Taste of Havana, a 2023 NSCA Education Foundation fundraiser, surpassed its initial fundraising goal by 60% through gifts, donations, and sponsorships.
Every year, the NSCA Education Foundation relies on fundraising events to support its ongoing initiatives to improve and sustain the industry:
- Ignite, which works to generate interest in communications technology among the next generation
- The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS K-12), which offers comprehensive, vetted information on best practices to secure school facilities
- The Randy Vaughn Scholarship, which is awarded to first-time attendees of NSCA’s Business & Leadership Conference
- Funding for dozens of valuable industry research led by NSCA, including the Electronic Systems Outlook, Financial Analysis of the Industry, Compensation & Benefits Report, Labor Installation Standard guidelines, Guide to State Licensing, and more
This year, Taste of Havana—held on June 14 at Cuba Libre in conjunction with InfoComm 2023 in Orlando, FL—was one of organization’s main fundraising events planned for 2023. The NSCA Education Foundation Board of Directors sets a fundraising goal for each event it hosts, and this year’s Taste of Havana was no different.
More than 600 integrators, manufacturers, NSCA members, and InfoComm 2023 attendees gathered for Taste of Havana to enjoy Cuba Libre’s must-see, must-experience destination, with all its tropical ambiance, vintage décor, and upbeat Latin music. They networked and told stories over delectable Cuban cuisine (we heard rave reviews about the paella, grilled shrimp, spring rolls, bolitas de yuca, and empanadas!).
After the event was over, the NSCA Education Foundation Board of Directors gathered to debrief and evaluate the Foundation’s financial position. This year, we’re proud to announce that Taste of Havana surpassed its initial fundraising goal by 60% through gifts, donations, and sponsorships.
“The success of this fundraiser will help us continue to promote incredible opportunities for our industry,” says Chuck Wilson, CEO of NCSA and the NSCA Education Foundation. “For example, Ignite connects up-and-coming professionals with 1,000+ companies in our industry looking for qualified candidates.”
The NSCA Education Foundation’s next fundraising event is being held on Aug. 7, 2023, at the Glen Ridge Country Club in Glen Ridge, NJ. Proceeds from this golf charity outing will support NSCA Education Foundation initiatives. We hope to see you there—and then again in Las Vegas at InfoComm 2024, where we’ll host another fundraising event!
Special thanks to this year’s Taste of Havana sponsors, which include Biamp, Edge, Liberty, and Sharp NEC Display Solutions. Contributing donors include ASW, Atlas IED, AVI Systems, Avidex, AVI-SPL, CTI, Digital Labor Systems, D-Tools, Electric Contracting Company (ECC), FSR, GenComm, Legrand | AV, Mechdyne, Project Crew Multiplier, Quam Nichols, rp Visual Solutions, Solutions360, TD SYNNEX, and Texadia Systems.
