UNITY: We're going to Las Vegas

The following is the e-mail UNITY sent out at 6:20 p.m. on September 8 announcing its next convention city.

NABJ had its 2007 convention in Las Vegas and it appears UNITY is loving Las Vegas too.

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UNITY Selects Mandalay Bay in Vegas for 2012 Convention

UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. selected Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas as the host for its 2012 convention. The UNITY convention is scheduled for August 1-4, 2012.

The UNITY board of directors heard presentations from two other cities, Los Angeles and Houston, before selecting Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay property as the host site. Los Angeles was selected as the backup city. "All three venues presented exciting opportunities for UNITY especially during these uncertain times, we greatly appreciate the interest and effort put forth by Los Angeles and Houston," said UNITY President Rafael Olmeda, "we are pleased that MGM Mirage, the parent company of Mandalay Bay, is considered one of the leaders in diversity in a manner that is well aligned with our mission and goals."

"UNITY continues to seek cost-efficient opportunities for the convention while also maximizing participant experiences at all levels" said Onica N. Makwakwa, UNITY Executive Director. "Mandalay Bay offers UNITY the potential to house all attendees under one roof as well as to potentially host all convention events in one location. We anticipate that this will allow members of the alliance partners as well as recruiters and job seekers to maximize networking opportunities."

The most recent UNITY convention was held July 23 - 27, 2008 in Chicago drawing over 7,500 journalists of color and media executives. Other past UNITY conventions have been held in Atlanta in 1994, Seattle in 1999, and Washington, D.C. in 2004.

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The upcoming NABJ/UNITY convention schedule

2010: NABJ in San Diego from July 28-August 1
2011: NABJ in Philadelphia from August 3-August 7
2012: UNITY in Las Vegas from August 1-August 4
2013: NABJ in Orlando (TBA).
2014: NABJ in New Orleans (TBA).
2015: NABJ in Minneapolis (TBA).