RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA), the primary voice of the technology industry in North Carolina, announces its next Thought Leaders event on March 8, 2012. The featured speaker will be Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and author of the New York Times bestseller, The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream. Gary will discuss how great innovators have been the real drivers of America’s unsurpassed economic success and how innovation creates jobs, markets, and new industries where none existed before.

Shapiro has spent 30 years at the forefront of America’s innovative industry, witnessing firsthand the most exciting, groundbreaking innovations the world has ever known. His time in the Washington trenches, fighting for our nation’s innovators, has shown him that when America leads in innovation, America – and the world – moves forward.

“Gary is exactly the kind of national figure we seek to highlight in our Thought Leaders series – provocative, influential, and business-relevant,” said Brooks Raiford, NCTA’s president and CEO. “We are delighted to have Gary visit North Carolina and be our first Thought Leaders speaker of 2012.” NCTA launched the Thought Leaders Series to feature candid discussions with executives, media influencers, authors and motivational speakers.

The event will be held on March 8, 2012 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the RBC Center in Raleigh. Registration includes breakfast and a complimentary copy of Gary's book, The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream. The event’s Leadership Sponsor is Stearns Financial Services Group.

To register or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://www.nctechnology.org or contact Michelle Calton at mcalton@nctechnology.org, 919.890.0771. Companies and organizations that join NCTA before February 29 will receive two complimentary tickets for the event.

About the Keynote:

Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the U.S. trade association for more than 2,000 consumer electronics companies. CEA owns the International CES, the world’s largest annual technology trade show. Shapiro has led the technology industry through seismic shifts, including the transition from analog to digital television, and the move to wireless, personal computers and the Internet. He has received many awards including the Pinnacle Award, the exhibition industry’s highest award, and was recognized repeatedly as one of the 100 most influential people in Washington by Washington Life magazine. A graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, he is married to Dr. Susan Malinowski, and commutes each week between Virginia and Michigan.

About NCTA

The North Carolina Technology Association’s mission is “Making North Carolina #1 in Technology and Technology #1 in North Carolina.” The organization does this through three main focus areas: executive engagement, public affairs, and knowledge workforce. For more information, visit our website at http://www.nctechnology.org.

Original post:
NCTA Announces CEA’s Gary Shapiro to Speak on Innovation and the Key to Economic Success