The Maui County Office of Economic Development received a national award for the launch and development of E Kūpaʻa Kākou, a Hawaiian music series honoring the strength of community.
The International Council for Economic Development, the world’s largest nonprofit association for professional economic developers, has selected the Maui County office as the recipient of the 2022 Bronze Award for Excellence in the Special Events category.
E Kūpaʻa Kākou began as a live-streamed Hawaiian music series in September 2020 as a way for the Office of Economic Development to help performers unable to perform live due to COVID-19 restrictions. Live programming included performances by musicians, local halau dancers and audiovisual technicians.
“I congratulate our Office of Economic Development and our Director JoAnn Inamasu on winning this prestigious international award,” said Mayor Michael Victorino. “This innovative program has helped our Hawaiian artists connect with audiences on the islands and beyond.”
The award was presented this week at the annual conference of the International Council for Economic Development, held this year in Oklahoma City.
The 2022 Excellence Awards recognize organizations for their exemplary economic development marketing campaigns, projects and programs that have created positive change in urban, suburban and rural communities.
“This year’s winners exemplify the ingenuity, leadership and determination needed to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” said IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle. “The recipients of the IEDC Excellence in Economic Development Awards represent the best in economic development and demonstrate the level of leadership that our profession strives for every day.”
“The selection process for this year’s awards was particularly competitive,” added IEDC Awards Advisory Committee Chair Christina Winn. “We are honored to recognize the more than 100 communities whose marketing submissions, projects and partnerships have improved the regional quality of life.
The awards are judged by a diverse panel of business and community developers from around the world. IEDC received more than 500 submissions from the United States and four other countries.
The International Council for Economic Development is a non-profit, non-partisan organization serving economic developers. With over 4,800 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind.
