59th CONSULAR BALL
HONORING
MEXICO
AND
THE CONSULAR CORPS OF HOUSTON
BACKGROUND
Since 1952, members of the Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce (the "Jaycees") have organized Houston's official celebration of its distinguished consular corps and the diplomatic and trade ties they provide between Houston and the rest of the world. The celebration takes the form of a series of business, cultural, educational, and diplomatic events, known collectively as the Consular Forum, which culminates in an annual formal and diplomatic honors banquet hosted by Houston's Mayor and First Lady and attended by members of the city's eighty-eight country consular corps and by political and business leaders from across the state of Texas and around the world.
OBJECTIVE
The Consular Forum has three distinct objectives: first, it offers an opportunity for the entire city of Houston to celebrate its truly distinguished consular corps (the 3rd largest diplomatic corps of any American city); second, the Consular Forum is designed to help promote opportunities for international trade with the featured country; and finally, because understanding of and respect for international differences are essential prerequisites for successful international commerce, the Consular Forum's concluding banquet is a fund-raiser for the Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce Foundation*, which uses the proceeds to support international education programs, scholarships, and internships at the Houston International Protocol Alliance, the Institute of International Education, Rice University and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, the University of Houston, the University of St. Thomas, and other institutions and organizations in the Houston area.
THE FEATURED COUNTRY
Although the Consular Forum celebrates all of Houston's consular representatives, each year, one country is chosen for special recognition; the Consular Forum events then are themed around this featured country, offering unprecedented opportunities to showcase its economy and culture to the business and political leaders of Houston, Texas, the fourth-largest city in the United States of America. The featured country of the 2010 Consular Forum is Mexico. During 2010, all Consular Forum events and activities will highlight Mexico.
EVENTS
Consular Forum Educational and Cultural Events
An important outgrowth of the Consular Forum is a series of educational and cultural events, which are produced in Houston with the assistance of the culture and tourism ministries of the honored country in the months leading up to the trade conference and the Consular Forum's concluding gala. Examples of typical events include university lectures, film festivals, art and photography exhibits, and musical and dance performances.
The Consular Forum 2010 Announcement Reception - March 2010
This reception formally inaugurates the series of Consular Forum events, which will showcase the honored country. Guests include members of the Consular Corps of Houston representing eighty-eight sovereign nations, officials of Houston city government, and senior executives from the major corporations based in Houston who serve as hosts for the Consular Forum's concluding gala.
The Ladies Tea - August/September 2010
An occasion designed to introduce the ladies of the Houston Consular Corps to their respective hostess counterparts.
Consular Forum Business Conference Tuesday, October 15, 2010
Held a few days before the Consular Forum's concluding gala and organized by the Trade Commission and the Greater Houston Partnership, the Mexico-Texas Business Conference showcases the economy of the featured country and promotes opportunities for trade between Mexico and industries throughout Houston and the State of Texas. The conference concludes with a luncheon at which a senior governmental representative of the honored country is invited to give a keynote address. After the luncheon, the afternoon is available for one-on-one business meetings between participants from Houston and the honored country. The conference will be held at the Hilton Post Oak Hotel in the Galleria area.
The Consular Ball Saturday, October 16, 2010
Held in the Hilton Americas Hotel, this formal diplomatic gala serves as the concluding ceremony for the ten-month Consular Forum season. Hosted by Houston's Mayor and First Lady, the Consular Ball features all of the protocol courtesies appropriate to the rank and station of its distinguished diplomatic honorees. Government representatives from the featured country, their U.S. counterparts, and the Houston consular corps honorees and their hosts (representing many of Houston's largest corporations) participate in a ceremonial "grand march" to begin the evening of dining and themed entertainment, which also serves as a fund-raiser for international education programs, scholarships, and internships at the Houston International Protocol Alliance, the Institute of International Education, Rice University and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, the University of Houston, the University of St. Thomas, and other institutions and organizations in the Houston area.
If you have any questions or would like to help with the Consular Ball, contact the Consular Ball Chairwoman Eve Ruhlman at consularball2010@gmail.com
*The Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Consular Forum donations are therefore tax-deductible to the extent allowed by United States law
Attached documents
2010 Consular Forum Sponsorship Packet
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