BEA 2016: Scholarship Deadline, Publicists Speed Dating, ABC/CBC Lunch & Tea, and More

BEA Scholarships

April 1 is the deadline for ABA members who have not attended BookExpo America in the last two years to apply to win one of 60 BEA scholarships of $435 each to help defray their hotel and travel costs to the trade show. To qualify, booksellers must stay at least one night at The Drake Hotel, this year’s Hotel ABA, and participate in the BEA VIP Rewards Program, which involves visiting different exhibitors at the show to learn about their books and products.

BookExpo America 2016 and ABA programming at the trade show will be held from Wednesday, May 11, through Friday, May 13, at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Apply now for a BEA scholarship.

Publicists Speed Dating

Publicists Speed Dating, which was a hit at BEA 2015, returns to the trade show on Friday, May 13, from 9:45 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. The program will feature approximately 12-minute conversations between one bookstore and one publicist at a time. During the “dates,” ABA member bookstore owners, managers, and event coordinators have the opportunity to promote their stores and discover what publicists look for when planning author tours.

Register your store for Publicists Speed Dating now; send questions to ABA Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger.

ABC/CBC Speed Dating Lunch With Children’s Authors and Tea With Children’s Authors and Illustrators

Tickets are now on sale to ABA members and friends of the Children’s Book Council (CBC) for the ABC/CBC Speed Dating Lunch With Children’s Authors and the ABC/CBC Tea With Children’s Authors and Illustrators, both to be held on Friday afternoon, May 13.

Tickets for the Speed Dating Lunch are $30; tickets for the Tea are $25. Preregistration and prepayment is required for each event.

• Learn more about the Speed Dating Lunch With Children’s Authors and purchase tickets here.
   
• Learn more about the Tea With Children’s Authors and Illustrators and purchase tickets here..

Free Admission Badges

All ABA Regular Bookstore and Provisional members in good standing are entitled to receive free admission badges to BEA when they provide their ABA Membership ID number during the registration process. 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.

Stores that have not renewed their ABA membership for 2016 can still do so and receive free badges to BEA.

Discounted Parking

Discounted parking at McCormick Place is available to ABA member booksellers in good standing. 

A flat $10 parking fee per day will be available for Lots A, B, or C on May 11, 12, and 13. Members must bring their parking receipt to the ABA Member Lounge (Booth T-100 on the trade show floor) for a voucher to receive the discount. A separate voucher is required for each day of the show and will need to be presented when exiting the parking lot.

A BEA shuttle bus will also run May 11 through 13 on a loop from The Drake Hotel to McCormick Place.

For complete details about ABA programming at the show, visit BookWeb.org.