Winter Institute

Among the unique programs at the American Booksellers Association's upcoming Winter Institute will be the opportunity for booksellers to take a merchandising tour of either Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore (for large-store tactics) or The King's English Bookshop (for small to mid-size stores).

The American Booksellers Association today announced the names of 23 Publisher Partners that are sponsoring bookseller scholarships to its Fourth Annual Winter Institute (Wi4). The scholarships will cover the cost of reasonable transportation and up to a three-night stay at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown, the host hotel for Wi4.

Ingram Book Company/Ingram Publisher Services is sponsoring six scholarships to help send emerging leaders in the independent bookstore community to the American Booksellers Association's Fourth Annual Winter Institute.

The American Booksellers Association is inviting booksellers participating in established Local First campaigns and those who want to learn more about these community-focused initiatives to an important day of independent business alliance (IBA) education, just prior to the Fourth Annual Winter Institute (Wi4).

Registration for the American Booksellers Association's Fourth Annual Winter Institute (Wi4), to be held from Thursday, January 29, through Sunday, February 1, 2009, at Utah's Salt Lake City Marriott Downtown, is now open.

Registration for the American Booksellers Association's Fourth Annual Winter Institute (Wi4) will open on BookWeb.org on Thursday, September 11. The highly anticipated education event is open to the owners and staff of all ABA member stores and to provisional members.

The focus of the ABA Winter Institute is education -- sometimes gained in a panel or a seminar, but, also, through the compelling insights of thoughtful authors and experts.

This year's institute featured two memorable keynote speakers and a thought-provoking roundtable discussion on localism that ended in a standing ovation. If you couldn't attend the Winter Institute, or missed any of these insightful speakers, four videos have been posted on BookWeb.org.

For the approximately 500 booksellers who attended the American Booksellers Association's 2008 Winter Institute, there were 24 education sessions to pick from, on topics ranging from developing a business plan to better understanding customer behavior and reaching today's "digital natives."

Representatives from six of the American Booksellers Association's Third Annual Winter Institute Publisher Partners recently offered their thoughts on the two-and-a-half day education symposium, held in Louisville, Kentucky, last month.

The host city of the 2002 Winter Olympics will now be the location for ABA's 2009 Annual Winter Institute. Wi4 will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from Thursday, January 29, through Sunday, February 1, at the Salt Lake City Marriott Downtown.

The Winter Institute is a two-and-a-half day education symposium, with classes on a wide range of topics crucial to the ever-changing business of bookselling. The event also includes plenty of face time with great authors.

Beginning with optimism and ending with a standing ovation from the approximately 500 attendees, the Winter Institute keynote discussion on Shop Local and related movements was a fascinating overview about the importance of building alliances among locally owned independent businesses and changing consumers' mindsets regarding the importance of a healthy local economy.

Robyn Kamimura

By Robyn Kamimura, Assistant Promotional Director, Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, California

By the time Saturday's closing reception at the American Booksellers Association's Third Annual Winter Institute (Wi3) was winding down, it was clear that booksellers and publishers attending the two-day educational event in Louisville, Kentucky, were very pleased.

The American Booksellers Association extends sincere thanks to all of its Winter Institute Partners whose support made last weekend's event such a success.

By Tova Beiser, Trade Book & Promotions Manager, Brown University Bookstore