WOCCU Launches Second Hispanic Marketing Immersion Program

Madison, Wis.—Looking for a way to increase membership growth by reaching a newly emerging but underserved market? World Council of Credit Unions has opened registration for its 2008 Hispanic Marketing Immersion Program, which offers credit union staff and executives the opportunity to become fully immersed in Mexico's rich culture while working within Mexican credit unions and exploring their marketing strategies. The program's goal is to give participants valuable insight into ways to reach Hispanic consumers at home through a complete cultural immersion

This year's program, which takes place in Morelia in central Mexico, is truly a 360-degree experience incorporating language instruction, total cultural immersion and an internship at a Mexican credit union, or caja. Participants begin each day with four hours of Spanish language instruction at a certified language school and are classified according to their individual skill level, from beginner to native Spanish-speaker. The participants will be able to apply what they learn from language classes in a real-world setting while living with a Mexican host family. The host family will provide a private room and all meals to the participant and will give the experience of being a part of a Mexican family.

In addition to the program's cultural aspect, participants will also serve a practical internship with either Caja Morelia-Valladolid or Caja Alianza. Through interactions with the staff, management and members, participants will learn daily Mexican credit union operations and study marketing strategies used to attract new members and promote financial products.

The 2008 Immersion program commences Sept. 20. Participants can choose either a one- or two-week session priced at $1,600 and $2,600, respectively. The success of the 2007 Immersion program and demand for additional training has led WOCCU to incorporate the program into its list of annual education opportunities.

This year's participants also will have the opportunity to attend the second annual U.S.-Mexico Marketing Workshop, the price of which is included in the main program cost. Workshop attendees will experience marketing presentations from the four largest Mexican cajas, giving them broader views of Hispanic marketing strategies. The workshop will be held on Sept. 26 between the Immersion program's first and second weeks.

To register online, please visit www.woccu.org/events/hmip. For hardcopies of the registration form, please contact Josh Fetting at jfetting@woccu.org or (608) 395-2060.

World Council of Credit Unions is the global trade association and development agency for credit unions. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.

World Council has implemented more than 290 technical assistance programs in 71 countries. Worldwide, 51,000 credit unions in 100 countries serve 196 million people. Learn more about World Council's impact around the world at www.woccu.org.