(BIVN) – Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono kicked off a special Facebook event geared towards small business owners in Hilo on Monday.

The seminar drew a packed house into the Crown Room of the Grand Naniloa Hotel.

“In a 21st century economy, using social media to promote Hawaii’s small businesses is a necessity. I look forward to working with Facebook and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii to help entrepreneurs start up or improve their use of social media to expand their reach and grow their businesses,” said Senator Hirono in a media release before the event.

After Hirono’s opening speech, it was down to the presentation by the Facebook reps. Billed as a free workshop to “Boost Your Business”, the social media giant recommended the use of video – especially live video – as one of the best tools to accumulate engagement, which they say will lead to a better bottom line.

There are more than 65 million businesses worldwide using Facebook to connect with customers, the company says, and approximately 8 in 10 Facebook users are connected to at least one small business in their network.

The event was co-hosted by the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii.