Creating a Better World Through Business: At LATISM 2012

One late evening at my previous job, I received a call from the U.S. State Department saying they’d like our organization (the Latin Business Association) to share our insights into the U.S. Hispanic business market at the U.N. in New York City. Yes, I too thought it was a prank call. It wasn’t! And so I lost sleep for weeks thinking about what I’d say to Secretary Collin Powell who’d be attending the event.

I still think of those 15 minutes of fame at the U.N. as a highlight in my life. But it was only a few years later that I found myself hiking the Inca Trails, minutes from getting my first glimpse of Machu Picchu – perhaps lack of oxygen or lack of sleep – but I had a profound and nagging question in my head: when I’m gone, what will I be remembered for?

Houston, LATISM – Here We Come!

With the increasing access to new technologies, resources, and ideas, business opportunities are flourishing for Latino entrepreneurs now more than ever.

As part of the Business Track at this year’s #LATISM Conference in Houston, I have the distinct honor of sharing tactics, case studies, marketplace best practices and culturally relevant approaches for supporting social enterprises — the do-good-to-do-well business owners.

Having spent many years developing entrepreneurial programs for a business lobbying organization, and now as CEO of CONEXION, which virtually manages Hispanic Chambers of Commerce throughout California,  New York, and D.C., I am eager to share and exchange knowledge that moves our community forward.

Super excited and ready to pow-wow in Houston with my LATISM family.

For details on the conference or to register, visit: http://conference.latism.org/.

Good Food L.A. + [INFOGRAPHIC]

This post is about getting you involved with the Good Food Day LA project, a citywide event and day of service dedicated to learning about, celebrating and volunteering to strengthen the food system for all Angelenos. The event simultaneously brings together nearly forty sites and thousands of volunteers and participants who will be engaged in activities throughout Los Angeles – and you can learn about them and sign-up to participate here.

Good Food Day LA culminates in the afternoon at the Metabolic Studio, near Chinatown and will feature a resource fair, food trucks, chef demonstrations, and a cabbage cooking contest called “From Kim Chee to Cole Slaw” which will be judged by Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold and several renowned chefs. It will be followed by a panel discussion at 1pm focused on the fight for food workers’ rights and Fair Food across the globe.

For me, this is an opportunity to empower our community to take charge of our food supply. When we become the food producers, not just the consumers, we indirectly promote healthier lifestyles that prevent debilitating diseases, while saving money and the planet by getting our produce from our own backyards. Plus, I’m convinced there is nothing fresher, tastier, or more gratifying than growing our own food.

The infographic below is a baseline assessment of our current relationship with food:

There are more than 50 personal and professional development events on the Conexion calendar; just click here or follow us on Facebook.

Thanks for reading.
Cheers to good health!
Edgar

3 Wow Factors to Producing Kick-butt Events

From Avatar Star to Modern Family Mom to Superstar Director, they were in one place...

Last year alone, our company produced or co-produced more than 50 events, and over 250 since the business was founded just five years go. Before making the entrepreneurial jump, I had the daunting task and delight of producing events that included two U.S. Presidents (at separate times) and Fortune-100 CEOs as keynotes.
The point is, I’ve learned that no matter the type, the fundamentals of producing a kick-butt event that audiences are willing to travel and pay good money for are the same. I call these fundamentals the “wow factors.” Here they are in order of importance:

USHCC Convention Recap, Business Takeaways And Event Photos

It had been exactly four years since I last attended a US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Convention & Business Expo. I last attended as Executive Director of the Latin Business Association (LBA) in a capacity of acquiring knowledge and networking at a top level. This year I was attending (along with my team) as the social media manager behind the Convention. As luck would have it, this year’s event was held in sunny Florida at the glamorous Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. It’s a dirty job that I’m happy to do.

The journey began out of Monrovia, California, two days before the actual convention. We arrived early to become closely acquainted with the venue for purposes of covering more territory while blogging, tweeting and posting live on Facebook more efficiently. Of course our plans also included catching some rays and enjoying a relaxing meal pool side. The calm before the storm, I guess.