become relevant and part of a community.

Twitter as a Power PR Tool

Coach Deb’s session offered up interesting tips. What is the emotional need of your client is where you start. Once you understand the psychodemographics, you can start appealing to your tribes and clients. “How will you become top of mind?”

Favorite a tweet in Twitter to have it persist, especially now with a shortened tweet lifespan. A way to gain an audience is not to talk about yourself, your products, or your services. Instead talk about your story which is what compels people.

Case Studies: Social Media for Non-Profits

Amanda Rose talked about organizing Twestivals and Jill Buck outlined her Go Green Initiative. What was tremendously clear with both women was their passion driving their tireless efforts to benefit their causes. Simply amazing.

You need to watch Jill Buck’s presentation at TEDxHonolulu when it becomes available. Very impressive! As a bonus, you can read how I looked like a dufus while talking with Jill.

Opening the Social Media Toolbox

Chris Pirillo was back in the islands doing his thing. In this session, he offered up his opinions and thoughts about various social media services depicted on this Social Media “wheel.”

The group also went on a tangent about video recording while talking YouTube. Chris is a big believer in the power of video and supplements his material with video if possible. He recommends the Creative Vado over similar products from Flip and Kodak for video and sound quality. I never knew Creative was in the video space but need to keep this in mind.

Where Are We Going? The Future of Social Media and Business

Yeah, I can understand why Jeremiah Owyang is considered a rockstar strategist and analyst. His presentation about the future of social media was enlightening (need to get the link for the slides) and left many things to think about. He talked about customer trust and how it doesn’t lie with corporate web sites. Trust lies in personal recommendations and social communities. So why not integrate social technologies into corporate web sites? Email is still the largest social network. Jeremiah’s definition of a social network provides a user profile, a way to connect to others, and offers an unique value.

So you might be reading all of this and saying, “no duh.” But it’s the facts and stats provided, the passion on display, the experiences shared that made a difference with these lessons. Sure, you could have learned the same things online or by reading a book, but it’s the social context wherein this knowledge was imparted that really made me rethink.

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