Listen to the Podcast About DeSilva Meeting Consultants, Inc. (DMC)
Podcast Summary
In a recent conversation with Jake Carter, Josh DeSilva, a prominent figure in the DMC community for over 34 years, delved deep into the rich history and present workings of DeSilva Meeting Consultants, Inc. (DMC). This discussion extended from Josh’s educational background at the University of San Diego to founding DeSilva Meeting Consultants in 2003, and his continued advancement in the DMC industry.
Josh emphasized the strength of the DMC industry in Hawaii, revealing its reputation as a seasoned destination. DeSilva Meeting Consultants, Inc. often collaborates with high-end resort hotels for events, predominantly working with Fortune 1000 companies. However, Josh stressed that the services his firm offers are not limited by any strict rules. With a personal connection to Hawaii, having grown up in the islands, Josh’s over three-decade-long working experience in the DMC community is enriched by his knowledge and passion for the Hawaiian culture.
DMC, under Josh’s guidance, caters to a diverse international clientele, with events that have seen participants from 26 different countries. His approach enables him to share the highlights of Hawaiian culture with some of the most successful professionals from the world’s largest companies.
Josh also delves into his past and the influence growing up with a stepdad who owned a recording studio has had on his current career. This experience has equipped him with a discerning eye and ear, helping him meet the specific needs of his clients.
Josh gives a glimpse into the current event trends at DeSilva Meeting Consultants, Inc., while also implying that he’s a founding board member of a new organization related to the events industry.
This interview is a rich resource for those interested in understanding more about the DMC industry, and particularly the role DeSilva Meeting Consultants, Inc. plays in redefining meetings and events.
Learn more about DeSilva Meeting Consultants, Inc. (DMC)
This interview was provided by Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos
Podcast Transcript
Jake (00:25)
Hello, I’m Jake Carter with Felix and Fingers. I am here with Josh DeSilva.
We are both in Maui and he has been part of the DMC community for 34 years. You got your start while attending the University of San Diego, a bachelor’s degree in communications and ocean studies, and you founded DeSilva Meeting Consultants in 2003. You’ve been a part of a bunch of different programs and communities in terms of the DMC thing all over the world, like we were just talking about before we joined here. And you do a bunch of really cool…
Cool meetings and events. So do you want to talk about that? You ready?
Josh DeSilva (00:59)
Yes. Yeah, sure. We do. Thank you for having me, Jake. Yeah, the DMC industry here in Hawaii is really strong. It’s a very seasoned destination, I would say. The hotels that we partner with tend to be the higher -end, outer -island -type resort hotels that reward their top performers, typically working with Fortune 1000 -type companies. But…
We don’t put any rules on that, but Hawaii is a wonderful place to send your people. And for me personally, having grown up in Hawaii, I found a way to express and share my passion and love and knowledge of the islands with people coming from literally all over the world. We’ll do programs for, like I said, these large international, many of them international corporations. And we’ve had…
events with people from 26 different countries for example so you know it’s a great opportunity to share the very best of Hawaii with the top producing performers of some of the biggest companies in the world so it’s been an honor and a pleasure and a long run at 34 years. It’s almost embarrassing.
Jake (02:13)
Yeah, you –
Yeah, that’s awesome. And you were mentioning that part of your history is working with your dad owned a studio, right? And recording.
Josh DeSilva (02:26)
Yeah, yeah. My parents moved out here in the late 60s before I was born, so I’ve had the privilege of growing up here in the islands. And one of the things that kind of brought me into the entertainment side of what I do nowadays is my stepdad owning a recording studio here. He ran a company called Melody Line Productions for over 38 years. I think it might have stretched right into the 40 -year zone. And…
worked with a lot of top -named people here in the islands and or entertainers that would come here to relax and be inspired and they come up to the studio and record things that maybe they end up taking back to the mainland to finalize. But yeah, it was really fun growing up as a kid watching people. We had the studio at our house here on Maui and you know, I’d see some of the most well -known entertainers in the state walking by my bedroom and waving and saying hi. And it felt like one of the things that,
It taught me is no matter how famous you are that people are still people and their public persona and their private are very different and a lot of these people are just wonderful, giving, talented humans and it really inspired me to appreciate music myself, which I play a little bit and just to give the very best options to our customers. When they come in, I feel like I have a pretty discerning ear and eye as to what’s gonna work.
for the clients based on their feedback and their budget and all that stuff. But it gave me a really good foundation when I got into the events world having kind of lived and breathed that growing up.
Jake (04:01)
That’s awesome. Yeah, that’s really cool. So with all of the different things that you’ve seen in the 34 years that you’ve been doing this, what are the current trends in weddings and events? I guess you don’t do weddings, but events that you’re hosting, what are the current things that you’re seeing that people are doing?
Josh DeSilva (04:14)
Right.
Well, it is interesting that you said weddings, so it might be a good segue to say that I am a founding board member of a very new organization. We haven’t even sent out a membership drive yet called the Maui Wedding and Events Association. So although I don’t do weddings, rubbing shoulders with the wedding industry consistently, and in a lot of ways we do the same thing, it’s just for a different clientele, right? We’re still doing the catering and the…
Jake (04:41)
Yeah.
Josh DeSilva (04:43)
hiring up the bands and the florals and the linens and the chairs and the tents and the transportation. So it’s all right there and we’re like cousins to our wedding planner friends. But yeah, some of the more interesting trends that I’ve seen lately, and this was really happening even before the tragic fires in Lahaina and Kula, was really a push for these corporations to give back when they come to destinations. And subsequently, the fires kind of…
expanded that energy even more and the HTA, which is the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the HBCB, Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau, we’re already on a new path to really encourage the mindful traveler and that translates not just to families and individuals that are coming to Hawaii, but definitely that message is also getting to the corporate world. So I would say what we call the CSR, the corporate social responsibility.
has really taken on on new meaning in the last couple of years and and people you know studies have already been done it when people get back to a destination they leave with a richer experience and so it’s a really a win across the board it’s kind of an indisputable thing where the people feel good about it the community’s better for it responsible tourism so there’s a lot of fun ways to get back and it doesn’t have to be
you know that picture of the people in need deep mud sweating out in can i you know pulling weeds out of the taro patch that’s there and that’s fun to you but there’s a lot of ways to get back that you can even do things at the hotel for example where we’ve worked with some local nonprofit organizations a number of times this year where they’ll come in and out you have to manually pull the seeds out of the native plants in order to
propagate them and so we’ll get a hundred two hundred three hundred or more people together and they spend an hour and you can get all of these native seeds out of their pods and then they’re taken up into the forest where they’re planted mindfully to reestablish the native forest which also has the added effect of
being more fire -suppressant, right? So it all ties into kind of what happened in Lahaina, and it’s a great way we’ve had people sitting there listening to Hawaiian music, drinking mimosas, and learning about native plants, and really, it’s not just a feel -good moment. They’re actually moving the ball forward on reforestation, but without taking an hour drive and you get up into remote areas where you can’t take two or 300 people. So they’re still giving back, and that’s one of my favorites.
So I tend to ramble a little bit, but that’s just a perfect example of how these companies are coming out here. But just to kind of flow into that, it doesn’t have to be environmental. Some of the things we’re doing are human -related or supporting women helping women or the Boys and Girls Club. There’s environmentalism. So there’s a lot of ways that people can give back, even as simply as…
we’ve done some team building events where people come together and they’ll have different stations of hawaiian games that they participate in and they’re learning about the hawaiian culture and ulu maika or spear throwing but one of the stations is a dry food construction so they have to build something with the theme and they get judged on it they’re building it out of cans and dried goods and then at the end of the event all that’s put on pallets and taken to the maui food bank and donated
So there’s fun ways to give back, again, without getting your fingernails dirty. We’ve done centerpieces that are made out of tropical foods that are edibles. So at the end of the event, those are given, again, to maybe the Kauai Food Bank or the Maui Food Bank. So lots of fun ways. I could keep going. But that is a definite trend over the last few years, to answer your question.
Jake (08:37)
Yeah.
That’s really cool. That is really, really interesting. and it’s great that that’s something that you do. And it’s, I definitely see how your experience in over time being so rooted in Hawaii and Aloha and all of that. It just makes sense, you know, and that’s great that that’s something that people are doing. I actually.
Josh DeSilva (08:55)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Jake (09:00)
haven’t really heard about that. So that’s such a cool thing. And don’t worry about rambling, because this is the whole point of this podcast is people listening and being like, my gosh, what a great thing that we should do. And I’m sure if I haven’t heard about it and I live here, there’s probably a lot of people that don’t live here that are now thinking, huh, I wonder if I could build a floral arrangement with spam cans.
Josh DeSilva (09:05)
Hahaha.
Right.
Yeah, I would say it.
We actually have done that. It’s kind of cute. We have a couple of sunflowers poking out of the empty can. We’ve seen that before. It’s pretty cute and playful. I would say another trend over the last few years, and of course just speaking through my lens of being here in Hawaii, and that is really putting an emphasis on authenticity with the way we’re projecting the Native culture.
Jake (09:22)
I’m sure you have.
Josh DeSilva (09:46)
and sharing the native culture. I think gone are the days of the CEO coming in in a big kahuna costume with the fake coconut bras and kind of in a way unintentionally, but kind of mocking the native culture. I think those days are long gone and we’re trying to educate meeting planners when they come in in a very polite way that you know we want and they’re very welcoming. I will say there’s not a lot of pushback on it, but if somebody wants to do something that’s too kitschy,
We’ll try to just subtly redirect them into something that is maybe more authentic and meaningful and being true to the Hawaiian culture as best we can. So I’d say that’s another trend for sure.
Jake (10:28)
Great, that’s awesome. So with the idea of trends and things that people you really like and that you’re seeing that are going well, what are some things in events that you, I mean, this flows right into you saying like seeing people do kitschy things and dressing as a big kahuna. What are some things that you’re like, absolutely no, like just don’t do that. Please don’t do that. You know, like what, something like that.
Josh DeSilva (10:50)
Yeah, well, it kind of flows at that earlier comment about just mindful tourism and, you know, as a state, we want to put the message out that, you know, coming here and being respectful, firstly, maybe to the Hawaiian culture, I would say, but even aside from that, just being respectful of, you know, private property and trespassing and common sense on the roadways and things like that. So,
From a corporate standpoint, there are some things that we can share with our clients and our meeting planner clients and then whether they get that trickle down to their attendees or not is kind of on their shoulders. But just coming here with that mindfulness, with that respect, we don’t honk at people here. Some of it is going to sound a little obvious, but we’re not littering. We’re trying to leave the place a little better than we found it, which is something we all learned as kids. When we went camping, it says this is nothing new, but it’s definitely being.
being pushed by the state and with that said and rightfully so but with that said we know we can’t control everybody but we’re not trying to make this a spring break destination come here get as wasted as you can yell and scream jump off the things get you know go beyond the borders of the state parks and do what you want to get that killer Instagram photo like those people are still gonna come but if the messaging from our community here is come mindful come with respect.
come with an open heart, come with an open mind and a willingness to learn and to be humble. I think you’re gonna get a lot more out of the experience, you know? And so, you know, there was a time when I think the party thing, and you know, hey, I love partying, I love drinking, I love playing music, you know, all that. That’s all fine, but you’ve gotta kinda keep yourself in check. And when you’re in a destination, you wanna be respectful of that space, right? So it’s just…
in a way, like I said, kind of common sense, but I think if we don’t put that out there, we’re doing everybody a disservice. So we can put it out there. This is what we’re hoping from you. And then try to put that on a plate for them and make it easy. And when I say that, make it easy by working with vendors and activity partners that are also mindful of their impact and where they’re going and how many people we’re taking there.
Jake (12:58)
Yeah. Yeah.
Josh DeSilva (13:14)
you know there’s some beautiful heights out on maui’s north shore for example and i learned many years ago that you know twenty thirty people’s a good number i try to take a hundred something people out there many years ago and just diminishes the experience it bombs out the locals you know so that’s just an example of you know me learning as i’ve gone through my career pipps decades long career
Jake (13:38)
Mm -hmm.
Josh DeSilva (13:40)
you know what’s appropriate and what’s not and and this might be a good moment to just interject that i do feel like the group is nice is good business for the way because in a lot of ways you know my average group sizes two to three hundred people four hundred people those are two three four hundred people that aren’t running cars they’re coming in and being transferred in motor coaches we’re sending them on activities that are fatted with partners that are locally operated businesses that
you have permission to go on the lands they’re going on and do the things they’re doing or have give back initiatives so you know we really can’t procure the top kind of activities that we want to see done here in the islands where is it these people are coming on their own they might just be going willy -nilly and going with subpar providers are going into areas they shouldn’t be going are going there with numbers they shouldn’t be going to you know and so i think
with the group side we’re able to kind of curate the experience where it’s powerful for the attendee but it’s not too extractive to the community you know if that’s a simple way to say that so you know and sometimes people think groups like ooh groups but if those people were still going to come here on their own I do feel like there’s a validity to keeping them together and again even just the simple example of not
Jake (14:49)
Yeah. Yeah.
Josh DeSilva (15:07)
all of them renting cars and being moved in large motor coaches. You got one or two vehicles instead of 50 or 60 vehicles on the road, you know.
Jake (15:09)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah. And I mean, I know that we were, we’re talking about things that you don’t like seeing, but I have to interject a little bit as well, because it’s like, we’re not trying to tell people don’t have fun, you know? And I think that that’s something that comes up a lot. Like, please. yeah, exactly. I was just.
Josh DeSilva (15:21)
Yeah.
Absolutely not. In fact, we are the fun specialists. Yeah. Yeah.
Jake (15:34)
on a trip, actually a group trip. And it was funny because the people that I was with were people that do what I do. And we were talking about it and we’re like, you’re not gonna out -fun us. Like we’re professional fun -havers. Like that is what we do. But…
Josh DeSilva (15:45)
Yes, yes, yes, that’s awesome. Yeah, so yeah.
Jake (15:52)
There’s, you know, being respectful, there’s always, you can always go to the beach, you know, go to the beach. As long as you’re not going out swimming in big waves when you don’t know how to swim, you’re good. Drink as much as you want at the beach. Have fun, you know, take your trash with you, but you know.
Josh DeSilva (15:56)
Of course.
Right.
Right, yeah, and definitely, and I laugh sometimes because we often get asked to do these team building events, and I always say at the end of those, when I’m just watching them, even as a coordinator that’s helped put it together, at the end of the day, my smile muscles hurt because these people are having so much fun, and I’m looking at them, let their hair down, and do whatever it is, the relays, or participate in a Outbrager canoe experience, or…
at the evening events dancing away to one of the island’s top party bands and they’re just, they’re in their mode where they earn this moment and they worked hard to be spoiled like they’re getting spoiled by these organizations, companies. And they really are. A lot of the attendees at my events are type A personalities. They’re very much extroverts. A lot of them, they’re sales people. They love being around people. So you get them in a group together with music or team building or fun.
and they’re the funnest people around, right? So we definitely, I didn’t intend to make it sound like, hey, come out here and we’re gonna keep you muzzled and you’re not gonna have fun. We just want that fun to be safe. We want it to be respectful, you know? So we’re all about bringing in wonderful entertainers, like dueling pianists, for example. And really, you know, I work occasionally with some friends of mine that own a company called Song Division, some of you may have heard of.
and they do rock and roll team building events where groups get together and write their own music and with the concept of experiencing their corporate culture through the music. There’s lots of really great ways to have fun, obviously. The standard ones here on Maui, the snorkel trips, the whale watches, the zip lining, the rainforest waterfall hikes, the ATV tours.
you know the list is long and deep kayaks, snorkeling, surfing lessons, outrigger canoe regattas and lessons, so stand up paddle boarding, I mean on and on and on, there’s so much fun to be had here. Don’t let me shy you away from coming to Hawaii, we can get you going for sure.
Jake (18:14)
Yeah.
Absolutely. And to continue on that, I know that you’ve talked about a bunch of different examples of things that you’ve seen that are really cool and you just listed a whole bunch, but what is the most unique of those ideas that is the most fun? And you don’t, I know that you’re first think thinking about dueling pianos, so it’s okay. Like I know you don’t have to go there. It’s, it’s fine. But what is the most unique fun thing that you’ve seen an event that you’re like, this was just really clever. This was really cool. It worked out really well. Something just.
Josh DeSilva (18:36)
Yeah, well… Yeah.
Jake (18:44)
out of the box.
Josh DeSilva (18:46)
Right, well, gosh, it’s hard having a 34 -year career and operating 50 programs a year. Many of them are five -night programs. So it translates into thousands of events. Before I talk about one that I thought was cool, I want to tell you about one that’s coming up. It’s going to be the first time for us. I know it’s nothing super, super new to the universe as a whole, to planet Earth here. There are people been doing them now.
but it was we’re doing our first drone show for a client on May 15th in Wyleah. And so we’re really excited. The client wanted to put together something really special. So I can’t even speak from experience, but I’ve just seen them on TV at the Olympics and various YouTube clips of coordinated drone shows. But they’re going to have hundreds of drones up in the air flying around in unification with different messaging and symbols and shapes and designs. So I’m really.
curious and excited to check that out. That’s something more on the, I guess you would say on the technological cutting edge of things. But, you know, I remember an event years ago where we sailed from Maui across the channel to Lanai with multiple privately chartered catamarans. And that in itself is a great experience because you’re whale watching. Oftentimes dolphins are following you. You’re out in the tropical waters sailing over to Lanai, but that’s not
you know the end of it so when we get on to shore we’re doing different Hawaiian cultural experience so we’ll do a break people into teams and we’ve had them do blind Hawaiian food taste testing so they could be eating lomi lomi salmon or poi or a certain type of vegetable or a serving dish that’s a Hawaiian nature and you have to look you’re blindfolded so you have to just go on pure taste and then we had like a cliff jumping competition.
and it’s the same you know you’ve got a team different teams competing in all of this stuff and then we participated in a number of hawaiian games and they got to snorkel they had a paddleboard race contest so it kind of wrapped into itself all of these different experiences it touched on hawaiian culture it touched on leisure sailing you know on the way back it’s open bar we’re having molokai mules instead of moscow mules and we’re having ice cream sundaes and
giving awards out to the winning teams. And everybody’s just, they’re relaxed, they’re learning about the culture, they’re on the water, they’re seeing nature. And it’s all kind of stitched together with all these different components where it feels seamless to the participant, right? So it’s all that back of the house coordination that makes it really come off in a way that feels organic for the participants. And they just come home sunburnt and smiling and, you know.
That’s a pretty fun one. I’d have to really, I sat down and thought about it. It’s like, well, what’s the most unique evening event? What’s the most unique team building event? What’s the most unique maybe activity that we’ve curated? So there’d be different answers for all of that. But one of the things that we do as a DMC is we’re always asked by our partners to give the guests an experience they may not be able to have if they were to come on their own.
Jake (21:49)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Josh DeSilva (22:09)
And we hear it time and time again. We want that wow factor. We want that moment where maybe this person has been to the big island before. And what are you going to show them that they didn’t hear about or didn’t know about? And so that, we’re always tasked with that. And I will say that one of the challenges here in Kauai is because of the nature of our resources and being an island, there’s not a lot of new venues being built. There’s not a lot of new hotels being built. There’s not a lot of new activities coming online.
you know occasionally you’ll get something new that the honeybee tour or you know something kinda a little on the fringe that’s newer but it it’s hard to to find new things and that’s what we’re consistently tasked with is is digging a little deeper and not just doing the most common knee -jerk things so i went to hawaiian and went on a whale watch i love whale watches i will never not be excited to see a whale but that’s
that’s not new and sometimes our clients have been here three or four or five times and they’re like what else have you got and that is a challenge here you know i think more so even in the mainland where we’re kind of restricted by what people are allowed to do how they’re able to use the land there’s only so many slips in the harbor meaning there’s only so many boats that can come in the harbor there’s only you know so many venues that allow two or three or four hundred people to be there legally and i have to operate
you know, above board. I don’t have the luxury of doing a small event and winging it at somebody’s private home in Kapalua that doesn’t have legal permits to do events. I don’t live in that world. I have to do things that are permitted and allowed. And a lot of times it’s hard to find new venues. I mean, you get a group of 400 people on Maui and there’s a very small number of places you can legally take them at one time, you know. So that’s one of the challenges and also one of the benefits of working with the DMC is we’ve got our
Jake (23:58)
Yeah.
Josh DeSilva (24:03)
ear to the ground and we’re constantly looking for that new thing, you know, so. Yeah.
Jake (24:08)
Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard that quite a bit with events and musicians and all that when it’s like, when there’s something new, people are generally like, Ooh, tell me about that. Because, because I’ve heard that groups come and they say, okay, well we’ve seen the hoodlah show four times, you know, we, and we come every year. So it’s, you know, not that there’s anything wrong with it, but it’s just, they want to do a different event because they do it every year, you know.
Josh DeSilva (24:20)
Right.
Right. Right. Right.
Yeah. Yeah.
Jake (24:37)
Cool, so with all of those things in mind, and your history and the different things that you’ve done, what’s your current availability? When someone’s gonna plan an event like this, how far out should they start thinking about doing it?
Josh DeSilva (24:50)
Well, that’s a really good question. If anybody’s looking to bring, I’d say, you know, the longer the runway, the better, generally speaking. But I would say, you know, about a year out is good. And I think that for anyone listening that’s unfamiliar with bringing groups to the Hawaiian Islands, we do have a group season. You know, people tend to think of people coming to Hawaii a lot, I think, in the summer. Of course, we know about the snowbirds, people from Canada and the colder states that want to be in Hawaii in the winter.
But for our high season for group business really tends to be kind of mid January through the end of May. And then once we’re in the summer and June, July, August, it tends to really be more about weddings, family trips, and not so much the corporate world. So you might find better rates on the shoulder season if you’re looking to bring a group here. You want to bring them in February or March, you’re probably going to be paying top dollar for those room rates and things like that.
So, you know, we do get the occasional person reaching out saying, hey, I got your name from the Four Seasons or whatnot, and I’m bringing 200 people, we’ll be there in 60 days. And we kind of make a little face and think like, wow, that’s really short term planning for a group of that size. And maybe they should have thought about getting on it a little sooner. And there are availability issues here in Hawaii. You know, when a boat sold out, it’s sold out. When a zip line…
If you can only zipline on March 15th and that’s the one day of your incentive program or your conference that you’re allowed to do that, that’s your free day and all those zipline tours are booked up, you’re out of luck, you know, and then you kind of go into your second tier choice. So there is a great advantage in getting these holds down early so you get to do what you want with the partners you want to be with and not having to go to the second tier operators and things like that. So.
A year is great, eight months is great, six months works. You start to get four, three, two months out and it’s not ideal. Long answer, sorry.
Jake (26:57)
Yeah. No, no, all good. So I know that we talked about kind of what got you into being around musicians and all of that kind of stuff, but what truly got you into the industry and what has kept you here for so many years.
Josh DeSilva (27:12)
Yeah, well this is a bit of a fun personal story, but I lost my mom when I was really young and my grandparents were helping me through college, so I was super grateful to them. And my grandmother had always said, you know, as long as you’re getting good grades and you’re holding up your end of the bargain, we’re going to support you through college. And then it’s over, right? So I was doing an internship with the DMC in San Diego while I was attending University of San Diego.
and I got to the end of the internship and it was my last month of my senior year and my grandmother sent a check helping me with rent and in the memo section she wrote the end and I hit the panic button and I realized that I was really truly on my own with no parents and you know I’m 21 years old and staring down the rent and the car payment and the food and all the stuff.
and where i was in turning said he had done a real i was i was doing an internship with the d c as i mentioned and they said you know you’ve done such a great job with this that we’d like to operate we’ve created a new position we’d like to offer to you so it’s really really low pay but it was like the moment where i went well i gotta pay rent next month’s couple and i you know i i had grown up being very social and being in the music business and
and I was in a fraternity in college and I loved events and partying and I’m like well there’s worse ways to make a living and I had also realized while I was doing this in San Diego that it was a huge part of the tourism and hospitality industry here in Hawaii. Growing up I had no idea what an incentive was. Wasn’t thinking about conferences or meetings. I knew visitors came here. I knew it was a top choice destination for vacations. I knew nothing about.
incentive world and so that internship really opened my eyes to hey this is my ticket home this is how i’m going to get back to hawaii and and i love the business so you know once i i was in it for a couple years i transitioned to working for another d c that was based on a lot but i ran the maui office where i’m from here and i did that for about seven years and then
I had always kind of had planted the seed in my head that I’d really like to steer my own ship and do this for myself. So after about 11 years total in the industry, I had the courage to jump out and started on my own. And that was over 20 years ago. So I’ve had my own business now for 20 years. And I love it. I love the people I work with. And again, just sharing my love of Hawaii with the people that come here, it’s been a real honor.
Jake (29:56)
That’s amazing. That is a crazy story you started out with. You know, I have a really funny story to tell you about how my mom died. And I was just like, what? But it did get better, but you just, the first couple words out of your mouth and I was just like,
Josh DeSilva (30:04)
Yeah, well that part obviously isn’t funny, but…
Yeah, well, not to get too personal, but I think that part of the story was important because it was what I didn’t have a safety net, you know, and I think, you know, my grandma writing those words, it was an important part of the story. So I didn’t mean to start with the downer, but it is really, it was the motivation for me to just say, yep, you know what, I’m going to do this. And it’s crazy, but 34 years later, here I am still doing it, still loving it, still learning.
Jake (30:27)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Josh DeSilva (30:41)
Yeah, it’s been a good ride.
Jake (30:43)
And that’s an amazing story about how, you know, you were like, this is my ticket back to Hawaii. And I think that that’s just such a common thing as people are that have been here, know that they want to be here. People that, that have that feeling. You’re like, no, this is, this is the place that, you know, is very, it’s a, it’s a big thing for people. and I think it brings it full circle as well. Talking about being a professional fun, haver and, and just getting to, getting to experience it, like you said, and getting to, to work with people and.
Josh DeSilva (30:55)
Yeah.
Yeah.
It is.
Yeah.
Jake (31:12)
What a better way to do that than to get to be in this kind of industry where it’s like we literally get to go out with people and have fun, you know, and just be happy. It’s amazing. And we live in an amazing place. So.
Josh DeSilva (31:14)
Right.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, DMC business in particular and maybe the wedding industry as well, but it’s really like a master class in hospitality because you’ve got to know a little bit about everything as opposed to, and I take no thunder away from people that are, you know, selling hotels or work selling charters on boats. It’s we need you and we’re happy you’re there. When you’re wearing that DMC hat, you have to know about
boats, you have to know about the hotels, you have to know about production, lighting, sound, audio visual, logistics, transportation, team building, gifting. It’s like insane. You have to know a little bit about all of those things and be real careful about who you work with. I like to joke that we’re experts at bringing together the experts. So I’m not an AV expert, but I know the AV experts and I know how to tell if they’re good.
Jake (31:55)
Yeah.
Josh DeSilva (32:16)
You know what I mean? So it’s like you really touch a lot of things. And I think that’s the reason I’ve been able to stay in the industry so long is I’m never bored. It’s always different. It’s on a different island with a different group size at a different resort and a different corporate culture of the clientele you’re dealing with. And so there’s very little repetitiveness to what we do. And it keeps it interesting and challenging at the same time. Yeah.
Jake (32:17)
That’s what I was just going to say.
Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing. Yeah, it’s important. It’s all about networking and knowing the people. I don’t know it, but I know someone that does. Always having an answer for those things. Well, thank you so much for joining. It was so great talking to you. And I honestly really wanna talk to you again, because this was a great interview. You’re great at talking through all these things and have amazing stories. So I appreciate it. And go book your events.
Josh DeSilva (32:48)
Alright.
Yeah, right. I know a guy.
super great.
All right.
Yeah, well thank you Jake. I appreciate the opportunity and I look forward to partnering again in some fashion either on a podcast or watch the dueling fingers.
Jake (33:18)
Yeah, exactly. There you go. Cool. Well, thank you. Aloha.
Josh DeSilva (33:21)
Thank you. Aloha.
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