Power luau brings together leaders of 21 Asia-Pacific economies...UPDATE: A post about the event IS HERE
On Saturday evening, President Obama and First Lady Obama will host the centerpiece social event for the 2011 APEC Leaders Meeting, a dinner, reception and cultural performances. The events will be at the Hale Koa Hotel, a "72-acre tropical oasis fronting the finest stretch of beach in Waikiki." The dinner will be prepared by Hawaiian chef Alan Wong. The President's weekend summit schedule is here; the First Lady's schedule is here. (Top: The invitation to the Reception)
At a 6:20 PM Arrival Ceremony, the President and Mrs. Obama will formally greet the Leaders and spouses of the 20 Asia-Pacific economies attending the summit as they arrive for the dinner, including South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak, China's President Hu Jintao, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev, and Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Dinner is scheduled to begin at 7:20 PM. A reception that will include more guests will follow at 8:45 PM, when there will be a presentation of cultural performances.
President Obama will meet with Hu, Medvedev, and Noda in separate bilaterals today. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk arrived in Honolulu ahead of the President. It will be Mr. Obama's first meeting with Hu since his State Visit to the White House in January of this year. President Lee was honored with a State Visit in October.
Also invited to this evening's power luau are business CEOS attending the summit, including executives from Boeing, General Electric, Time Warner Cable, and Caterpillar. Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie, Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle and City Council members, as well as local luminaries have also been invited. Guests were asked to RSVP by e-mail for the reception through the Office of the Chief of Protocol in the State Department, giving personal details for background checks. (Above: The response card for the reception; the e-mail address has been removed)The President was born in Honolulu, and attended school there for part of his boyhood. The First Family vacations on Oahu each year during the Christmas holiday, staying at a rented beachfront compound in the town of Kailua, across the island from Honolulu.
The APEC Leaders Meeting begins President Obama's nine-day tour through the Asia Pacific region; he travels to Australia on Tuesday morning and then to Indonesia.
*Photo by AP/pool