It’s taken 18 years, but at long last, the Hawai‘i Convention Center is looking to notch its first profit since opening in 1998. The projected $14,000 balance might seem small, but when averaged annual losses have been about $4 million, that $14,000 is huge.

Surely one key factor is the management change that occurred in 2014, when AEG Facilities took over from the one and only previous operator, SMG Hawaii. New blood and fresh ideas are good things, in this case.

More recently, Hawaii’s hosting of prestigious events such as the IUCN World Conservation Congress in September bolsters confidence in the convention center as a compelling venue. Let’s hope we’re at the start of a very welcome trajectory.