HTA offers event certification training

The Hawaii Tourism Authority is helping provide enhanced training for local festival and event production professionals through an international certification program.

The program provided through the International Festivals and Events Association is scheduled to begin next month at the Hawai’i Convention Center. The application deadline is Friday.

Completing the accelerated program can take as little as 18 months, compared with three years for IFEA’s normal program.

This is the second year HTA has partnered with the Boise, Idaho-based association, which established the certification program in 1983.

Since then about 250 industry professionals have completed the program, including 10 who went through the accelerated program in Hawaii.

For more information, e-mail Bette Monteith at bette@ifea.com.

Kindle sales top hardcover purchases

Amazon.com Inc., the largest Internet retailer, said growth in sales of its Kindle digital reader accelerated every month in the second quarter and that it’s selling more electronic books than hardcover editions.

The pace of Kindle sales also has tripled since the company cut the price to $189 from $259, Amazon.com Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos said in a statement.

Announced last month, the 27 percent price cut was aimed at helping Amazon.com fend off a threat from Apple Inc.’s iPad, which includes book reading tools. Amazon.com hasn’t disclosed Kindle sales since releasing the device in 2007, saying only that it has sold millions. Its release of growth figures may be aimed at quelling concern that the iPad has crimped Kindle demand, said Dmitriy Molchanov, an analyst at Yankee Group.

Hasbro profits top expectations

NEW YORK » Toy maker Hasbro Inc.’s second-quarter profit rose 11 percent as its spending cuts outpaced the drop in sales of Transformers and G.I. Joe toys, which had new movie tie-ins last year.

Net income rose to $43.6 million, or 29 cents a share, in the quarter that ended June 27. That’s up from $39.3 million, or 26 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, on average, predicted net income of 24 cents a share.

Revenue fell 7 percent to $737.8 million from $792.2 million.

Toyota settles Prius patent dispute

NEW YORK » Toyota Motor Corp. said yesterday it has settled a years-long dispute with a U.S. company that had claimed the Japanese automaker used its technology without permission in its hybrids. The deal ends a squabble that had briefly threatened to block the Prius from being sold in the U.S.

Toyota and Paice LLC said they have settled their patent dispute and agreed to have all lawsuits between them dismissed. The terms were confidential, the companies said. No financial details were disclosed.

"After six years of litigation, we are pleased to reach a settlement with Toyota," said Frances Keenan, chairman of the Paice board, in a statement.

ON THE MOVE

KITV4 News announced Jahmai Webster as its new weekend sports reporter/anchor and will join sports director Robert Kekaula starting Aug. 9. Webster was previously at KRHD/KXXV in Texas and assisted at CBS2/KCAL9.

University of Hawaii-Hilo Chancellor Donald O. Straney has announced the appointment of Ka’iu Kimura as executive director of Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii, effective Aug. 1. Kimura was previously interim executive director as well as an associate director.

Sheraton Waikiki has named Hiroyuki Atsumi as catering and convention services manager. He was previously guest service assistant manager for Sheraton Waikiki guest services, Asia department, and interned with Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ public relations department.

RevoluSun has hired Abbie Willow as project developer. She was previously a part owner of a construction company.

Forrester Research named tw telecom a finalist for the 2010 "Voice of the Customer" award. The award recognizes initiatives that enable companies to improve how they collect, interpret and react to customer feedback.