Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. is bringing dealers, employees and spouses from more than 1,400 dealerships to Honolulu for its annual dealer meeting this week as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The dealers will meet at the Hawai'i Convention Center from Friday through Monday to discuss sales of their Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles. It also includes a private O'ahu concert by Aerosmith at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's Les Murakami Stadium. (See related story on A1.)

"Toyota U.S.A. is celebrating its 50th year in business and thought it is fitting to honor its dealers with an anniversary event in the 50th state,'' according to Cindy Knight, a company spokeswoman.

Hawai'i is also a sentimental choice for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., which held its first dealer meeting here in 1973, when representatives from 900 dealerships were flown to Honolulu. At that event, 17 cars for the 1974 model year were previewed for dealers after having been airlifted from Japan to Hawai'i for the event.

The dealership meeting has been held here three times since, in 1976, 1983 and 1991. In 2000, Lexus held its national dealer meeting on Maui.

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. said its 2007 meeting will be notable in the steps it's taking to lessen the environmental impact of people traveling and staying here. That includes using products such as paper plates made of recycled paper and biodegradable utensils made of potato starch.

Plans call for using generators burning a biodiesel blend and for recycling of waste. It will donate all leftover nonperishable food to a local nonprofit. About 25 percent of flowers will be donated to hospitals and schools, while the remainder will be sent to a local composting and recycling facility.

The meeting also plans to source about half of the food it consumes here from 11 local farmers.