NRF to Welcome Nobel Prize for Peace Laureate Kofi Annan as Keynote at Retail’s BIG Show 2013

For Immediate Release
Shari Brown or Kathy Grannis (1-855-NRF-PRESS)
browns@nrf.com or grannisk@nrf.com
www.nrf.com/annual13

NRF to Welcome Nobel Prize for Peace Laureate Kofi Annan as Keynote at Retail’s BIG Show 2013

Washington, December 13, 2012 – The National Retail Federation announced today that Kofi Annan, formerly Secretary-General of the United Nations will keynote Retail’s BIG Show, January 13-16, 2013 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. Annan’s keynote, “Building Strong Nations: The Three Pillars to a Prosperous Society,” is scheduled for Monday, January 14, 2013 at 8:45 a.m.

Secretary-General Annan will discuss how small-and-medium sized businesses have the potential to drive prosperity and engage societies to improve social and economic conditions worldwide.

Kofi A. Annan was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving two terms, from January 1997 to December 2006. In 2001 Kofi Annan and the United Nations were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace with the citation praising his leadership for “bringing new life to the organization”.

“As one of the world’s most distinguished and experienced diplomats, we are honored to welcome Kofi Annan to NRF’s 2013 Annual Convention,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “We look forward to hearing his tremendous perspective on business and society, garnered from his service at the United Nations and his work to strengthen international cooperation.”

Retail’s BIG Show and EXPO serve as the world's leading retail event, bringing 25,500 retail executives and vendors from more than 75 countries together for educational and networking opportunities. The convention has been ranked as one of the Top 200 events in North America, as well as one of the 50 fastest-growing events. Other speakers at Retail’s BIG Show 2013 include executives from Coca-Cola, Starbucks, The Container Store and Whole Foods.

As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF represents retailers of all types and sizes, including chain restaurants and industry partners, from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. Retailers operate more than 3.6 million U.S. establishments that support one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. NRF’s Retail Means Jobs campaign emphasizes the economic importance of retail and encourages policymakers to support a Jobs, Innovation and Consumer Value Agenda aimed at boosting economic growth and job creation. www.nrf.com.

NRF is pleased to grant complimentary registration to editorial staff members of the press, as well as accredited retail analysts and bloggers. Click here to register online for NRF’s 2013 Annual Convention & EXPO, or call Kara Goehring at (202) 661-3055.

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