Booming Sector: Latinos Are Ready to Build, Buy

Forty-two million voices are hard to ignore. The 2000 U.S. Census indicated that individuals from Latin America represented 52 percent of the country's total foreign-born population, making Latinos the largest minority in the nation. From Eva Longoria in the ever-popular "Desperate Housewives" to Ricky Martin and Shakira, Latinos' pop culture icon status is more powerful than ever.

Latinos have also become a force in the American economy, and the development of events targeted to the Latino market supports the group's influence.

"In terms of numbers, it's 42 million and growing," said Bill Herman, COO of Agile Events. Latinos "are a big part of the economy. They're red hot and underserved."

Last year, Agile launched Expo Tu Casa in Chicago and Los Angeles. This year, the company expanded the consumer show that features everything for the home to Houston, Dallas and Phoenix.

"It's a strong market for sure. You've got to run to keep up," said Jim Sullivan, executive director of Latino Literacy Now, the nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting literacy among Latinos. It will put on four Latino Book & Family Festivals this year in Houston, Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Both Expo Tu Casa and the Latino Book & Family Festivals cater to the Latino consumer.

The idea for the Latino book festivals was born in 1997, and the shows have grown steadily ever since.

"The main goal is to promote and hold Latino writers as role models," Sullivan said.

Sullivan would like to expand to other regions, such as New York, Miami and Northern California, but can only grow so fast.

"We don't have to seek out cities to expand to," he said. "We're approached by them to bring the festival."

Expo Tu Casa was founded with the intention of starting a vertical product-specific event for the Latino consumer.

Herman said previous events targeting the Latino audience were not all that sophisticated, typically beer-and-band gatherings where the focus was on socializing, or the broad Latino lifestyle expo that had everything for everyone. These events still are usually held in B- or C-level facilities such as fairgrounds, he said.

Consequently, Agile quickly found an audience when it took the Latino-oriented event up a notch or two.

"(Agile) uses convention centers to produce its events with simple things like aisle carpet and registration systems to show the Hispanic consumer they're important," Herman said.

Everything at the shows, from the staff to the graphics, is bilingual. Herman said exhibitors are not required to speak Spanish, but it is helpful.

"We're giving people with unease the comfort of hearing it in their own language," he said.

Herman said growth for his shows will come with new markets. Expo Tu Casa will expand to Miami and San Antonio in 2007, and perhaps Atlanta, Colorado and Northern California after that. The events have also seen growth in their sponsorships. Herman said home center Lowe's sponsored the Los Angeles show in 2005 and has signed on to sponsor shows in Houston and Phoenix this year as well.

Jennifer Smith, public relations manager for Lowe's, said the company is always looking for ways to reach out to the consumer. Since Expo Tu Casa targets the Latino homeowner, it is a "great way to reach the consumer in areas with a large Hispanic population," she said.

Bank of America sponsors several Expo Tu Casa events, as well as the Latino Career Expo in Boston.

According to Bank of America spokeswoman Diane Wagner, 50 percent of the bank's new hires in the past two years have been fluent in Spanish. She said because the bank was originally founded as the Bank of Italy by an Italian immigrant, the Bank of America understands the importance of integrating its products and services into non-traditional markets.

Launched in Boston on St. Patrick's Day 2004, the Latino Career Expos serve as a welcome environment for Latinos looking for either a job or career change.

With more than 2,000 job seekers and 35 to 40 exhibitors, Alberto Vasallo, vice president of El Mundo, which puts on the events, said exhibitors ran out of materials halfway through the first event.

Due to the overwhelming response, El Mundo launched a second Boston expo and started another in Lawrence, Mass. Each event now draws about 1,500 attendees.

El Mundo is New England's first Spanish-language publication. Published by Carib Communications, the weekly newspaper has plans to launch the Latino Home Expo geared toward people who want to be connected with bilingual professionals in the real estate industry, Vasallo said.

Agile plans to launch Expo Celebraciones, a new consumer event, next year as well. Dates are being held in Miami and New York, according to Herman. The show, which will promote weddings and quinceneras, will be collocated with the Miami edition of Expo Tu Casa.

Consumer show producers aren't the only ones who got the Latino-market memo. Diversified Communications launched Expo Comida Latina in 2002 in Los Angeles. The show provides manufacturers and business owners with a place to focus exclusively on Latino food and beverage, said Brian Randall, group vice president. The show expanded to New York in 2003 and Texas last year.

"Last year, salsa surpassed ketchup as the No. 1 condiment in the U.S.," he said. "America is a melting pot. Adopting Latin foods is a natural progression, just like we adopted pizza and egg rolls."

Some Expo Comida Latina exhibitors have products targeted directly at the Latino community, but some, such as Coca-Cola, are national brands looking for a path into the Latino market, Randall said.