HONOLULU — It’s “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” time, and that’s a tall order with so much planned for this week’s 2024 Pokemon World Championships, which Meet Hawai‘i estimates will generate more than $57 million in visitor spending and $6.7 million in taxes.
Over 3,000 competitors from 50 countries are competing for over $2 million in prizes and scholarships — the largest amount ever in the championship circuit — Friday through Sunday at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, which is at full capacity.
Meet Hawai‘i, a collaboration between the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau and Hawai‘i Convention Center, has dubbed the championships a “citywide” event because hotels, activities and attractions, restaurants and other venues are filling up across O‘ahu.
“Worlds,” as fans affectionately call the championships, kicked off Wednesday with an opening ceremony at Hilton Hawaiian Village, with competition taking place Friday-Sunday at the Hawai’i Convention Center.
The championships are expected to draw 14,000 badged attendees, which would surpass last year’s event in Yokohama, Japan, and set an attendance record, said Chris Brown, Pokemon Co. International’s director for global esports and events producer.
“The brand is extremely strong. Last year, for example, we had over $11 billion in licensing revenue alone,” Brown said. “The fan base is very, very large to say the least, and I think during COVID a lot of people actually turned to collector hobbies. We saw a huge surge in activity in our trading card game but also Pokemon Scarlet, Pokemon Violet and Pokemon GO.
The franchise is as big as we’ve ever been right now and the (championships) kind of show that too because it will be possibly our biggest ever.”
Brown said the championships are back in the U.S. for the first time since 2019 and are returning to Hawai‘i for the first time since 2012.
“This is the top level of competition in each of these Pokemon products,” he said. “It’s a little bit like the Olympics. There are a lot of fans who don’t necessarily follow Pokemon year-round but they will tune in for the world championships because they know it’s the best of the best.”
Stories across the globe have been appearing showcasing Hawai‘i-bound competitors, who have earned invitations to compete after qualifying for Worlds by earning enough championship points at league, regional and international events. Brown said each market has its fan favorites, and some of these top players will be competing in Honolulu.
“For players from an English/U.S. perspective, Wolfe Glick in our video game is probably one of our most prolific. He won a regional this past year, he’s a former world champion so he’ll be in attendance,” Brown said.
He said Tord Reklev resonates with the European market and those who are into the trading card game.
“He has gotten, I believe, top four at Worlds the last two years and so people keep wondering is he going to break through,” Brown said. “He just hasn’t won Worlds yet — it’s like the last trophy that he needs on the mantle.”
Hawai‘i people like to root for Hawai‘i people and they’ll get that chance when some of Hawai‘i’s own entrants compete in the various categories.
There was a fair amount of competition even for spectators, who had to sign up for a random lottery to win a pass to the Pokemon Center. Brown said passes are sold out; however, additional opportunities might become available at worlds.pokemon.com/en-us.
Shoppers also had to sign up for slots, which closed out at about 60,000, to visit the Pokemon Center Pop-Up Shop, which will feature Hawaii-only merchandise such as a special aloha shirt designed in collaboration with Reyn Spooner.
Brown said Worlds also is bringing the first-ever permitted drone show in Hawai‘i. Drone shows do not require badged access and will be held from 8 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village beach.
Jennifer Chun, the director of tourism research for the state Department of Business, Economic, Development and Tourism, expects locals to enjoy the many Pokemon GO stops around the vicinity of the Hawai‘i Convention Center and Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Chun, who is an avid Pokemon GO player, said she convinced a colleague to download the app, and “there were so many opportunities to visit Pokestops and spin gyms. The colleague already has progressed to Level 5 or 6.”
Honolulu residents Chris Dovermann and Danielle Nomura posed for pictures with friends at Pokemon displays Wednesday on the Hilton Hawaiian Village Great Lawn after the competition’s opening ceremony.
“We just love Pokemon since we were kids,” Dovermann said. “It’s exciting that Worlds is on our island.”
Nomura said the pair got passes for Saturday’s competition by starting at 6 a.m. online on opening morning and “refreshing for about 4 hours.”
Kailua residents Christian Mendez and Karissa Lyons were filling their Worlds maps with Pokemon stamps at Hilton Hawaiian Village on Wednesday, and planned to bring their children for a visit on Thursday.
“We grew up with Pokemon so we want to see it with the kids,” Lyons said.
Mendez added, “It’s fun that something has continued so long and that we can share it.”
He said that he took time off from work for the full multiday event; however, he planned to spend some of that time streaming the competitions.
Brown said millions of fans will tune in this weekend for livestreaming on YouTube and Twitch. To watch, visit Pokemon.com/us/play-Pokemon/about/broadcasts.
“The whole event is themed after Honolulu, Hawai‘i, so if you tune in at any point you are absorbing Pokemon’s take on branding things based on this location,” Brown said.
Brown, who joined Pokemon Co. International in September of 2012, said he just missed the last world championship in Hawai‘i and has been eagerly awaiting its return for the past decade. He said Hawai‘i is a natural fit for the event “because we can bridge our Asia markets with our western markets here.”
Brown said some 365 players are coming from Japan and will bring at least two guests each. The Pokemon Co. International and All Nippon Airways today will welcome guests arriving on ANA’s specially painted “Pikachu Jet NH,” which features a livery showcasing the Sky High Pokemon Rayquaza on the fuselage, accompanied by other flying Pokemon like Charizard, Latias, Latios, Vivillon and Pikachu.
The excitement building from Japan is good for Hawai‘i, which has yet to fully recover the market after COVID-19 and the subsequent weakening of the Japanese yen to the dollar. A benefit, however of the citywide event is that it is deepening the mix of visitors, especially international visitors, which have been slowly recovering since COVID.
Daniel Barnard, Ala Moana Hotel by Mantra general manager, said Wednesday that the hotel, which is one of the participating hotels for the citywide event, is experiencing increased occupancy and activity.
Barnard said so many young adults were having Pokemon battles throughout the hotel’s lobby, seating areas and at its Starbucks that the hotel on Tuesday set up a temporary ‘training area,’ which quickly filled in the lobby of its Kona Tower.
“We see people of all ages and backgrounds coming together in celebration of a single event,” he said. “It’s a truly global phenomenon with a diverse group of players that makes this such a terrific event and a wonderful experience for the guests.”
Barnard said the tournament is providing a chance to showcase Hawai‘i to visitors from all over the world who are here, and offers a chance for the destination to gain exposure with those who are at home watching.
“While there has certainly been an uplift in Japanese guests, there are also a lot of Americans visiting from the mainland and a significant number of Europeans,” he said.
“Even more significant than the positive effect the championships have had on occupancy at the Ala Moana Hotel by Mantra and across the entire city and Waikiki, is that this type of event provides exposure for the world to see Hawai‘i as a viable place to host large-scale unique trending events, like even esports events.”
