In one hour... Jaguares tickets on NUEVAS TARDES

Nuevas Tardes is the local Latino Family program, with interviews, entertainment, and surprises for the television audience.

>>This evening at 6:30 on Nuevas Tardes, tickets to the Jaguares concert will be given away.

Tune in to Channel 45, Azteca America network!

KCTS/V-Me to help us through Tough Times

Need help untangling the financial news? Do you know where to turn for job retraining help?

Tune in to KCTS 9 on Tuesdays beginning March 3, at 7:00 p.m. for the first of three
episodes of Tough Times: Rising Above the Financial Crisis, or go online to
KCTS9.org/ToughTimes for information, resources and solutions.

Mark Your Calendars (premiere air dates only)
Tough Times: Rising Above the Financial Crisis: A KCTS 9 Special Report
Part 1: Unemployment Tuesday, March 3 7:00 p.m.
Part 2: Housing Tuesday, March 10 7:00 p.m.
Part 3: Personal Finance Tuesday, March 17 7:00 p.m.

These specials will also be translated into Spanish and aired on V-Me, their digital Spanish language channel (check your schedule for those times).

TODAY ONLY! Discount for Market to the Max

Apparently as a speaker I'm allowed to let my guests know that they can register for the all-day Market to the Max conference on March 11 for $199 (more than $100 off the standard non-member registration).

It's not just about Hispanic marketing--my panel is just one piece of the total picture. Take a look at all the speakers and topics!

So - if you're interested, please let me know asap by calling 206-621-2185 or lauri@conexion-marketing.com and I'll clue you in on how to get that discount! Today only, folks!

More info on multicultural PR ...

The Public Relations Society of America Puget Sound chapter has a neat blog, and they recently updated it to include more info on the panel I was on last week that related to multicultural PR practices.

Take a look! I think they're adding a podcast and when they do, I'll post that as well. Sharing the info with my readers! Let me know if you have any questions/comments.

SDMA Market to the Max - early registration ends TODAY

Hello - just a quick note that this year's Market to the Max, featuring my breakout session on High Touch, High Value Hispanic Marketing, ends its early registration deal at the end of the day today. There will be lots of great topics and speakers, and plenty of networking opportunities.

This could be the event that kick-starts your Spring!

Check it out! www.markettothemax.com

Hispanic MBAs - OPPORTUNITIES

The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) has a couple of exciting updates:

• The NSHMBA Scholarship Program awarded more than $1.4M in education assistance in 2008 and they're looking to reward Hispanic MBA students in 2009. Application deadline is April 30th. Register and apply online.
• Networking and Recruitment Events sponsored by our local sponsor companies, such as Microsoft, Starbucks, and Amazon
• The National NSHMBA Conference and Case Competitions to be held in Minneapolis, MN in 2009

For more information please visit the NSHMBA Seattle Chapter site or contact:

Anthony M. Garcia
National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA)
VP of Education, Seattle Chapter
415.515.6452

CULTURAL COMPETENCE a must-have in our global economy

Today SU has organized on a really cool program for grad students: Communicating your Multicultural Competence through your Resume.

The workshop, put on by the Career Center and Office of Multicultural Affairs, explores the importance of multicultural competence in various professional roles. They'll help students develop concrete resume bullet points that speak to individual awareness, knowledge, and skills.

I served on a panel this morning for Public Relations Society of America Puget Sound that dealt with multicultural trends and issues as they pertain to PR. It was an insightful, informative panel (Steve Sneed of FESTAL and Chris Ishiwaki of Sound Mental Health added a lot of expertise), but there will be a podcast available soon so I won't go into it here.

BUT GET THIS: In 2025, one of every four U.S. residents will be Latino. In 2050, half of the U.S. will be a "minority." Diversity is the new white! And employers appreciate that value-add you bring when you can demonstrate cultural competence in the workplace. At the same time, your life can be enriched by a better understanding of cultures.

We've heard from several contacts that clients are looking for cultural competence, and they want to know where to get it. Well, there's no easy button for that! Start looking at/listening to/watching different media that might open your eyes, read books that detail other cultures, meet new people who can bring their cultural gifts to the friendship, attend events that open your eyes to new traditions, learn a language!

These are some of the ways to enhance your cultural competence. You can also hire cultural experts, such as Lee Mozena of Zenith Diversity. Lee's a pro at this, and her personal strength is in Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures. You can check out www.zenithdiversity.com. One event of hers that I'm looking forward to is next week, and it's FREE:

WHAT: Cultural Keys and Cues: A Guide for "Northwest Nice" Folks

WHEN: February 25, Noon - 1pm

WHERE: Community Capital Development, 1437 S. Jackson St, Seattle 98144

Here's the blurb: Increase your confidence, skills and awareness in dealing with non-Western cultures. This seminar helps mainstream business owners understand and effectively manage cultural differences at work. Learn specific "do's and don'ts" around issues like touch, eye contact and gender roles, plus the WHY behind them. Discover how cultural norms and values influence employee behaviors around time, interacting styles, respect and community obligations.

Hope to see you there!