NEW YORK (Nov. 13, 2014) — Toyota will continue its ongoing commitment to the Latino community by sponsoring the Latinos in Tech Innovation and Social Media (LATISM) 2014 Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, November 13-15.

The fourth annual event gathers social media and technology leaders to honor those innovators in the digital universe who are making the biggest impact on the Latino community.

“Toyota has spent the past few years boosting our connection to the Hispanic community through social media,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president of the Hispanic Business Strategy Group at Toyota Motor North America. “These initiatives have allowed us to strengthen our ties with Hispanic media and community and business leaders and establish a dialog on topics of mutual interest, such as safety and the environment.”

As the exclusive automotive sponsor, Toyota will engage participants in activities aimed to showcase conservation, education and safety all of which are aligned with LATISM priorities that span more than 150,000 members.

“We appreciate Toyota’s steady commitment to LATISM which shows how dedicated the company is to the Latino social media sphere and beyond,” said Ana Roca Castro, chair and founder of LATISM.

Toyota will again sponsor the LATISM Awards Gala, on Friday, November 14, recognizing the best performers in social media across several categories, including best bloggers in Parenting, Tech and Food, Best Multicultural Campaign, Best Latin Vlogger, and many more.

The @ToyotaLatino Twitter handle, launched to engage with the Latino community through social media at LATISM in 2012, has since reached nearly 10,500 followers and published more than 2,300 tweets. The channel has become a powerful platform for Toyota to connect with this growing community at live events and online, as well as to share more targeted vehicle information with owners and enthusiasts.

Since 2004, Toyota has been the leading automotive brand among U.S. Hispanics. According to data from automotive research firm Polk, Toyota garners more than 16 percent of the U.S. Latino car-buying market, with success driven largely by Toyota’s dedicated efforts to authentically engage with the community.