Avaya ENGAGE Solutions Expo opens with special performance from The Roots of Music

New Orleans, La. – January 29, 2018— Avaya (NYSE: AVYA) will kick off Avaya ENGAGE 2018 with a bang (of the drum) as The Roots of Music Marching Crusaders bring their infectious enthusiasm and inspirational talents to the Solutions Expo Opening Reception today at 6pm.

Believing music has the power to transform lives, The Roots of Music empowers the youth of New Orleans through music education, academic support and mentorship, all while preserving and promoting the musical and cultural heritage of the city. Serving kids ages 9-14 from low-income households, the charitable program delivers more than 2,500 hours of music education and academic tutoring annually, while supplying 30,000+ nutritious hot meals and over 150 instruments for student use.

Avaya and the International Avaya Users Group (IAUG) are proud to have The Roots of Music as the official charity of Avaya ENGAGE 2018. Avaya will donate $1 to the charity for every #AvayaENGAGE tweet during the conference, matching up to $10,000.

Additionally, IAUG encourages attendees to connect with others, including partners and exhibitors, throughout the conference using their Avaya ENGAGE smart badge.  When attendees “klik” to connect with their badge, IAUG will donate  to The Roots of Music, matching up to $5,000.

Each dollar donated has a direct impact on the lives of students at The Roots of Music. The organization relies on generous donors to provide youth with the resources they need to lead positive, productive, and self-reliant lives.

Quotes

“Our talented group of young musicians are eager and excited to perform at Avaya ENGAGE 2018. We’re thankful to Avaya and IAUG for making us the official charity for the event, and encourage all the attendees to show their support for The Roots of Music by connecting with other conference attendees and tweeting often during the conference.”
--Anne Messner, Executive Director, The Roots of Music

“I can think of no better way to kick off Avaya ENGAGE 2018 in New Orleans than having a performance by The Roots of Music Marching Crusaders. These are an outstanding group of children, and we couldn’t be prouder to have the organization as the official charity of our annual event.  I encourage supporting The Roots of Music by tweeting and “kliking”.
--Shefali Shah, senior vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel, Avaya

About Avaya
Avaya enables the mission critical, real-time communication applications of the world’s most important operations. As the global leader in delivering superior communications experiences, Avaya provides the most complete portfolio of software and services for contact center and unified communications— offered on premises, in the cloud, or a hybrid. Today’s digital world requires communications enablement, and no other company is better positioned to do this than Avaya. For more information, please visit www.avaya.com.

About IAUG
The International Avaya User Group (IAUG) is an international, user-driven association with over 5,200 active members worldwide. IAUG connects telecommunications and IT professionals while providing education opportunities through forward-thinking discussions, events and industry resources. For more information, please visit www.iaug.org.