Marketing expert Scott Bedbury to speak at Furniture/Today Bedding Conference

David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 22, 2013

Scott Bedbury

HIGH POINT — Marketing guru Scott Bedbury will be the keynote speaker at Furniture/Today's upcoming Bedding Conference.

Bedbury, a former top marketing executive at Nike and Starbucks, was responsible for Nike's famous "Just do it!" campaign. At Starbucks, he helped the company redesign its stores, enter new markets and develop new products.

He'll be the featured speaker at the Bedding Conference, set for May 8-10 at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort in Chandler, Ariz.

"Scott Bedbury brings tremendous experience, insight and clarity to a task that's equally critical for retailers and consumer products producers to undertake: the building and managing of a strong brand in today's marketplace," said Dave Roberts, president of Comfort Solutions, which is sponsoring Bedbury's address. "His credentials speak volumes and his philosophies on branding are both inspirational and practical."

Bedbury is the founder and CEO of Brandstream, a brand development consultancy. He is the author of "A New Brand World: 8 Principles for Achieving Brand Leadership in the 21st Century."

"Scott is a titan in the brand world and will present every mattress retailer and manufacturer in attendance with the opportunity to refine, rethink or re-create their brand and business strategies," Roberts said.

Bedbury's address is set for the morning of May 9.

The conference begins May 8 with an optional golf event. Registration follows that afternoon. A cocktail reception is set for the evening. Educational sessions are set for May 9 and the morning of May 10.

This year's Retail Giants of Bedding will be honored at a dinner on the evening of May 9.

Also speaking at the conference will be Dr. Lisa Shives, a sleep expert, who will share insights on the importance of better sleep. She is a spokeswoman for Carpenter's SleepBetter.org website. Her address is sponsored by Carpenter.

Other speakers include retailers Ben Thorud of Ashley, Steve Tronstein of Gardner-White Furniture, Nelson Bercier of Sit ‘n Sleep, Steven Stone of BedMart, and Lisa Stansbury of Fred's Beds.

Also speaking are Kristi Griggs of G-Force Marketing Solutions, Julia Rosien of SocialNorth, sleep expert Michael Breus and Ryan Trainer of the International Sleep Products Assn.

Registration for the conference is now open at Furniture/Today's website, www.furnituretoday.com.

For more information, contact Heather Grant, Furniture/Today's conference and events manager, at hgrant@sandowmedia.com.