Trade show celebrates Spanish-language products
Participants from around the world will converge on Miami, May 13-18, for Expolit 2010, where convention-goers will participate in the largest trade show in the U.S. for Spanish-language Christian products. Retailers, publishers, distributors and music label representatives active in the Christian products industry attend the convention, which draws about 3,500 people a day and is open to the public. Held at the Doubletree Miami Mart, the show has a wide international reach, drawing an average of 140 exhibitors from Latin America, Spain, England and Japan.  Encouraging retailers to attend even if they don’t speak Spanish, Marie Tamayo, vice president and director of Expolit, said the show is “the only place to know what’s happening in the Spanish Christian industry.”
For those who don’t speak Spanish, all of the show guides are bilingual, and many events, including the booksellers’ workshops, will be translated. The $125 registration fee for the convention includes admission to all workshops, general sessions, the gala banquet and concerts. For accommodation, attendees can take advantage of a special rate at the Doubletree Miami Mart Airport Hotel and other select hotels. For more information, go to www.expolit.com. ON THE SCHEDULE The School for Booksellers, sponsored by the Spanish Evangelical Products Association (SEPA), takes place Thursday. Workshops are geared to bookstore owners and managers and distributors. The keynote speakers at the General Sessions are: Marco Barrientos (Aliento Producciones) and Alberto Delgado (Alpha and Omega); author and actor Kirk Cameron (Living Waters), speaking at Friday’s Opening Celebration; author and evangelist Luis Palau (Tyndale Español), speaking Saturday; Fernando Arau, offering a comedy show, “Marriage, A History of Science and Friction,” Sunday; Priscilla Shirer (B&H International), Monday; and pastor and author Cash Luna (Editorial Vida), speaking at Tuesday’s Closing. Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Editorial Unilit and Focus on the Family Mundo Hispano will host a mini conference on the family with speakers including Jim Daly, Focus president; Sixto Porras, co-author of Focus on the Family’s Traigamos a los pródigos de regreso al hogar (Bringing Home the Prodigals); and Norma Pantojas, author of the Editorial Unilit titles Los 30 horrores que cometen las mujeres y cómo evitarlos (30 horrible mistakes women make and how to avoid them) and Los 30 horrores que cometen los hombres y que toda mujer debe saber (30 horrible mistakes men make and how to avoid them). SEPA’s Gala Dinner and Awards will top off Sunday evening. Jentezen Franklin, pastor, best-selling author of El ayuno (Fasting, Casa Creación/Strang Book Group) and Bible teacher on his Kingdom Connection TV program, will be the featured speaker for the annual banquet. WHAT’S NEW Among several new events this year is Saturday’s One World Youth Challenge 2010, “an entire day dedicated to youth,” Tamayo said. “We’re bringing different speakers that will be a part of workshops only for youth, and we’ll close the day with a big concert at 10 p.m.” Some of the topics to be addressed are eating disorders, sexuality and campus evangelism, and the late-night concert will feature artists including Funky, Vertical, Julissa, D.C. Reto and La Tribu de Benjamín. A three-hour conference on Christian coaching is scheduled for Saturday. Based on a system used in more than 10 countries, the conference, led by Héctor and Laura Teme, will provide tools for leadership training and personal development. For three days, Oikos Latino will be on the schedule for the first time. A seminar dedicated to the cell church in Latin America, Oikos (Greek for “household”) sessions will take place Saturday, Monday and Tuesday with cell-church movement leaders participating: William Beckham, president of TOUCH Global Ministries; Ralph Neighbour, founder of TOUCH Outreach Ministries; Joel Comiskey, president and founder of Joel Comiskey Group, a resource ministry for the cell church movement; Roberto Lay, director of TOUCH Brazil; and Mario Vega, senior pastor of Elim Church in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Visit www.expolit.com for complete show schedule and exhibitors’ list. Show highlights
Thursday, May 13 7:30-11:30 a.m. Sales Conference for Booksellers, sponsored by Alpha and Harvest/B&H International, North Ballroom 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Lunch and SEPA board meeting, Jacaranda 2:45-6:15 p.m. School for Booksellers, Hibiscus Ballroom 7-9:30 p.m. Trasmisión en Vivo, speaker Alberto Delgado with music by Marco Barrientos; sponsored by Enlace y Sus Amigos: Milton Valle Sonnus, East Hall Friday, May 14 7:45-11:45 a.m. Sales Conference for Booksellers (by invitation only), Editorial Unilit, East Hall 12-2 p.m. Sales Conference for Booksellers (by invitation only), Editorial Patmos, North Ballroom 3-7 p.m. Exhibition hall open 7-9 p.m. Opening celebration, speaker Kirk Cameron (Living Waters), various sponsors, East Hall 9-11 p.m. Exhibition hall open Saturday, May 15 7:45-9:45 a.m. Sponsored breakfast, Tyndale Español, North Ballroom 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Retornando el corazón al hogar (Turn Your Heart Toward Home), sponsored by Editorial Unilit and Focus on the Family Mundo Hispano, East Hall 10-11 a.m. Youth Challenge with Felix Parra, sponsored by One World 2010, Fashion 3 East 11 a.m.-noon Youth Challenge mini plenary, Junior Zapata and Miriam Bloise, sponsored by One World 2010, Fashion 3 East 3-7 p.m. Exhibition hall open 3:30-5 p.m. Sponsored reception (by invitation only), Editorial Vida, Fashion 3 East S1 7-10 p.m. General Session and Concert, speaker Luis Palau, East Hall 9-11 p.m. Exhibition hall open 10:30 p.m.-midnight Late-night concert for youth, East Hall Sunday, May 16 8:30-noon Sponsored breakfast (by invitation only), Casa Creación, North Ballroom Noon-5 p.m. Exhibition hall open 2-4 p.m. Family afternoon: “Marriage, A Story of Science and Friction,” Fernando Arau, East Hall 7-10 p.m. Gala Banquet and Awards, speaker Jentezen Franklin, Casa Creación, East Hall Monday, May 17 8-10 a.m. Sponsored breakfast for pastors (by invitation only), Sociedad Bíblica Americana, South Ballroom 8-10 a.m. Sponsored breakfast (by invitation only), Mundo Hispano, North Ballroom 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Special music ministry event (by invitation only), East Hall 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Exhibition hall open 1-3 p.m. Sponsored luncheon (by invitation only), B&H International, North Ballroom 3:30-5 p.m. Sponsored reception (by invitation only), Editorial Vida, Fashion 3 East S1 5:30 p.m. Short Film: 22 Weeks 7-10 p.m. General Session, speaker Priscilla Shirer (B&H International), East Hall 9-11 p.m. Exhibition hall open Tuesday, May 18 8-10 a.m. Annual membership breakfast, SEPA, Hibiscus 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Exhibition hall open 7-9 p.m. Closing General Session, speaker Cash Luna (Editorial Vida), East Hall 9-11 p.m. Exhibition hall open 
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