2016 Hotel ABA Rate Now Open to All BEA Registrants

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The special ABA rate at The Drake Hotel — Hotel ABA for BookExpo America 2016 (BEA) — is now available to all trade show  registrants. BEA will be held from Wednesday, May 11, through Friday, May 13, at Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center. The special hotel rate of $199 plus 16.4 percent tax per night (single/double occupancy) was available exclusively to ABA member booksellers until February 16.

The Drake’s ABA rate applies to stays from May 10 through May 13, 2016; additional nights at the $199 rate may be available for three nights pre- and post-BEA, based on availability. The $199 rate is open to all BEA attendees until April 6 or until the room block reaches capacity, whichever comes first. ABA members are encouraged to make their reservations as soon as possible.

If the ABA block sells out for the night of Tuesday, May 10, the Drake will make available to ABA members only an additional 50 rooms at the rate of $259 plus tax. However, ABA will subsidize the $60 per night difference for booksellers reserving at the higher rate.

On Tuesday, May 10, Penguin Random House is throwing an opening-night party exclusively for all ABA indie booksellers from 9:00 p.m. to midnight in the Drake’s International Club.

ABA member booksellers who have not attended the trade show in the last two years still have time to apply to win one of 60 BEA scholarships of $435 each to help defray their hotel and travel costs. To qualify, booksellers must stay at least one night at the Drake during the show and participate in the BEA VIP Rewards Program (this involves visiting different exhibitors at the show to learn about their books and products). Booksellers who qualify for the scholarship program and participate in full will be able to pick up their $435 cash stipend on the afternoon of the last day of BEA in the VIP Lounge. To be considered for this year’s BEA Scholarship Program, ABA members should complete BEA’s online scholarship form.

The upscale Drake Hotel is located at 140 E. Walton Place, one block from the Lakefront Trail and a 10-minute walk to the nearest train station. A BEA shuttle bus will run May 11–13 from the Drake to McCormick Place. ABA's programming at BEA will begin on Wednesday morning, May 11.

All ABA Regular Bookstore and Provisional members are entitled to receive free BEA admission badges if they provide their ABA Membership ID number upon registration. Booksellers in need of their ID number should contact ABA Member Relationship managers Nathan Halter (for the NCIBA, SCIBA, MPIBA, PNBA, SIBA regions) at 800-637-0037, ext. 7514, or Catherine Cusick (for NAIBA, NEIBA, GLIBA, MIBA) at (800) 637-0037, ext. 7566.

Watch for news and updates about ABA programming at BEA in upcoming editions of BTW.

Register for BEA here; then reserve a room at the Drake Hotel at the ABA rate.