The 2026 Billboard Latin Music Week hosted its invite-only Latin Power Players event at the Faena Theater in Miami Beach, Fla., on Monday night (Oct. 19), where Hans Schafer, senior vp of global touring at Live Nation was named Executive of the Year. 

Artists and executives from all parts of the music sector joined the two-hour event, including special guests Ozuna, Tito Nieves and Fuerza Regida’s Jesús Ortiz Paz.   

“It’s a fantastic year for music, more than ever,” Billboard’s co-chief content officer Leila Cobo said. “One in every 10 streams is in Spanish, according to Luminate. That’s double of what it was six years ago. … We are so proud to honor [the Latin Power Players] tonight.”

During the event, Cobo presented various awards, including Top Regional Mexican Label of the Year to Angel Kaminsky of Universal Music Latin America; Top Hot Latin Songs Label of the Year to Rimas Entertainment; Top Latin Airplay Label of the Year to Sony Music U.S. Latin; Top Regional Mexican Albums Label of the Year to Double P Records; and Publisher of the Year to Street Mob Records helmed by Fuerza’s frontman, JOP. 

The evening also included a special award to salsa singer Tito Nieves, who received the Legacy Award presented by AARP. 

“I always wanted to become an artist, and 51 years later here I am,” Nieves shared. “I wanna thank Leila Cobo for the support for so many years, the Loud and Live team, Rimas. What I need is the love and support for this new generation because I need that bridge to live.” 

Upon receiving the award for Executive of the Year, Schafer said: “It’s been an incredible year for me. We move so quickly that we rarely stop to take a moment for the things we’ve achieved. We’ve accomplished many things through the 10 years I’ve been at Live Nation. Today, we’re seeing Shakira, Karol G, Bad Bunny, Fuerza Regida, Grupo Firme do stadiums, and it’s becoming the norm. That potential is everywhere. The artists have trusted us with their career, their dreams, their goals. The most important thing that I’ve learned about this job is that you can build with your own conviction a place for people to call their own and then they can act on that conviction. I say it with pride … Live Nation today is Latin.”

Below, see some of the best photos from the Billboard Latin Power Player event: