Bob Harnach Joins Nielsen Business Media Design Team

ATLANTA, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Hospitality industry veteran Bob Harnach joins the Nielsen Business Media design team in a strategic partnership that focuses on the growing hospitality design market. Harnach will work closely with Michelle Finn, vice president of the Hospitality Design Group, and Liz Sommerville, group show director, on strategic initiatives for the organization including two of the hospitality industry's most influential trade shows: HD Expo at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas on May 19-21, 2010 and HD Boutique at the Miami Beach Convention Center on September 13-14, 2010.

"We're pleased to have formed this alliance to enhance our existing ties to the hospitality market," says Joe Randall, senior vice president of NBM Design Group. "Bob's incredible knowledge from the market to the manufacturing side will be an asset as we move ahead in developing online businesses to serve the design market.  HD has always been a leader in meeting the evolving expectations of the hospitality market, and it's our goal to continue to be at the forefront of the market and we believe Bob's partnership will develop it rapidly."

Harnach has a twenty-five year track record of business success with ten years in the hospitality industry. Most recently, as president of Hunter Douglas Hospitality, he developed innovative and leading-edge online technologies to meet the needs of the hospitality market.  

"These are exciting times for innovation.  It's inspiring for a market leader such as Nielsen Business Media to commit to initiatives to support the hospitality industry and the design, supplier, and owner community," says Harnach.  "People, ideas, and drive have been responsible for successes in the industry.  I'm looking forward to working with the Nielsen Business Media team that has been instrumental in creating our marketplace and community."

Nielsen Business Media produces more than 50 conferences and trade shows annually for professionals in fields ranging from construction and design to jewelry and retail merchandising, reaching thousands of industry leaders each year in collaborative environments designed to inspire, inform and entertain. Nielsen Business Media is owned by The Nielsen Company, a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications, and trade shows.

SOURCE Nielsen Business Media