Staples Founder Will Keynote TSW Fastest 50
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 9/18/2006
A retailing pioneer will be the keynote speaker during the Tradeshow Week Fastest 50 event the weekend of Nov. 10–12 in Boston. Tom Stemberg, who founded the big-box office supply chain Staples, spent 16 years as its CEO, then took the company public in 1989 before passing on responsibilities for day-to-day operations and becoming chairman of the board in 2002.
"I am very excited about having Mr. Stemberg as our keynote," said Trade-show Week Publisher Adam Schaffer. "He truly revolutionized an industry when he launched Staples, successfully grew that company into a $14 billion business and now sits on the board of NASDAQ. I know his experience and purview will be valuable and well received by our winners and guests."
Plans for the fourth annual event to be held in Boston honoring the fastest-growing shows in the United States and Canada will include a Sunday morning brunch reception at Fenway Park, home field of the Boston Red Sox.
The TSW Fastest 50 honors those shows that experienced the greatest growth in terms of net square footage between 2003 and 2005. The 50 winners were announced in August and the complete list is available at www.TradeshowWeek.com.
The top prize in three categories (consumer shows, trade and/or association shows and overall fastest-growing) will be awarded at a black-tie gala Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
Stemberg, now a partner with the venture capital firm Highland Capital Partners, founded Staples in 1986, starting with one store and driving growth to more than 1,600 more. Before Staples, he spent 12 years in the grocery business, first at Jewel's Star Market, then at First Natl. Supermarkets.
Rounding out his background in retailing, Stemberg has been an investor and director of PETsMART since its second store opened. He also founded ZOOTS, a dry cleaning company, and Olly Shoes, a children's shoe retailer. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, Stemberg also serves on the boards of CarMax and Plymcom.
Stemberg will speak during the executive-level conference on Saturday that will include:
- a discussion of the state of the industry with the incoming chairman of the Intl. Assn. for Exhibition Management, Jeff Price of Cygnus Exhibitions, and Society of Independent Show Organizers Chairman Don Pazour of Access Intelligence;
- a session on attendance promotion with Denise Paccione, president of the Marketing Design Group, and Peter MacGillivray, vice president of marketing and communications for the Specialty Equipment Market Assn.;
- an industry outlook presented by Associate Publisher and Director of Research Michael Hughes; and,
- the popular "Winners Tell All" session, to be moderated by Senior Editor Heidi Genoist, in which TSW Fastest 50 show managers share some of their secrets with their peers.
For information on the event, go to www.TSWFastest50.com or call (323) 965-5326.
