New York, NY – An advertising industry career fair that was born of legal necessity will be launched in New York City just a stone’s throw from Madison Avenue.
Shomex Productions will hold the inaugural Diversity in Advertising Career Day at the Hilton New York as the ad industry seeks to expand its hiring of minorities at the city’s ad agencies, corporate advertisers and media firms.
Shomex President Lew Shomer said the event was created after New York’s 16 largest agencies signed an agreement last September with the New York City Commission on Human Rights to diversify the makeup of its workforce. “Each company agreed to recruit more minorities and also diversify senior management and allow city officials to monitor the diversification process,” Shomer said.
Since the agreement includes stiff fines for companies that don’t meet diversity goals, the industry has a lot riding on finding an influx of minority candidates.
The process will begin Sept. 20 when an anticipated crowd of 3,500 well-dressed applicants venture into the Hilton with resumes in hand. They will find an expected 80 exhibiting companies stationed on 8,000 net square feet of floor space. The firms include most of the major ad firms, including Saatchi & Saatchi, JWT, Bartle Bogle Hegarty and Lowe Worldwide.
Diversity in Advertising Career Day will also have plenty of name-recognition power behind it. Major sponsors include Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek and Marketing y Medios, and magazines, and a bevy of professional organizations for minority advertising workers.
In addition, Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a proclamation designating the day of the show as “Diversity in Advertising Career Day” in the Big Apple. Bloomberg said 170 languages are spoken in the city. “We derive our strength from this rich tapestry of cultures . . . and benefit from a workplace that reflects our diverse city.” The event enables advertising professionals to network, take part in educational seminars and explore career opportunities with leading advertising agencies, corporate advertisers, and media companies in New York City.
Shomex is the leader in diversity events. The company began with one event in 1984, and since then, has produced over 1,000 events. These events have been held in every major U.S. market, and in industries from aerospace to health care to telecommunications.
Reach Lew Shomer at (310) 450-8831 or lshomer@shomex.com
