State Procurement Office

Aloha!

SPOCon VI is  a one-day procurement training conference, will be held on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Honolulu Country Club.  Similar past years, approximately 150 state and county purchasing staff and more than 50 vendors with government contacts are expected to attend.

Government procurement is always evolving and syncing with new laws, rules, and the latest technology. SPOCon will provide purchasing staff in all Hawaii State and County agencies with knowledge about new procurement policies and trends, while engaging with other purchasing staff and connecting with vendors who have government contracts. This conference is unique because state and county purchasing staff are dispersed throughout our island state, and we welcome opportunities to bring this group together for a conference at a single venue.

Attendees:  The SPO is asking all state and county jurisdictions to submit names of two attendees with the hope that we’ll have representation from all government jurisdictions.  In the past, we have government employees from various departments/agencies such as Education, Accounting & General Services, Health, Transportation, Business Economic Development & Tourism, Land & Natural Resources, Hawaiian Homelands, Human Services, Judiciary, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Honolulu Board of Water Supply, and County of Maui.  Attendance of government employees is an average of 140 since 2016.  This year, we are anticipating 150.

Each attendee will receive a bag with a notebook and other small items.

Vendors:  We have space for 50 vendors who have active contracts with the state of Hawaii.  This year, we have invited vendors from a number of industries that offer goods and services, including telecommunications, office supplies, computer hardware/accessories, travel, banking, automotive parts, and machine parts. Invited vendors must register for SPOCon via a special link.

There will be multiple opportunities before and during SPOCon to engage with attendees. If you wish to bring marketing items for attendees, you may provide promotional items that have no resale value, such as branded pens, calendars, hats, or tote bags.

This year, we have chosen to include vendors into the same room in which the presentations take place.  Vendors can listen in on the training.

Cost:  $280 per vendor, paid to Green Door Finance, due September 13, 2024, 4:30 pm HST.

Registration Deadline: September 3, 2024, 4:30 pm HST

What do you get for the ticket?

• A full day conference ticket for two people; vendors can hear and see the presentations
• Breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and beverages.
• One six-foot table and two chairs.
• Option to send us a 30-second video (mp4) to generate interest about your company and get attendees to visit your booth later in the day.
• Option to provide marketing materials or literature (pamphlets, information one-pagers) that can be placed in attendee bags.
• Option to send us your logo and a short blurb for our Conference Agenda.
• Option to have company branded samples (such as pens and sticky notes) at your tables for attendee keepsakes.
• Time for vendors to have deeper networking opportunities with attendees.

Important Information:

Venue:  SPOCon VI is at the Honolulu Country Club, so vendors travelling to Hawaii would need to have transportation to the event for the day.

Parking:  There is ample free parking and disabled access.

Space Information:  No tall back banners will be allowed as this may prevent visibility for other vendors.

No plugs available:  Please bring your own power source if needed.

This ticket is for two people only. Due to space constraints, no more than two people can access the space at any one time. Substitutes are allowed, but switch-outs must take place outside of the conference room areas.

As vendors are inside the conference rooms, the expectation is that vendors stay the full day and breakdown of space will occur at the end of the conference day (approximately 4:30 p.m.). Vendor set-up is planned for 7:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.

Points of Contact:
General questions about the event can be directed to
Ruth Baker: [email protected]
Jake Chang: [email protected]

Questions specifically about vendor payments can be directed to:
Sarah Allen:  [email protected]

Past SPOCon Events:  To give you an idea about our past events, please visit https://spo.hawaii.gov/for-state-county-personnel/training/spocon/