Hundreds of small businesses are hoping this year's Made in Hawaii Festival will boost exposure and sales at a time when the economy is slowing and consumer confidence is waning.

The festival, Aug. 15-17 in the Blaisdell Center's arena and exhibition hall, is produced by the Hawaii Food Industry Association and sponsored by First Hawaiian Bank.

More than 420 businesses of all sizes will be displaying their goods and services to prospective commercial buyers, as well as to a projected 37,000 potential customers.

Since it began in 1995, the festival has served as a springboard for many small-business owners looking for an inexpensive way to promote their products. Many owners have been able to develop business contacts at the show that have helped them grow their business.

Dick Botti, Hawaii Food Industry Association president, said this year's festival is of greater importance because of the state of the economy.

"We have a lot of very small exhibitors that make stuff at home and bring it to the festival to sell. For them, it's their bread and butter," Botti said. "We like to think of the festival as a small-business incubator. That's why we invite the buyers. If buyers come, they see new items and they can negotiate a price on quantity and will be able to keep these businesses growing and making products for the next year."

Botti said the show also is crucial for buyers because they can sample and evaluate thousands of products under one roof.

"They don't have to go to a bunch of buying shows," he said.

For first-time exhibitor Leilani Lee-LaHue, the event will allow her to promote the Aloha Surfboard Sling she designed to carry surfboards, one-man canoes and stand-up paddle boards. Lee-LaHue, an avid surfer and owner of BGS Waikiki, developed her sling after a suffering a serious muscle ailment.

She said she spent years finding the right material for the sling and designing it to carry a big board as well as take the pressure off her shoulders and back.

Lee-LaHue said she created the sling for herself and not originally to sell. But now that she is selling it, Lee-LaHue said, she hopes the festival will lead to bigger and better sales of of her product.

"I'm hoping for exposure, because I'm able to bring something that was made here, not in China. The product will never be made anywhere else," Lee-Lahue said.

Lee-LaHue said she sews the slings herself and can produce up to 60 a week. But she said she could increase production should she connect with a retailer or buyer at the festival.

"I can do a hundred a day. It's that easy," she said.

An added feature at this year's festival will be a post office, which Botti said will allow people to ship their purchased goods home rather than worry about transporting them. Festival attendees will be able to purchases flat-rate boxes, load them up and ship them anywhere.

"This is going to be a big thing for tourists. With the luggage issue, they can just put the box in the mail and get rid of it right there and then go back to shop," Botti said. "I don't know if this will increase the door count, but I do believe it will increase the sales because the people who come on the bus, they can't take bags back with them and they are limited. This gets rid of that limitation."