The 2017 Made in Maui County Festival drew over 10,000 residents and visitors to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Nov. 3 and 4. PHOTO BY THE MADE IN MAUI COUNTY FESTIVAL.

WAILUKU – The County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development (OED) and the Maui Chamber of Commerce recently released a full report detailing the results and economic impact of the fourth annual Made In Maui County Festival (MIMCF), which was held on Nov. 3-4, 2017 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

Presented by OED and the chamber, the MIMCF is Maui County’s largest products show. Last year, over 140 vendors, including 17 companies from Molokai and seven from Lanai, participated in this two-day event – a veritable showcase of Made-in-Maui-County products. In addition, 16 food trucks also presented a diverse menu of island cuisine in the event’s Food Court.

The annual MIMCF was created to improve the islands’ economic well-being by helping to grow and sustain Maui County’s manufacturers in an effort to diversify the economy, showcase entrepreneurship and locally made products, and encourage job creation.

According to OED Director Teena Rasmussen, “The festival was designed to be more than a large community celebration promoting local artisan and manufacturing businesses and spurring massive sales on a single day; it is about creating business capacity and long-term growth.”

Over the past four years, 265 local vendors who participated reported as a result of this two-day festival over $1.8 million in retail sales, over 118,900 items sold, over 980 new wholesale accounts secured and more than 6,290 new leads established.

Over 10,000 visitors and residents attended the festival in 2017.

Participating product vendors reported that as a result of the two-day festival, they exceeded $572,963 in total product sales (compared to $512,922 in 2016, $416,000 in 2015 and $300,000 in 2014).

In addition, over 217 total new wholesale accounts/orders were closed, and more than 703 new wholesale leads and/or prospects were developed.

A total of 550 qualified wholesale buyers and distributors attended a special, invitation-only Buyer’s Preview on Friday, Nov. 3.

Vital to vendors’ success and the event’s overall economic impact is the “Buyer’s Preview,” an event where prequalified wholesale buyers and distributors receive complimentary festival admission to meet with vendors and find new locally made products.

In 2017, over 550 wholesale buyers and distributors across the state and as far away as Canada attended, which was a 65 percent increase over last year’s Buyer’s Preview attendance.

“The relationships built and resulting purchases by wholesale buyers and distributors are taking Maui County businesses to new heights and to markets with both domestic and international export potential,” said Pamela Tumpap, president of the Maui Chamber of Commerce. “This major event also spurs economic development to our fledgling companies that are given the opportunity to attract major buyers and are urged to consider the implications of scaling up production.”

The full 2017 post-event report can be viewed at issuu.com/mimcf/docs/2017mimcfposteventreport/2?ff=true.

“We started our business four years ago, but the success we experienced during the festival’s Buyer’s Preview last year really made us realize we could do this,” said Shanna Kanahele of Na Koa Brand. “My husband and I are now working on our business full-time. This festival was really the catalyst for getting our business out there, and we’re so grateful for all the people who make this event possible.”

Maui County-based businesses interested in participating in this year’s festival can download an application at www.MadeInMauiCountyFestival.com/vendors (for product vendors) or www.MadeInMauiCountyFestival.com/food-trucks (for food trucks). Deadline for applications is May 31, 2018.

A variety of sponsorship opportunities are available for companies and organizations interested in promoting their goods and/or services, and who want to promote their support of local businesses.

Download a Sponsorship Kit at www.MadeInMauiCountyFestival.com/sponsors.

Qualified wholesale buyers/distributors may receive complimentary admission to attend the special Buyer’s Preview on Friday, Nov. 2.

To register, visit www.MadeInMauiCountyFestival.com/preview.

For more information, visit www.MadeInMauiCountyFestival.com, e-mail info@MadeInMauiCountyFestival.com or call (808) 270-7710.

Connect with the festival on Facebook, Twitter (#MIMCF2018), Instagram and Pinterest.