ABA to Offer Education Sessions, IndieCommerce One-on-Ones at MPIBA Trade Show

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version

The Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Fall Discovery Show will be held from Thursday, October 6, through Saturday, October 8, at the Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel, and the American Booksellers Association will be there to present two education sessions — “An Update on the New Localism Data and Hands-On Instruction” and “Understanding and Acting on Your ABACUS-15 Report” — as well as one-on-one IndieCommerce meetings.

Booksellers are also encouraged to stop by Tables 63 and 64 on the MPIBA show floor to talk to ABA CEO Oren Teicher, Senior Strategy Officer Dan Cullen, and Member Relationship Manager Nathan Halter, who will be sharing updates on ABA programming, including Indies First, Indies Introduce, the new Indie Next List consumer e-newsletter, the 2017 Winter Institute (Wi12), and more. Booksellers who leave a business card at the tables will earn an extra chance to win a scholarship to attend Wi12 or the 2017 Children’s Institute.

ABA Education at the 2016 MPIBA Fall Discovery Show

An Update on the New Localism Data and Hands-On Instruction will be presented on Saturday, October 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Building on the “Amazon and Empty Storefronts” study presented at Winter Institute 11 and the Spring Forums, ABA will reveal updated data from a new report commissioned from Civic Economics. Following a brief update, the session will become a hands-on workshop focusing on implementing materials in ABA’s state-specific Antitrust Action Kit. During the workshop, each bookseller will write at least one letter urging a lawmaker to investigate Amazon for violating state and federal antitrust law. Role-playing exercises will enable booksellers to practice communicating the message of the New Localism to other independent retailers, elected officials, community members, local first organizations, and the media. This session is aimed at store decision-makers.

Understanding and Acting on Your ABACUS-15 Report will be presented on Saturday, October 8, from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Booksellers nationwide, in markets of all sizes, have found ABACUS, the only financial benchmarking tool for independent bookstores, to be essential for strategic and business planning, access to capital, negotiations with landlords, and much more. At this session, Cullen and ABA Board President Betsy Burton of The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City and Board Member Valerie Koehler of Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston will share information about ABACUS participation and will review top-line financial data from this year’s report to demonstrate how booksellers can use the information to improve their business’ performance. Booksellers are encouraged to come with questions.

One-on-one IndieCommerce sessions will take place in the Renaissance Denver Stapleton’s Clear Creek Room on Thursday, October 6, and Friday, October 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. These sessions are for current IndieCommerce users who would like answers to their pressing questions, as well as non-IndieCommerce stores that would like to learn if IndieCommerce is right for them. Rerservations are suggested, but walk-ins will be welcome. One-on-one sessions will be hosted by IndieCommerce Training Manager Scott Nafz. Book an appointment here

For complete details about the MPIBA Fall Discovery Show, visit the MPIBA website.

Show Special for Non-ABA Members!    
Test-drive ABA membership for free until January 31, 2017, 
and enjoy all the benefits of membership, including Winter Institute.
Visit us and sign up at the trade show.