Maui's High-Tech Conference: From 300 to 1,300 Attendees in 25 Years!

The Advanced Maui Optical Space Surveillance and Technology Conference has seen a massive growth from 300 attendees over 25 years ago to 1,300 participants from 25 countries today. The event, organized by the Maui Economic Development Board, will take place from September 16-19, 2025, at the Wailea Beach Resort Marriott.

Leslie Wilkins, CEO of the Maui Economic Development Board, emphasizes that the conference aims to bridge technical gaps and encourages international cooperation to advance space sustainability. This vision was initiated by the late Colin Cameron, who founded the Maui Economic Development Board and supported the Maui Research & Technology Park, which houses a supercomputer utilized by the U.S. Space Force.

The conference highlights the growing congestion in space as now more than hundreds of thousands of objects are tracked, including satellites and space debris. In 2024, 56% of attendees were from the industry, 11% from the military, and 9% from academia.

A recent highlight includes a $176 million contract awarded to support space research at the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site (AMOS). This collaboration aims to enhance machine learning and artificial intelligence for space operations.

Maui entrepreneur Daron Nishimoto, a graduate in physics, has benefited from this high-tech environment, transitioning from working with Boeing to launching his own software companies. The conference has attracted over 300 research submissions this year, covering critical topics like space weather and space debris.

Wilkins stresses the importance of a global cooperative arrangement in the space community to ensure responsible stewardship of both earth and space. Over the past 25 years, the conference has welcomed more than 17,000 international participants from 42 countries, fostering knowledge sharing and collaboration within the global space community.