News

WTCArkansas Sponsors Hispanic Heritage Festival

Sep 27, 2017

The Northwest Arkansas Hispanic Heritage Festival will take place from Saturday, September 16 to Sunday, September 17 at Mae Farm on Saturday and the Fayetteville Square on Sunday in Fayetteville, Ark. The NWA Hispanic Heritage Festival is inviting all students and international students from Argentina at the University of Arkansas to participate in the festival either as volunteers or as attendees.

The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce partnered with Univision Arkansas and other community leaders to launch the NWA Hispanic Heritage Festival in 2013 in keeping with the mission of the Chamber to facilitate positive community interaction to enhance quality of life and continue economic development. The World Trade Center Arkansas is a sponsor of the 2017 Festival.

“Part of our mission at the World Trade Center is to provide students in global commerce an enhanced educational experience,” said Melvin Torres, Director of Western Hemisphere Trade at the World Trade Center Arkansas. “We encourage student participation in the festival because experiencing and understanding another’s culture is a strong foundation for building lasting relationships – relationships that will benefit students as future professionals in a globalized world.”

Torres visited Argentina to promote bilateral trade relations in June along with the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, who visited the country in their economic development efforts to make Fayetteville a more attractive place for Latinos to live, work and open businesses.

Melvin In Argentina

Torres (center) traveled to Argentina multiple times in 2017 to meet with officials such as Debora Bandura of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship (left) to build a relationship between the country and Arkansas.

The purpose of the Festival is to “provide a unique opportunity for accessing the arts, culture and recreation of Hispanic and Latino Arkansans and celebrate the many contributions and history of this population base” according the Fayetteville Chamber and the Festival websites.

“This is Northwest Arkansas’ fastest growing and second largest demographic, more than doubling in both Benton and Washington Counties over the last decade to more than 30,000 residents each respectively,” the website reads.

The Northwest Arkansas Hispanic Heritage Festival helps the Northwest Arkansas community kick-off National Hispanic Heritage month that runs from mid-September to mid-October annually. A variety of educational and entertainment offerings, including: arts and crafts, a beauty pageant, a children’s area, cooking and dance contests and lessons, exhibitors and vendors, a health fair and live musical performances from local and regionally renowned artists are offered this month.

100 percent of net proceeds generated by the festival will stay in Northwest Arkansas. Funds will be reinvested in Hispanic and Latino community education efforts and used to support future festivals, further building upon Northwest Arkansas’s reputation for acceptance, diversity and hospitality.

More information about the Festival can be found on the Fayetteville Chamber website or the Northwest Arkansas Hispanic Heritage Festival website.

The mission of the World Trade Center Arkansas is to grow trade and increase Arkansas exports by connecting Arkansas businesses to the world through international trade services and providing students an enhanced educational experience in global commerce. The Center fulfills the University of Arkansas’ land grant mission to serve the state as a resource and a catalyst. For more information and valuable updates, please follow the Center on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the World Trade Center Arkansas newsletter.

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