Sex May Sell, But It Has Nothing to Do with the Making of a Great Party!

What do people look for in a social event?

• Energy
• Good Music
• Good Venue
• Sexy People?

How do you portray these qualities via emails, flyers, word of mouth, etc.?

I have been dealing with these questions since LAM started and I recently had a conversation with a friend which sparked my interest even more. It has been my belief that objectifying women on advertisements creates an image that most people hate yet accept and sometimes ... enjoy. Sex sells, but I don't believe it has anything to do with the making of a great party.
I have observed and spoken with various event organizers in San Francisco and all have agreed that sex sells ... and it sells big. I understand that portraying an angle of sexiness is sometimes necessary to entice people to attend an event, but I wonder if attendees think of the sexiness angle in a conscious or subconscious manner. Everyone likes to feel they're part of an elite group of sexy people but I am an extreme believer that this does not make a party any good without positive energy, ambiance, and good music.

I have been very careful to not use extreme sex symbols in LAM's advertising except for women's lips (which I still have a difficult time with). From day one, Latinos A Morir wanted to be a social network of energetic, friendly people ... yet lately I had thought of incorporating "sexy" as a selling point and making it part of LAM's brand strategy. Hence, I write this note to make a statement that I will not be using sex as a selling point since, in my eyes, has nothing to do with a great party. Instead, I will focus on creating a brand that portrays beauty, elegance, and energy.

• Beauty refers to the qualities that give pleasure to the senses ... the beauty of the Latin American culture, the music, its people, its languages
• Elegance refers to a refined quality of gracefulness and good taste ... the elegance of the event themes, its venues, the dress code, the sponsors, and its people
• Energy refers to a positive vibe throughout peoples' bodies and spirits ... the energy to be alive and share it with everyone at the event
  

I write this post to ask you to help me stay true to my words and not give in to the easy side of marketing in the entertainment industry.

Until next event ...

Title was borrowed and modified from the Ad of Sobieski Vodka.

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First LAM Video - Praia @ Supperclub

Shutterboi Productions made this video for LAM to give a short summary about Latinos A Morir. Thank you Perla for helping me out! Read more On "First LAM Video - Praia @ Supperclub"!

One Year Anniversary of Latinos A Morir ... reflections from Founder

When I started this social group, I never thought it would have evolved into what it has today. As most of you know, this is a hobby of mine, but one that I have put a lot of effort toward bringing people together. It brings joy to my face when I see people excited about life while they're dancing, jumping, or having great conversations with each other.


LAM has held a total of 17 events in 11 different venues during the last year. We've worked with 5 different organizations, appeared on 2 different TV shows and a magazine. Each event having its own story from beginning to end. Each event has been extremely special to plan and to execute ... I want to pick a favorite event, but it's hard to choose ... I think one of the most memorable events for me was Noche Blanca, with Batucada, dancers, and a very high energy on the dance floor and throughout the club. The Kiss events have also been amazing with P2A, along with Twist with InkWell ... I guess I don't have a favorite ... :)

Our last event was in honor of our One Year Anniversary. Everyone dressed very elegantly and the pictures came out wonderful (check them out athttp://latinosamorir.com/sf and click on Photos).

The goal of Latinos A Morir is to provide an environment where one can be themselves, dance a bit, meet interesting people, but most importantly, have fun. With the feedback I've received in the past few months, I know LAM is achieving this and more. Comments include:

"Why don't you have these events more often?"
"Out of all the parties I've been to this week, this has been the best by far!"
"Thank you for bringing a piece of home to SF!"
"I started a company at one of your events, thanks for collecting professionals in a friendly environment!"
"La musica es de la mejor!!!"
"When will you take it to LA?"

LAM has grown to an extremely diverse social network of about 2,000 members. I was looking at a report recently and here is some interesting data of our members ....

- 46% of our members are males and 54% are females (sorry ladies ...)
- 60% of our members consider themselves Latino/Hispanic while 32% are from other ethnicities including African, European, Middle Easter, Asian and other (8% declined to state)
- Members from 68 different countries with no one country being dominant (there is a list below of the countries with most representation)
- 250+ different companies (every type of Industry from Medicine, Non-profits, Finance, IT, etc)
- 20+ different universities and colleges
- 60% of our members are in the age group of 25-35 and the rest evenly distributed

What amazes me the most is that all of us, no matter how different we are, are respectful and love the Latino culture and music!

Thank you all for your support and I will not stop creating these events! Please send me an email with your comments/feedback or just post a comment on this blog!

Keep an eye out for our upcoming events ... they'll be different and just as fun!

Giovanni

Countries with most representation:

USA

Mexico

Peru

Colombia

El Salvador

Nicaragua

India

Spain

France

Puerto Rico

Argentina

Guatemala

Venezuela

Iran

Brazil

Ecuador

Russia

Australia

Costa Rica

Italy

Turkey

Uruguay

Germany

Israel

Ukraine

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Entrevista en Television!!!

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Networking with Latinos A Morir

I believe that connections are a powerful thing. I have known from day one that this organization contains an incredible amount of professional individuals and people with different backgrounds. A friend of mine suggested I utilize LinkedIn with Latinos A Morir to make our organization even more powerful!

I learned about the power of connections a few years back through various personal experiences and when I picked up a book called "Never Eat Alone". In this book, the author explains that networking is building relationships for mutual benefit. The number of experiences I've had dealing with the power of networking is incredible, both for my benefit, but more importantly, the benefit of my friends and friends of friends.

Nothing gives me more joy than to know that someone was able to achieve a goal, a desire, a dream thanks to a connection that was made through me. I once helped a friend get a job in San Francisco. Another time, I was able to provide a research job at UCB to a student. I recommended a friend to meet up with another friend in NY and they should meet ... now they're dating.
I have also had great experiences. Thanks to a connection, I was able to start Latinos A Morir. I also was accepted to my top choice of graduate school thanks to Networking. (Yes, I understand that other factors are important, but networking goes a LONG way!).

If you are ever in need of a job, or know of someone that needs a job, or are in need of a quick question regarding how to cook sushi, where to go on a weekend trip, a cheap flight question ... tap into the Latinos A Morir network via Facebook or LinkedIn OR via our events! You'll be amazed how power this network really is! Add me as your connection on either social networking site.

When you attend our events, make sure to talk to a few people and have conversations about your dreams and goals. You'll be amazed as to how similar our goals really are!

Enjoy!

-Giovanni
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The chaos of planning the next event

I have been trying to find a good location for the members to enjoy, yet I have many difficulties in selecting a date and place. I have gotten feedback from members that having an event every month and a half is good, but I also have gotten feedback that I don't have enough events. In addition, people tell me that they like going to the same place because it makes it feel like "nuestro bar" but others say that I need to have variety.

I once read a quote that said: "I cannot give you advice to succeed ... I can only give you advice to fail: Try to please everyone."

I guess I should start following this quote and try to go with gut feeling.

The other part of the chaos is working with locations and dates: Most good lounges/bars/clubs have their calendar full 3 months in advance. I wanted to have a party in April and another in May, but one location wants end of April and the other wants early part of May. (I do want to have at least 2 weeks in between events). Hopefully something opens up and I can have events at least 3 weeks in between.

One thing I do want to point out though .. seeing the process of creation from nothing to a great night is an amazing feeling. Currently there are no plans for April's event, but by mid April, people will be having a blast somewhere in San Francisco. I don't want to sound corny but it is somewhat magical. ;)
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