45 Hours at Ci4: A Suggested Itinerary for the ABC Children’s Institute
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By ABA Membership and Marketing Officer Meg Smith
Note: A gathering of booksellers is typically a joyful occasion, but we would be remiss if we dd not acknowledge the horrific events of the last week in Orlando. ABA is working on several ways for Ci4 attendees to offer assistance to the community and to victims’ families, and we will make time during the program to pay our respects to the victims. We’ll provide further information over the next few days.
The Magic Kingdom, Shark Encounter, Typhoon Lagoon — the many theme parks in Orlando don’t necessarily evoke reading and books. But the booksellers (and librarians, for the American Library Association Confernce, which follows Ci4) are coming to town, and the long lines will be for authors at the Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive rather than for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at WDW; the excitement will be about scoring a signed ARC rather than zooming through Space Mountain in the dark.
We hope you’ve tacked some more typical Orlando fun onto your visit*, but rest assured that fun of a bookish variety will be abundant from June 21 to 23 at the ABC Children’s Institute! What follows is a timeline and some not-so-well-kept secrets to help you make the most of it.
SOMETIME BEFORE NOON ON TUESDAY, JUNE 21
Must do! Download the “ABA Institutes” app, because it is the only source for detailed Ci4 session descriptions and session evaluations, plus a whole lot more. Just think: you can study the schedule, get lost in a Google map, upload photos, and tweet, all from one handy-dandy place.
Grab your phone or tablet and download the app directly at http://crowd.cc/s/gwUs, or search for “ABA Institutes” in the App Store or Google Play. Then look for the ABA logo on your home screen and tap it to open the app to the Ci4 event. Tip: Click on the “Using This App” button first! And if you still don’t get how it all works, come to the Ask ABA desk and we will try to help.
TUESDAY, JUNE 21
Noon to 6:30 pm Yes, there’s a pool at the Wyndham Orlando Resort; yes, there is a fitness center; and, yes, there is shuttle service to Universal Studios and Harry Potter World, Disney, and SeaWorld, but all of that can wait. First, stop by the ABA Welcome Desk for your program, badge, and, of course, the commemorative Ci4 welcome bag and notebook courtesy of lead sponsor Baker & Taylor. (ABA’s Catherine Cusick looks radiant in this year’s Ci4 bag, at left.)
While at the Welcome Desk (and again at Ask ABA the next day), you won’t want to miss the display of the ABFE Children’s Book Art Raffle pieces. Look for your friendly raffle ticket salesperson standing nearby. Tickets are $5 for one/$10 for three, and all proceeds go to support ABFE’s work to ensure free speech in children’s books. (Illustration at right by Ryan T. Higgins for Mother Bruce, 2015.)
Noon to 5 pm If you’re interested in IndieCommerce — whether the idea of a full-featured e-commerce site is just a glimmer in your eye or you’re an experienced user — consider signing up for an IndieCommerce one-on-one appointment with Geetha Nathan, who is booking appointments for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Slots are limited, but walk-ins are welcome.
3 pm to 6 pm What’s that big dog doing under the porte-cochere outside the hotel? Clifford and friends visit Ci4 by way of the Scholastic Summer Road Trip Reading RV. Come and learn about this summer-long celebration of reading!
3 pm Also taking up residence during Ci4 will be another friendly vehicle, Bess the Book Bus. Bess will be visiting more than 35 states in 2016, delivering more than 100,000 books to kids! Pay a visit and learn more about her mission.
5:30 pm We ask that all scholarship winners come to meet their publisher angels at the Scholarship Meet and Greet. The sponsors get SO excited to meet the booksellers who might not otherwise have been able to come to the Institute. We know the feeling is mutual.
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Seven Tips for ABC Children’s Institute First-Timers: 1. Prepare a 30-second speech about yourself and your store. |
6:30 pm to 8 pm Everyone to the Key Ballroom for the Welcome Reception and Backlist Book Swap Party! You know the deal with the Book Swap: Bring a copy of your favorite backlist young adult, middle grade, or picture book to share with your friends and colleagues; leave with someone else’s favorite. Books should be at least five years old and still in print. Please let us know what book you will be swapping by completing this form, and be sure to include a bookmark from your store in the book, with your contact information! That way you can find out who picked up your excellent choice.
From the “a little birdie told me” department: If you forget to actually bring the backlist book with you, we will have a stash of “Book Swap IOUs” on hand. Shipping is on you.
This party will rock — there won’t be backlist karaoke, but there will be a Backlist Book Swap photo booth.
8 pm Ci4 officially wraps for the night, but if you’re hungry for an invite to a publisher dinner, e-mail us with the best way to contact you, and ABA will share the request. Spaces are limited so invitations will be based on availability, but we’ll do our best to minimize missed connections.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22
7:45 am to 9 am Set the alarm for early morning breakfast and the keynote address by perennial favorite author Kate DiCamillo. Just like Ci4, Kate is all about “harnessing the power of connection.” The ABA Welcome Desk, located in the Palms Foyer, opens early, 7:15 am, for badges and bags.
9 am to 7 pm One of the most challenging, albeit exciting, parts of every ABA Institute is the mad dash to the Galley Room. Well, rush no more — this Galley Room will be open ALL DAY. (Except during keynote addresses and the lunches, when you’ll be too happily preoccupied to notice.)
9:15 am and 3 pm There are some fantastic educational sessions and roundtables at Ci4, and many of them dive into the nitty-gritty of the topic. Session descriptions are on BookWeb.org right now, or check them out on the fly in the ABA Institutes app.
10:30 am, 2 pm, and 4:15 pm What makes for a standout conference? Presentations that are equal parts inspiration, motivation, and education. The Ci4 featured speakers pin that meter: Kristen McLean (Nielsen Books) delivers a top-level overview of the children’s book market; Dr. Dana Suskind explains brain development in terms of language and reading; and Jeff James from the Disney Institute shares lessons learned about business excellence.
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“Must Be Present to Win” ABC Group members will recall that registering for Ci4 before March 31 gave you automatic entry into three separate keynote speaker prize drawings. The winners will be picked at the conclusion of each event: for the signed print and books from Kate DiCamillo, following breakfast Wednesday; for the trip to Miami for lunch with Dave Barry, at the end of breakfast on Thursday; and for the trip to Vermont for lunch and a book party with Julia Alvarez, at the end of the closing keynote. The ABFE Children’s Book Art raffle winners will be drawn at the Thursday breakfast. And yes, you must be present (with raffle ticket) to win! Tip: stash the raffle ticket in your ever-present badge holder. |
Morning (9 am to 11:45 am) and afternoon (1:45 pm to 5:15 pm) You know that item on your to-do list, the one about looking at competitive bids for your business insurance and your credit card processing? And that other thing about asking your POS rep all those questions you only think about? We are all about crossing things off the to-do list and love the Consultation Station for that reason. Many birds, one stone. Repeats on Thursday morning and afternoon.
11:45 am to 1:45 pm Ready, set, speed date! The Rep Picks Speed Dating Lunch really gets everyone’s blood — and showcase titles — moving.
5:30 pm to 7 pm Mix debut Indies Introduce authors, longtime superstar authors, just-hitting-their-stride authors, illustrator-author hyphenates, and excited independent booksellers and you have the recipe for a fabulous and fun Author Reception.
9:30 pm to 11 pm One final something to drink and nosh before bed, at the now annual Scholastic Meet and Treat dessert reception at the Children’s Institute. Join authors David Shannon (Duck on a Tractor), Christine Kendall (Riding Chance), and Jordan Sonnenblick (Falling Over Sideways).
THURSDAY, JUNE 23
7:45 am to 8:45 am Start the day with fresh orange juice and wonderful breakfast author keynote Dave Barry, who doesn’t want to grow up. If play, creativity, and imagination are his motivations, then I’d like to be on his team.
9 am The day’s activities swing into full gear with education options until lunch, and the opening of the Galley Room, Consultation Station, and IndieCommerce One-on-Ones. (No appointments necessary for anything!)
11:30 am to 12:30 pm At lunch, Ci4 small press sponsors discuss key upcoming titles. And, in a reprise of the successful format introduced at Winter Institute, Indies Introduce authors read selections from their debut books.
2 pm to 3 pm Following an afternoon of education, award-winning and bestselling author Julia Alvarez closes out the 2016 ABC Children’s Institute in her warm and embracing style, nicely bookending 45 hours of thoughtful and informative book talk.
We can’t wait to see you in sunny Florida! And don’t forget the sunscreen.
Safe travels,
Meg Smith, on behalf of a lot of people who are doing great work to produce Ci4
ABA Membership and Marketing Officer
*Note: Either your Ci4 confirmation e-mail or Ci4 badge will serve as the event ID for Universal Studios special pricing.