DelVal Announces Speakers for Watson Executive-in-Residence Program

Delaware Valley University (DelVal) is excited to announce Bret Watson, Founder and CEO of Watson Adventures, LLC, and Stacy King, General Manager of Watson Adventures, as the speakers for DelVal’s Watson Executive-in-Residence program.

Watson Adventures offers unique team-building activities including scavenger hunts, trivia games, and murder mystery games, as well as virtual team-building activities and games that connect home offices. Since its inception in 1999, Watson Adventures has grown to span the nation, with more than 500,000 people participating in hunts, including the employees of thousands of prestigious corporations. All the while, Watson Adventures’ scavenger hunts have received more media raves and other acclaim than any other company of its kind.

The program will be held on Tuesday, April 25 at 11 a.m. in DelVal’s Life Sciences Building Auditorium. Each semester, the Watson Executive-in-Residence program brings an executive to DelVal for a presentation about his or her career in discussion with students about how they excelled to where they are today.

The program is sponsored by an alumnus of DelVal, Dr. Thomas Watson ’57. Each semester, a business student is chosen to receive a scholarship and introduce the visiting executive to the University. More than $120,000 in scholarships has been provided through Dr. Watson’s program throughout the years.

About the presentation:

Watson and King’s presentation “How to Start a Business with No Money” will discuss the following:

· What ingredients indicate you have a good idea for a business

· When to invest in publicity over advertising

· Signs that your business is—or isn’t—scalable

· How to recruit and retain quality employees and freelancers

· How to work happily with family members

· How you can keep costs low by giving employees more freedom

· The underrated importance of seeing things from the customer’s point of view—and everyone as a customer

· How to create team-building activities that unite diverse teams with diverse talents

About the speakers:

Bret Watson, Founder & CEO, Watson Adventures, LLC

Bret found the inspiration to create his first scavenger hunt on a 1993 visit to one of his favorite haunts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Upon discovering humorous details in works of art, Bret realized that scavenger hunts would be a smart and amusing way for his friends to have fun while seeing the quirkier sides of interesting places. Corporate groups soon took notice, and requests for privately staged hunts led to the birth of Watson Adventures in 1999. A Princeton graduate, Bret is a former journalist who has served as a writer and editor at Entertainment Weekly and a variety of other magazines. Bret lives in New York with his wife, Nicole, and their two cats, who feel that the hunts could use more mice.

Stacy King, General Manager, Watson Adventures, LLC

Stacy King's love of travel, combined with her smarts about the arts, make her a perfect fit for Watson Adventures. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in painting from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a Master of Art Education from the City University of New York. She has been keeping hunts running smoothly since 2002 and has donned just about every hat within the company. Stacy lives with her husband Mark and daughter Vivian in Astoria, Queens, where she enjoys yoga and a good cup of coffee with a chocolate croissant.

For more information on the event, contact Sarah Masucci, administrative assistant for Business Administration and Criminal Justice, Delaware Valley University, at sarah.masucci@delval.edu.