Latin GRAMMY Awards attracts sponsor in 2009.

The Latin Recording Academy announced it has partnered with a variety of leading companies for sponsorship and promotion of the 10th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards and its surrounding events. The biggest night in Latin Music will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. The show is returning to Las Vegas for the second time to once again hit the golden jackpot with fans and viewers. The show will be broadcast live on the Univision Network from 8 – 11 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. Central).

Major corporate sponsors include Heineken, Verizon, McDonald’s, Hennessy, AXE Instinct, Degree Ultra Clear, the American Heart Association, PEOPLE En Español, Univision Radio, and Univision Online. These partners help support programs surrounding the biggest night in Latin music, including the festive Latin GRAMMY Street Parties, the prestigious 2009 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year tribute honoring Juan Gabriel and the official Latin GRAMMY After Party, which is co-branded with PEOPLE En Español and presented by Heineken.

“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary as an organization and an internationally recognized telecast celebrating Latin music, The Latin Recording Academy is thrilled to have such strong support from our partners,” said Latin Recording Academy President Gabriel Abaroa. “These impressive brands represent an honorable commitment to artistic excellence, and we are proud to work in alliance with them to present this very special telecast and surrounding events.”

Heineken has been a sponsor for the last decade, partnering with The Latin Recording Academy since the telecast’s inception. Heineken will serve as the official beer and malt beverage sponsor of the Latin GRAMMY Awards, sponsoring the “green carpet” arrivals at the telecast, the 2009 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year tribute to Juan Gabriel, and serving as presenting sponsor of the Latin GRAMMY After Party. Additionally, Heineken’s Green Ribbon Initiative continues to support Latin music, with this year’s ambassador Victor Manuelle and will benefit the National Association of Latino Arts & Culture. Heineken will also offer opportunities for consumers to attend this year’s Latin GRAMMY Awards through a “text to win” contest, and those in Las Vegas who already have tickets to the show will have a chance to upgrade their Latin GRAMMY experience by texting to win.

Verizon has returned for the fourth consecutive year as the official telecommunications partner of the Latin GRAMMYs. Verizon will offer exclusive VCAST content of artist interviews at the show featuring video and photos from the green carpet and backstage. Verizon sponsored the annual Latin GRAMMY Street Parties in Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York, giving music fans the opportunity to meet headlining performers, customize their wireless phones with Latin GRAMMY artists’ music, and get their own moment in the spotlight at Verizon’s photo experience station.

McDonald’s has returned for the second consecutive year, bringing its Latin GRAMMY sponsorship alive through its McDonald’s 2009 “Prende La Pachanga” Sweepstakes. Four grand prize winners were able to bring not only one but three of their friends to this year’s Latin GRAMMYs. Each received inclusive round-trip airfares, hotel accommodations, and VIP passes to the awards ceremony and access to the official Latin GRAMMY After Party. In addition to their support of the Latin GRAMMY show, the Fiesta Tour McDonald’s Music Experience, a traveling music exhibit showcasing memorabilia from a variety of Latin artists, was highlighted at the official 2009 Latin GRAMMY Street Parties. The 50-plus-foot bus includes a display of unique artifacts loaned by Latin musicians and is organized by decades, from the 1950s to the present.

Hennessy returns this year as the official spirit of the 10th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards. Hennessy will be offering Latin GRAMMY attendees of the telecast, Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year tribute and the official After Party a selection of signature cocktails featuring their luxury VSOP Privilege brand. They will host a “Hennessy Privilege Suite” at the official Latin GRAMMY After Party where Hennessy will serve from its Prestige Range. Hennessy is also showing their philanthropic support of Juan Gabriel’s charity Semjase — a Mexican orphanage and school he founded in 1987 — by presenting him with a check for $20,000 at the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year tribute in his honor.

AXE Instinct, a new fragrance inspired by the essence of leather, is a proud first-time sponsor of the Latin GRAMMY Awards and events. To give consumers a unique Latin GRAMMYs experience, AXE Instinct launched the Power of Leather Contest, which encouraged rock bands to upload a video performance to Univision.com for a chance to win $5,000 and the opportunity to play at the exclusive Latin GRAMMY After Party.

Degree Ultra Clear, a first-time partner, ran a contest at Univision.com asking women to upload a photo of themselves daring to make a statement in their little black dress. Degree Ultra Clear has selected two winners of the Dare to Make a Statement in Black Photo Competition. One will receive $5,000 and the other will have the chance to attend the Latin GRAMMY Awards in her Little Black Dress. Additionally, Degree Ultra Clear has selected little black dresses by designer Angel Sanchez to be worn by hostesses on the green carpet of the Latin GRAMMY Awards.

American Heart Association is another new, unique partner. The American Heart Association hopes to utilize their partnership with the biggest night in Latin music to raise awareness of heart disease among Hispanic women and their families. With their new “Go Red Por Tú Corazón” campaign, the American Heart Association is hoping to save many lives by bringing the issue of heart disease and how it can be prevented to the forefront in the Latin community.

This year, The Latin Recording Academy has partnered with leading Spanish-language magazine, PEOPLE En Español to co-brand its official Latin GRAMMY After Party. This year’s After Party will feature red carpet arrivals and an exclusive, invitation-only PEOPLE En Español Celebrity Lounge, bringing the glamour and excitement of the Latin GRAMMY telecast to the after party.

Along with the live telecast, Univision Radio will broadcast Latin GRAMMY programming, promotions, news and events throughout the United States including exclusive interviews from rehearsals backstage at the Latin GRAMMYs. Univision Online (Univision.com, Uniclave: Latin G http://mt.univision.com/cgi-bin/mail-t/clickthrough.cgi?campaignDate=20080924174042&campaign=sales_newsletter&email=uolall5685693%40us.univision.com&format=html&list=internalcontent&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.univision.com%2Fcontent%2Fchanne> RAMMY) is once again the official Spanish language Web site for the 10th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards. Fans will enjoy all-access coverage online before, during and after the show. Nominee interviews, photos and behind-the-scenes video will be exclusively featured on the site. In addition, Univision.com’s social networking service will allow fans to directly interact with the nominees and performers through group pages, live video chats and dedicated forums.