Brian Pittman’s spotlight: Manny Ruiz, Founder, Hispanicize 2012;. Read the entire article at CommPro.
What’s new for Hispanicize 2012, the annual event focused on Latino trends and trendsetters in social media, entertainment, marketing and media? For starters, the event has broadened in its third year to include Latino filmmakers and innovators—not just brands, media, marketers and bloggers relevant to the broader Hispanic community. To be held at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Miami, the event is being billed as a launch pad for creative endeavors, new products, technologies, marketing campaigns, films, and even books targeting Latinos.
If this sounds a bit like an SXSW-inspired turn for an event that premiered as a conference with a PR and blogging focus, that’s by design, assures founder Manny Ruiz: “First, we are not a conference anymore. That’s boring and drab. We are an event,” he says. “Second, I went to SXSW and came away inspired with a vision for a much wider event. It’s PR on steroids. We went way beyond simply increasing PR and social media sessions. This reflects the evolution of PR and blurring of the lines. Film, media, social media—it’s all a vehicle for communicating with this growing demographic. We’re rolling it all together.”
In addition, the event this year will also serve as the stage where important new media companies focused on Hispanics will be unveiled, as well as new ventures, adds Ruiz. “It’s all things Latino and is the iconic annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers,” he says. “It’s the epitome of cool.”
Look no further than the fact that the conference is bringing an unprecedented mega-mansion screening of “Scarface” to Miami on April 13 and you’ll see it’s true. Intrigued?
Then read on for more insights into the conference, straight from its founder…