This season Latino Connection had the opportunity to experience one of the largest Latino media conferences in the country, Hispanicize. Hispanicizeevent.org describes Hispanicize as “ The largest annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in digital content creation, journalism, marketing, entertainment and tech entrepreneurship.” For its 9th year, Hispanicize took over the J.W Marriott in Downtown Miami, where fresh and innovative Latino culture and imagination is celebrated in an atmosphere of creativity and artistry, a perfect setting next to Miami’s Art District in Wynwood.
Hispanicize is an experience more than an event. All up and coming, seasoned professionals, young, visionaries and veterans of industries like media, television and journalism should experience this very interactive three-day event. Hispanicize is a showcase of incredible talent under one roof, where celebrities and influencers teach and share their own expertise to those currently in the industry or aspiring to delve into it.
The event was filled with notable people such as Don Francisco, who brought us nostalgic memories from days at Abuela’s house, watching Sabado Gigante (“y fuera!”). As well as media influencer and 2018 Latinovator Award recipient LeJuan James, who keeps us laughing for hours with impressions of all of our strict and traditional Latina Mothers. Popular musicians of the culture were also in attendance, like Oscar D’ Leon, Frank Reyes, Fonseca, MelyMel and another 2018 Latinovator recipient Olga Tañon. Attendees were able to learn first-hand from award winning reporters, journalists and producers during breakout sessions around various topics. Some sessions included: “Why Connecting with a Deeper Sense of Purpose is the Key to Success”
with Emmy Award winning TV host Kira Villanova, “Don’t Call it Networking: It’s Always About Relationships” from President & CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute Mary Ann Gomez Orta and CEO of República Jorge Plasencia and learning the future of big brands like “CVS y Más: Growth through Hispanic Initiatives” with Lenny Marrero Senior Director of Business Growth and Vince Urrutia Vice President / Chief Merchant. Other sessions allowed attendees to learn exclusive tips and tricks around digital media kits, shooting and lighting techniques, financial wellness, journalism techniques and content creation as well as marketing strategies, and great opportunities for one on one advice and networking with industrypros.
One of the more anticipated events of the conference is the Positive Impact Awards presented by Prudential. The Positive Impact Awards recognizes those who contribute selflessly for the betterment of their community. “We’ve been partners with Hispanicize since 2015, and we really saw this as a tremendous opportunity for outreach into the Hispanic community. The Positive Impact Awards for us really is the highlight of the event, and it really ties into our values as a company as well,” says Silvia Tergas, Financial Planner of Prudential “just celebrating the community, celebrating success and celebrating the strength of individuals and really how collectively we make such a huge difference in the community. We are tremendously proud to be sponsors of Hispanicize, it has really been a very positive one for us.”
Another highly anticipated event at Hispanicize, which is now a segment in its 3rd year was El Latino Perfect Pitch, presented by Wells Fargo. “El Latino Perfect Pitch is a competition, similar to Shark Tank where we do an outreach to our partners and constituents at large via social media” explains V.P of Hispanic Segment Strategy at Wells Fargo Xochitl Leon,“we encourage small business owners who are just starting their business idea and haven’t been established for more than 5 years to apply to win a $5,000 recognition award, coaching, access to PR, exposure to their business and this year access to the Stanford Entrepreneurship Program.” The competition incorporates a live audience and three judges with established companies within their own industries,who all give crucial feedback to contestants that they can take back to their business, which Xochitl explains is really the ultimate goal of El Perfect Pitch.
Aside from the competition we learned Wells Fargo offers unique tools for business owners such as Wells Fargo Works which is a dedicated portal for education on how to start a business plan and marketing plan, so business owners just starting and seasoned, can figure out the next steps to elevate their business. This years Perfect Pitch Winner was Lynda Peralta of Pocket Palette, a product dedicated towomen on the go. Her solid pitch and bullet proof Q&A session inspired the audience and was met with enthusiasm from the Judges. The Pocket Palette, a throw away makeup kit, that can be thrown away after a single use, leaving the mess of a make-up bag at home.Peralta received $5,000 she will use towards production of the Pocket Palette, and a network of resources from Wells Fargo.
At Hispanicize, we were met with upbeat vibes, lively personalities, inspiring testimonies, and embracing opportunities mirroring the values of Latino Communities across the globe. We were motivated by the incredible talent that filled up all three days of this highly successful event and we look forward to an even bigger conference in 2019.