One of the opportunities is to showcase the products of Hawaii with an incredible “Gift Bag”. Here is the RFP.

The APEC 2011 Hawaii Host Committee is seeking qualified vendors to supply and showcase their products or services for distribution in the form of hospitality gifts to 11,000 government officials, business leaders and global media during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week events. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued by the Host Committee on July 12, 2011.

“In addition to showcasing Hawaii as a premier global meetings destination, APEC 2011 will present an opportunity for us to introduce Hawaii products and services to an international audience,” said Peter Ho, Hawaii Host Committee Chair.  “Through this RFQ, the individual products and services supplied will further highlight Hawaii businesses and industries, as well as represent the aloha spirit and hospitality of our islands.”

The scope of work desired for this procurement is as follows:

Qualified and reliable suppliers must be able to supply goods or services in tangible product form in the following categories, including, but not limited to:

• Coffee;
• Chocolates/macadamia nut products;
• Hawaii snacks;
• Beverages;
• Soaps, lotions, oils and other bath products;
• Arts and crafts;
• Sports and/or beach items;
• Music;
• City guides (containing no third party advertising); and
• Gift certificates for goods or services ($50 minimum retail value amount, with no purchase required).

Product Specifications:

• Packaged goods must bear no loose-leaf collateral;
• No promotional trial size items; and
• Items are to be no larger than 22”L x 18”H x 3”D (Size of Hospitality Gift Bag).
• The selection of suppliers will be based on overall bids received and how each item contributes to the aggregate of products to be inserted into hospitality gift bags. Suppliers must be able to supply a minimum quantity of 500 items to be considered.

Interested suppliers can obtain a copy of the RFQ by emailing the APEC 2011 Hawaii Host Committee at rfq@apec2011hawaii.com. Please indicate the company name, contact name, contact phone, facsimile, address and email address. The deadline for RFQ submissions is July 29, 2011 at 4:00 p.m., with supplier selections being announced on August 15, 2011.

Here is some background on the Conference from from Wikipedia.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries (styled “Member Economies”) that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent of regional economic blocs (such as the European Union and the North American Free Trade Area) in other parts of the world, APEC works to raise living standards and education levels through sustainable economic growth and to foster a sense of community and an appreciation of shared interests among Asia-Pacific countries. Members account for approximately 40% of the world’s population, approximately 54% of world GDP and about 44% of world trade.

An annual APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is attended by the heads of government of all APEC members except the Republic of China (Taiwan) which is represented under the name Chinese Taipei by a ministerial-level official. The location of the meeting rotates annually among the member economies, and a famous tradition involves the attending Leaders dressing in a national costume of the host member.

History
In January 1989, Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke called for more effective economic cooperation across the Pacific Rim region. This led to the first meeting of APEC in the Australian capital Canberra in November, chaired by Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Gareth Evans. Attended by political ministers from twelve countries, the meeting concluded with commitments for future annual meetings in Singapore and South Korea.

John Vogelstein and David Axelrod

By David Adler

David and Susan Axelrod dazzled the city by the bay with the launch of the CURE Epilepsy 1st Annual West Coast Benefit in San Francisco, CA. Evelyn Nussenbaum and Fred Vogelstein co-chaired the dinner with in-laws, John and Barbara Vogelstein, and Susan Axelrod.

In his keynote address at the Four Seasons David Axelrod, former Senior Adviser to President Obama called epilepsy, “terrorism of the brain. ”

Evelyn Nussenbaum event co-chair said, “We’re in the same place as so many other people affected by epilepsy–grappling with the fact that despite the introduction of many new drugs over the last 50 years,  the percentage of people with epilepsy who cannot control their seizures has not changed. It’s over 30 percent.”

Fred Vogelstein told the crowd, “The way we treat and think about epilepsy is in the dark ages.  It still scares people so much that those with seizures lose jobs and relationships because of it.”

San Francisco political superstars Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Willie Brown, joined Susan and David Axelrod to raise awareness and funds to support epilepsy research. The omnipresent and forever mayor in many San Franciscans’ minds, Willie Brown, whipped the crowd into a giving frenzy Phil Donahue style, raising money paddle by paddle to support the “Fund a Need” grant program.  Guests included San Francisco County Supervisor Malia Cohen, SF lawyer Rich Guggenhime, Men’s Health Magazine’s Andrew Kramer with his beautiful wife, Caryn and Google’s David and Marimo Drummond.  The event also highlighted the groundbreaking work of Bay Area scientists who have received CURE grants to continue their research.

Washington had two terrific Ambassadors, Steve Clemons  and Self magazine’s Marc Adelman. One of Washington’s favorite bloggers, Clemons, wrote about the dinner at http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2011/03/gavin_newsoms_i/

David Axelrod told the audience that the two most amazing women he will ever know are his daughter, Lauren, and his wife Susan, an evangelical epilepsy advocate. He also described the amazing families who he has met through their 30 year journey with epilepsy describing one family friend who votes Republican and watches Bill O’Reilly every night: not important as this is a disease that transcends politics and ideology.

Axelrod addressed the political current climate, “Our politics are so divisive now. Cable TV and instant news allow us to focus on our different beliefs and philosophies. But in the community of those of us affected by epilepsy, those differences do not matter. Epilepsy cuts across all political, social, ethnic, and economic lines. No group is spared. And we must remember and use our common humanity to fight it.”

Peter Rowan’s Bluegrass Band entertained the crowd fulfilling the New Yorker’s comment that Rowan, a Grammy winner, is “an American treasure.”

To give to the Fund the Need campaign, Click on CUREEpilepsy.org

photos courtesy Drew Altizer

Susan Sher at a luncheon in her honor at The Jefferson Hotel in Washington,DC

New Washington friends and old Chicago pals gathered at The Jefferson Hotel to honor Susan Sher. Sher came to Washington with the Obamas serving first in the White House Counsel’s office and for the last 18 months as the First Lady’s Chief of Staff. Connie Milstein, Hilary Rosen and Tammy Haddad hosted the luncheon, which included David Axelrod, Kevin Sheekey, Julianna Smoot and Patrick Gaspard.

Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren (with his wife, Sally) saluted Sher’s West Orange, New Jersey roots as the other jersey girls, Anita Dunn and Hilary Rosen, proudly cheered him on.

While not a jersey girl, Manhattan-born Connie Milstein, is the proprietor of The Jefferson and invited the guests to raise their glasses to “thank Susan for her service to the nation.”

David Axelrod, who leaves Washington at the end of the month, praised Sher for her always-cool leadership and integrity. Axelrod said he was already making Chicago plans with Sher and Julianna Smoot, the White House Social Secretary, who announced this week she would go back to Chicago as Deputy Campaign Manager.

Other guests included Milstein’s husband, JC de La Haye Saint Hilarie, Linda Douglass, Rabbi David Saperstein, Anne Fleming, Alan Solow, Susan Davies, Danielle Grey, Maude Baggetto, Ted Greenberg, Danielle Borrin, and Holly Page.

The luncheon crowd dined on Tomato soup, Cod, Coq au Vin and Chocolate Brulee and everyone walked out with an anatomically correct White House chocolate bar. Click for photo gallery

With today’s historic shift to a Republican controlled House of Representatives, here is the latest Wikipedia list of tenure of the “Speaker of the House” over history. Imagine what Washington was like with the reign of Sam Rayburn who held the Speakers chair for over 17 years. He was followed by Tip O’Neill with 9 years and 350 days, John McCormack with 8 years and 344 days and Dennis Hassert with 7 years and 359 day. Nancy Pelosi beat out Newt Gingrich by only 2 days with Pelsosi serving 3 years and 363 days.

The Grand Ballroom was instantly transformed for the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner after party hosted by Capitol File magazine, Renaissance Hotels and Bing. Here’s a video provided by the Mayflower Renaissance DC about the makeover.

Olbermann showed up to WHCA’s dinner last year — will he come again this year? Media insiders want to know: Will Griffin split the pair up, or will Olbermann refuse to sit with Deutsch if he attends? And who decides the seating chart? “Is Olbermann controlling the strings?” a media rep asked.

This week we’re compiling an Awkward Seating Chart for media folks around town. If you have input on potentially uncomfortable pairings, tell us about it. E-mail us at fishbowldc@mediabistro.com.

Deutsch is off the air this week, at least in part, we’re hearing, because Olbermann was furious about Deutsch floating a photograph of him while speaking of the Tea Partiers and “America the Angry.” President Phil Griffin was also reportedly angry and said as much to Deutsch and his producer, Gresham Striegel, who’s also off for the rest of the week.

Politicians and Washingtonians have almost become a sidebar at the annual media event that features a funny monologue by the president and a real comic. This year it’s Jay Leno. Stars expected include Alec Baldwin, Ewan McGregor, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Bon Jovi, Judd Apatow, Tracy Morgan, Mary J. Blige, Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, John Cusack, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Julianna Margulies, and Jeremy Piven.

And it’s not just the press “prom” that’s a big show. There are several major parties built around the event, some before, some after, and TV talker John McLaughlin’s is held the next day, on Sunday. To get a feel for the types of parties, below is the press release description of the one affair virtually everybody will trek to after the official event is over Saturday night. It’s held by Jason Binn’s Capitol File and this year co-hosted by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and celebrity chef Bobby Flay. We don’t know if Flay’s going to do a throwdown challenge to Blitzer.

http://www.usnews.com/news/washington-whispers/articles/2010/04/21/wolf-blitzer-bobby-flay-headline-press-party.html

The WHCD after party will take place at the The Mayflower Renaissance Hotel starting at 10 pm. Last year’s event was held at the Corcoran Gallery.

Everyone looks well-rested after a good night’s sleep. We are all assigned to buses for our journey to the area worst hit by the earthquake in April – I’m with my good friend Margarita Zavala from Mexico who remembers her country’s own devastating earthquake of 1985 We travel to the Piazza Duomo in the old town of L’Aquila. The full scale of the devastation really hits you when you see such beautiful buildings full of cracks and surrounded by crumbling stones. A glimpse inside a church revealed nothing but piles of rubble waiting to be sifted through during the coming months, to enable the restoration. We are then taken to the centre of the devastation where so many lost their lives and everybody lost their homes.

The emptiness of all the buildings was striking and you wonder how everyone is coping now with their displaced lives. The Director in charge of L’Aquila’s restoration explained that rebuilding the town will take many years. Michelle Obama and I are taken across to meet the emergency service team who have all been working so hard on the restoration. I know this is true of emergency services everywhere, especially in Britain

We are taken back to the G8 compound and run into Gordon and his team walking between meetings. We take the chance to make a call home and speak to our youngest son. Gordon goes off to his next session and now I head off to rejoin the spouses for a nice Italian lunch.