NACA Northeast Regional Conference 2010

It's an annual tradition for Maui Wowi of Massachusetts: The first week of November each year, you can find us at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT for the NACA Northeast Regional Conference! This being our 3rd year there, we are now seeing familiar faces and it's become a place to catch up with old friends, not to mention a place to introduce Maui Wowi's all natural, non-fat Hawaiian Smoothies & Coffees to new colleges and universities in the Northeast! As you can see from the pics, students had a great time enjoying our sample smoothies and we made some great new friends that will be bringing the Tiki Hut to their campus this coming semester! Looking forward to seeing you all soon. Mahalo!

Maui Wowi at NACA 50th Anniversary Conference in Boston!

Maui Wowi loves NACA! We found ourselves in our backyard, Boston, for the NACA 50th Anniversary Annual Conference! As many of you know, Maui Wowi Hawaiian Smoothies is no stranger to the NACA Regional Conferences, but this was our first National Conference, and it was awesome! We served thousands of free smoothies to all the students in attendance, giving them all a taste of the Aloha Spirit, and what we could bring to their Campus Events. We met some incredible people and are looking forward to working with our current schools as well as new schools this year! We'll see you at a spring event really soon with our non-fat, all natural tasty smoothies, cappuccinos, lattes and our Tiki Hut! Mahalo, NACA!

Speaking of Amazing People from NACA...

In my previous post, I mentioned meeting some amazing people and seeing some top-notch performers. At the top of that list, were the people who's booth was right next to mine. Atypical Entertainment. When I first arrived at the conference I introduced myself to them, and spoke with them as I would any other group of people whom I would be "booth buddies" with for a few days. Little did I know I was in the presence of world-reknowned performers!

Jason Tardy, and his brother Matthew are jugglers. But not just your normal jugglers. They are high energy jugglers. Their show has been described as X-Games meets Juggling. It also looks a little like Blue Man Group in a way, but even better! The name of their show is Two High Energy Juggling. If you're a college, looking for something new and exciting, you have to check these guys out. They just got back from their 3rd show at the White House and have been on Inside Edition and Fox News, and perfomed at Atlantis Resort for Natalie Merchant!

Jason started Atypical Entertainment and now represents not only himself and Matthew, but several other artists, including Eepy Bird! Have you ever seen the Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment on YouTube? I'm sure you have and these are the guys that started it! They were also in the booth next to me and I was shocked when I realized who they were! They have been on Letterman, Ellen, The Today Show, and Mythbusters. They've also performed at Caesar's Palace (site of my wedding last year), Paris, and Madrid! Like Maui Wowi, they can be the event, or be part of an existing event, so check them out!!

Maui Wowi Serves Up Smoothies at the NACA Northeast Regional Conference

From November 6-8, Maui Wowi served up smoothie samples to attendees of the the National Association of Campus Activities, aka NACA, in Hartford, CT. Campus Activites Planners from various colleges and universities from all over New England and some parts of New York were in attendance. It was a great way for Maui Wowi to connect with one of it's core customers: Colleges! We set up the portable Tiki Hut, served sample sizes of of our smoothies and spread the Aloha Spirit throughout the Connecticut Convention Center. Even I was surprised at how well we were received. At most times, there was a line of students waiting to try a sample and receive a Hawaiian Lei. Many students recognized us from events we've done at their colleges, but for those who weren't yet familiar, I was excited for them to actually see Maui Wowi in action, Tiki Hut and all, and actually taste our delicious smoothies. Virtually everyone commented on what a unique concept Maui Wowi is as well as how delicious the Black Raspberry, Pina Colada and Mango Orange samples they tasted were.

While there, I met some amazing people and saw some amazing performers. There were comedians, rock bands, hip-hop artists, and all kinds of cool "Toys" for students to bring on campus and entertain their fellow student body with at events. What people seemed to most like about Maui Wowi, was that we can either be a part of an event, or be the event itself. I also heard comments about how flexible we are and customizable for each colleges' specific event needs. From drink combinations to equipment. I also spoke with a few students about having Maui Wowi at their Orientation Programs for incoming freshman. Maui Wowi can be a great ice-breaker for those scared little Frosh who don't know anyone yet. While they are waiting in line for a delicious smoothie, they get to talking and begin making their first friends in college that will hopefully last a lifetime. Now, that's the Aloha Spirit!

Island Blendz, DBA Maui Wowi wins Franchisee Of The Year Award!

I know I mentioned it in a previous Blog, regarding our Nomination, but this blog is regarding the actual awards ceremony The Entrepreneur Source held in Miami, Florida. It was a large, formal affair, with over 500 people in attendance, held on September 15th. Of course, being Maui Wowi, we had to show up in our typical garb, Hawaiian Shirts and linen pants. You might've thought it was a Magnum P.I. re-run. Everyone seemed to embrace the "Aloha Spirit" we brought there and we were also joined by Justin from Maui Wowi Corporate. Naturally, they were pleased to see one of their franchisees win this prestigous award as well. We were honored as their Franchisee of The Year. To say we were flattered to be honored by such a large, succesful organization that watches and works with thousands of Franchisees year round would be an understatement. Also joining us there was our Franchise Coach, Suzanne Gray, seen in a couple of the pictures here. Without her, purchasing this business just wouldn't have been possible and she is a large part of Island Blendz' success. If anyone reading this ever has a dream of owning their own business, particularly a franchise, do yourself a favor and start by talking with Suzanne.

Maui Wowi serves up the Aloha Spirit at The New England Foodservice and Lodging Expo!

Here we are at the New England Foodservice and Lodging Expo in Boston. It was held at the brand new Boston Convention and Expo Center. They expected between 10,000 and 15,000 attendees. I'm pretty sure they hit that number! We are still counting the number of smoothie samples we handed out, but it was all well worth it. We got the Maui Wowi name out there and introduced our delicious smoothies and coffees to everyone that we could, spreading the "Aloha Spirit" all over! Most everyone was greeted with an "Aloha", a Lei, and an all-natural fruit smoothie or Molakai coffee. The product and the world famous Ka'annapli Cart were a big hit! We made many contacts and we'll be seen at even more events thanks to the NEFS Expo! You'll see us everywhere from private parties, to corporate catering, to fund-raisers, to possible fixed locations very soon. Mahalo to everyone that stopped by and "Hung 10" with us!!