LA JOLLA, Calif. -- International music sensation Pitbull will make a special appearance at this year's Hispanic Retail 360 Summit, being held here in August.

Pitbull, who has sold millions of digital singles, scored two No. 1 hits on Billboard's Rap Albums charts and won the first-ever Latin Digital Download Artist of the Year award at the 2009 Billboard Latin Music Awards, will sign autographs and pose for photos during the conference's opening reception on Wednesday evening, Aug. 10. The Miami native will also discuss his Hispanic heritage and Latino empowerment during Thursday's conference program.

Attendance for this year's Hispanic Retail 360 Summit is tracking 62 percent higher than last year at this time. More than 300 merchandising and marketing executives from the retail, consumer product goods and advertising industries are already registered and hotel rooms are filling up fast, so don't be left behind in learning more about how to effectively market to the U.S. Latino consumer.

In addition to keynote speaker Vicente Fox, Mexico's former president, other great content includes sessions on:

• The American Retail Landscape: When Will Latinos Move from Tributary to Mainstream
César M. Melgoza, founder and CEO, Geoscape
• Reaching the Hispanic Consumer Through Celebrity Influencers
John Goodman, executive vice president of Apparel and Home, Sears Holdings, and Nancy Overfield-Delmar, president, Latin World Entertainment Licensing
• Understanding the Four Key Segments of Hispanic Women and Their Consumer Preferences
Jackie Bird, principal, CEO and Chief Insights Officer, The Redbean Society, and David Morse, New American Dimensions

As a businessman, Pitbull (whose given name is Armando Christian Pérez) is a founding partner of Sheets Energy Strips, has signed major sponsorship deals with several blue-chip brands and found time to launch his own record label -- Mr. 305 Records. On June 17, Pitbull released Planet Pit, his sixth album. Planet Pit debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 55,000 copies, becoming the musician's highest-charting album in the United States.

The 2011 Hispanic Retail 360 Summit is produced by Stagnito Media, publisher of Convenience Store News, CSNews for the Single Store Owner, Progressive Grocer, PG's Store Brands and The Gourmet Retailer. It is being held at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in California. To register, go to www.hispanicretail360.com, or download our new mobile app at app.hispanicretail360.com.