Starbucks plans leadership conference in New Orleans

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is reinstating the company's leadership conference with a gathering Oct. 26-30 in New Orleans. About 10,000 store managers and other field leaders from the U.S. and Canada will meet for career development and "to reinvigorate the passion within the company," Schultz wrote in an e-mail to employees Tuesday.

Last year's conference was canceled to help pay for raises to in-store employees.

Schultz promised in his first e-mail to employees after becoming CEO again in January that he would bring the conference back this fall.

"Our Leadership Conference has always served as a platform for unveiling innovative, new initiatives, and this year will be no different," he wrote in Tuesday's e-mail.

"It's really hard to describe, in words, just how meaningful, how thrilling and inspiring our conferences have been over the years," he wrote. "But trust me when I tell you that the atmosphere has been charged with enthusiasm and our partners were fired up to do great things and inspire others to join in the effort on behalf of Starbucks, which they did. And I anticipate that the reaction after this year's conference will be the same."

Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com