ALEXANDRIA, Va. - President George W. Bush has been announced as the closing general session speaker for this year??s NACS Show, which will take place October 5 to 8 at the World Congress Center in Atlanta.

In his two terms as the 43rd President of the United States, Bush led the country through eight of the most consequential years in American history, from his leadership in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks to a global financial crisis.

Prior to his presidency, Bush served six years as governor of Texas ?" and was the first governor in state history to be elected to consecutive four-year terms. He earned a bachelor??s degree from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University and was often dubbed the country??s "first M.B.A. president."

Bush will be the fourth U.S. president to speak at a NACS event: President Bill Clinton served as last year??s NACS Show closing general speaker; then-former California Governor Ronald Reagan spoke in 1975 NACS annual meeting (now called the NACS Show); and then-President George H.W. Bush spoke at the 1992 Public Affairs Conference co-sponsored by NACS and three other retail associations.

"The NACS Show brings together the industry??s ?" and the world??s ?" top leaders to share their insights," said NACS Vice Chairman of Convention & Events Dave Carpenter, president and CEO of J.D. Carpenter Companies Inc. "Attendees will get a rare opportunity to hear how decisions are made at the highest levels, as well as an insider??s perspective of the political landscape just weeks before the mid-term elections."

More than 22,500 attendees were at the NACS Show in 2009 ?" a 6 percent increase over 2008 attendance. The number of attendees classified as "buyers" (retailers, wholesalers and distributors) jumped 16 percent to reach 8,584, the second-largest total ever for a NACS Show. Last year??s NACS Show featured a 350,000-plus net-square-foot exposition floor with 1,222 exhibiting companies ?" including a record 338 new companies, 66 workshops and three days of general sessions.

In February 2010, the NACS Show was again named the top trade show in the United States for "buying power" and second overall for buying plans according to the latest annual report on U.S. trade shows developed by Exhibit Surveys Inc.

Registration for this year??s NACS Show opens tomorrow, April 1.