The 23^rd Annual Billboard Latin Music Conference Presented by State Farm will gather hundreds of industry leaders and influencers, featuring panel discussions with today’s top artists and executives.

Held April 23 to 26, at the JW Marriott Marquis in Miami, Florida, the conference kicks off with a showcase honoring “El Caballo Mayor” Johnny Ventura on his 55 years of musical career. Information about registration can be found at www.BillboardLatinConference.com.

“When it comes to supporting the best in Latino artists, few things make us more proud than to again be the title sponsor of the Billboard Latin Music Conference and Awards,” said Pam El, State Farm Marketing Vice President.

“Not only does Billboard do a great job in recognizing and promoting the talented pool of Latino artists that are climbing the charts, they also bring together a veritable who’s-who of the music industry and marketing world to discuss the powerful role music plays in the lives of today’s Hispanic audiences. We feel privileged to be able to support such an important occasion that highlights the central role music plays in our customer’s lives.”

Internationally renowned Pitbull will be showcased at the Superstar Q&A discussing his rise to the top and entrepreneurial ventures. Other celebrity panels include: Q&A with Don Omar : Unveiling the Strategy Behind the Hits. The Being Social panel features urban music pioneer, entrepreneur and social media leader, Daddy Yankee.

Q&A with Jenni Rivera : The Diva We Want To Know where Jenni will discuss her career as an artist and entrepreneur. How I Wrote That Song – Presented By BMI featuring Chino & Nacho; Horacio Palencia and Gocho. Gerardo Ortiz , 3BallMTY and the teams behind their success will participate in the Regional Mexican panel.

The Marketing Exchange hosted by Telemundo and Mun2 features panels such as Targeting Music about winning strategies from music mogul Emilio Estefan and Target VP of Entertainment John Butcher; and Reaching The New Latino: How brands and agencies are targeting the “New” US Born Latino via music and music branded events.

The Exchange features guest speakers from PepsiCo, Republica, Globalhue, Verizon Wireless and UMLE; and culminates with the presentation of the Marketing Awards honoring the year’s best advertising, branding and sponsorship campaigns that use Latin artists and their songs.

The conference will also feature sessions with Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy, the SBS Entertainment team, a presentation by LiveNation, and a Q&A with Univision Radio President Jose Valle.

The week culminates with the Billboard Latin Music Awards Presented by State Farm – the most prestigious awards show in the Latin music industry. The awards show, produced and broadcast live by Telemundo on Thursday, April 26 at 7PM (6PM Central), honors the biggest stars based on the Latin Billboard charts, and features performances by top artists across all genres of Latin music.

For more information about the 2012 Billboard Latin Music Conference, visit: http://www.BillboardLatinConference.com. Follow Billboard Latin Music Conference at www.facebook.com/BillboardConferences and Twitter @BillboardEvents.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnrudolph/

The article Music Industry Leaders and Artists Gather at Billboard Latin Music Conference appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Across the United States and Canada, State Farm is searching for people who want to Cause An Effect by bringing $25,000 to their communities. From February 29 through March 20, consumers can visit the Cause An Effect tab on the State Farm Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/statefarm) to submit a Cause and help build safer, stronger, better educated communities.

Cause An Effect is a new, youth-led, crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative that relies on local, non-profit organizations to create solutions to community issues identified by consumers. Cause An Effect invites consumers to submit their neighborhood cause via Facebook for a chance to win one of the 40 grants.

“State Farm is committed to helping communities get to a better state,” said Kellie Clapper, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations for State Farm. “We’re inspired by efforts we’ve seen as communities have come together to address local challenges. From revamping a town square to providing programming at a local recreation center, communities are using creativity and ingenuity to get to a better state, and we hope to harness that energy through this initiative.”

The State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a diverse group of 30 full-time high school and university students who are passionate about social responsibility, will review the Cause submissions and help State Farm select 100 finalists. State Farm will identify and pair one of the recommended or user-suggested nonprofits with each Cause. These nonprofits will create and execute a plan to address the Cause; the Cause submitter can be as involved as they choose to be in this process.

Once finalists are selected on April 27th, communities will get the chance to rally behind the Cause that means the most to them by voting on the State Farm Facebook page up to 10 times daily until May 17th, when voting concludes. The 40 Causes that receive the most votes will be announced on May 22, and a $25,000 grant will be awarded to the affiliated nonprofits to implement the solution.

“With Cause An Effect, we are empowering individuals to bring a $25,000 grant directly to their community,” reinforces Clapper. “The program allows anyone to submit a Cause in their community, and provides them local nonprofit support, taking action together to address the Cause that will create a lasting Effect.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/philippeleroyer/

The article State Farm Searching for People to ‘Cause An Effect’ on Community Issues appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.