None of the Hawaii-based businesses involved in the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting are expecting to walk away from the event with a stack of signed deals for their products and services.

But for many of the firms, APEC will be a rare chance to garner attention on a global stage. And for a handful it will mean coveted face time with top government officials and corporate executives from the Asia-Pacific region.

"Normally these kinds of events don’t provide a chance for world leaders to interact with local businesses," said Tim Johns, vice chairman of the APEC Host Committee. "We saw this as an opportunity to get our business success stories in front of as many eyes as possible."

The Host Committee selected five companies, one from each county and a statewide representative, that will receive special recognition at program events and be alloted space on the floor of the Hawai‘i Convention Center during the weeklong APEC leaders meeting starting Nov. 7. The firms were chosen from 39 companies competing for inclusion in the Hawaii Business Innovation Showcase program.

The committee also teamed up with the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii to create the Hawaii Virtual Business Marketplace, an interactive website designed to provide businesses the opportunity to advertise and market their products and services, and engage global audiences through a virtual medium.

"I don’t think it (APEC) will land us a whole heap of customers," said Rick Vidgen, chief executive officer of Big Island Carbon, a startup company that is one of the five selected companies.

"Maybe we’ll get some business and that will be OK," Vidgen said. The company’s primary goal, however, is to make business contacts and raise the profile of Big Island Carbon in its biggest potential market: Asia.

"If you make a connection with someone, it can help later on, especially if it’s someone in government who can help you out when you get over there," Vidgen said.

Vidgen said he was aiming to attend as many events as possible but was particularly interested in receptions hosed by the South Korean and Hong Kong delegations.

Big Island Carbon, founded two years ago and launched with $40 million in private equity funding, takes shells from Hawaii island macadamia processors and converts them into carbon using a biomass conversion process. Its plant is near Kawaihae Harbor on land leased from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The granular activated carbon is used in a variety of applications, including for energy storage in hybrid cars, wind turbines and cellphones.

The company is preparing to send out the first shipment of carbon made at its Kawaihae facility next week.

Hank C.K. Wuh, whose Skai Ventures also received a Hawaii Business Innovation Showcase award, said local companies will have to focus their marketing efforts if they want to benefit from the APEC meeting.

"We still have to really work hard to get their attention because they’re not here to see us," Wuh said. "The world is a busy place. The APEC participants will have a lot of things on their minds, and so the idea is during that brief moment when people will be paying attention to all things Hawaii, we have to engage them.

"I view APEC as an opportunity for the world to discover what an amazing place this is in all the different sectors, not just technology," said Wuh, a surgeon by training.

One of Skai’s portfolio companies, Skai Vision Institute, uses Hawaii’s natural beauty and famous climate in its marketing effort to attract out-of-state patients in need of eye surgery and vision restoration.

For Honolulu-based clean energy company Sopogy Inc., APEC will give it a chance to strengthen its foothold in Asia, where it already has projects in Thailand, Singapore and Japan, said Darren Kimura, president and chief executive officer.

Having dozens of potential customers under one roof is extremely beneficial from a logistical standpoint, he said. A typical business trip to Asia involves 18 hours of flying time each way and considerable expense for airfare and hotel stays.

"Here we can hit five or six countries at once," Kimura said. "It will save us months’ worth of traveling."

Kimura said Sopogy is planning to take potential customers on tours of its office in Honolulu and its solar power facility in Kona. "We’re planning on doing quite a bit of show and tell."

Dan O’Connell, CEO of Wailuku-based HNU-Energy, said his company’s participation in APEC will provide networking opportunities in a region with significant growth potential. HNU specializes in renewable energy generation, battery storage and high-efficiency lighting.

"The APEC forum gives us access to potential customers around the world, and we look forward to marketing our products and services to a global audience," O’Connell said.

"Renewable energy is a global issue, and HNU would like to pursue opportunities to grow in the Pacific Basin. We’re open to discussing potential technology licensing agreements, joint marketing ventures and cooperative research initiatives."