Asian American Heritage Month: an open house for Nike's Central region

What it is

Khounlavong was a sales rep based in Detroit. He described the problem as a lack of awareness of Asians and their history, their influence on the marketplace and their buying power as consumers. The obstacles he listed were a lack of time, a lack of funding for the program and a lack of interest.

The stated goal was a sustainable plan for the Central region to raise awareness of Asian American culture in the workplace. His plan had three phases. The first was the open house. The second was a collegiate open house to connect with the Asian workforce. The third was a retail event with a sneaker auction to connect with the marketplace.

The invitation set the open house for Wednesday, May 23, at the Central region showroom in Chicago, with lunch served.

What Khounlavong did

• Led a team to develop the presentation for the Central territory and outside guests.
• Opened the program for 15 minutes, after two Thai welcoming dances and a welcome from the region's sales director.
• Presented the section on Asian American cultural influence: what it means to be Asian American, how Asian American buying power relates to Nike, and who the key global influencers are.
• Put the numbers in front of the room. His deck cites Asian American buying power of $397 billion in 2005 and a projected $579 billion in 2010.
• Introduced both guest speakers and moderated their questions. One was the chief operating officer of the importer Zarda King. The other was the co-chair of Nike's Asia Pacific Network.
• Closed the event, presented gifts to the speakers and dancers, and invited the room to a tasting of Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese and Chinese food.

Results

• The entire Central office was in the room.
• The recap records the integration of Nike Retail into the Central region's event, and the reach of the Asia Pacific Network beyond headquarters and into the field.
• Attendees were offered membership in the Asia Pacific Network.
• The recap quotes the sales director: the open house led a Niketown teammate to reach out to the Latino and Friends Network.
• Khounlavong recorded the result as increased awareness, and said the event helped to elevate the region's other awareness programs.
• Only the first phase is documented as delivered.

At a glance