Beyond the Tournament Halls of the 2024 Pokémon World Championships
by Julia Higgins
When your client asks you to fly out to Hawaii, the answer is always yes – add that it’s for the capstone event of the year, the answer is double yes! This month, I had the opportunity to head to Honolulu for the 2024 Pokémon World Championships, where the best Pokémon players from around the globe competed for the title of World Champion; the championships are the pinnacle of the Play! Pokémon program and feature competitions across the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), Pokémon video games, Pokémon GO, and Pokémon UNITE. The event hosted thousands of fans and supporters- I can’t even begin to describe just how incredible the energy was!
Outside of the tournament, The Pokémon Company International hosted an array of local events and themed pop-ups around Honolulu, which offered plenty of fun for those who couldn’t score a ticket to the tournament. As a result of the off-site activities, local Honolulu media outlets didn’t just cover the tournament – but covered everything in between. And while there was fun at every corner, I am sharing my top off-tournament happenings:
- Trainer Town: Hilton Hawaiian Village: Trainers were invited to visit the ‘Pokémon Worlds Trainer Town,’ at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort all week long to celebrate this year’s championships! Located on the resort’s ‘Great Lawn,’ the activation featured fun and free family-friendly activities, including meet and greets with Pikachu and friends, streaming, guest speakers, branded photo moments, surfboard decorating and much more. To honor the 2024 tournament location, the ‘Pokémon Worlds Trainer Town’ also kicked off with an exclusive event only for Hawaiʻi State residents where residents with a valid state ID were warmly welcomed ahead of the general public. This free activation allowed the entire community to come out and celebrate Pokémon with friends and family, making it a hit with local media and fans!
- ANA Pikachu Jet Landing: To kick off the tournament weekend, The Pokémon Company International and All Nippon Airways (ANA) officially welcomed competitors from Japan to this year’s World Championships with the landing of ANA’s specially painted “Pikachu Jet NH” (yes, you read that right)! Following the landing, competitors were warmly welcomed by special guest, Pikachu, and live music in the ‘arrivals’ area – it was truly a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget!
- Genki Balls Formation: In what was my personal favorite of the week, The Pokémon Company International teamed up with the Genki Ala Wai Project to help restore the Ala Wai Canal’s ecosystem through the creation and utilization of ‘Genki Balls.’ During the event, the community was invited to the Hawaiʻi Convention Center to create their own ‘Genki Balls’ out of clay soil, rice bran, molasses, water, and effective microorganisms. Following the formation, the ‘Genki Balls’ were thrown into the canal to support local cleanup efforts – it was awesome to see everyone come together to support this year’s event location.
- Pokémon World Championships Drone Show: Pikachu and friends dazzled the Hawaii skies with a nightly drone show that took place on August 15, August 17, and August 18. The free show offered beach goers and those just passing through to experience magic in the sky as fan-favorite Pokémon shined bright in a unique, one-of-a-kind, show – making it another highlight of the week for me!
And while Hawaii was a blast, we’re already thinking about what next year holds in sunny Anaheim, California!