BEA Spotlight: Afternoon at ABA's 'Day of Education'

Afternoon programming at ABA's fourth annual "Day of Education" on Thursday, May 18, at this year's BookExpo America (BEA) in Washington, D.C., offers a wide array of seminars and panel discussions that have one goal -- helping booksellers increase sales. Sessions -- several of which are presented twice in succession to provide bookstore owners and staff the opportunity to attend as many as possible -- will focus on both the theory and practice of how to grow a bookstore's top line.

The schedule of events, which offers something for booksellers of all levels, is open to all ABA members. The program includes lunch and is free of charge, however advance registration through BEA is required.

From 2:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m., Room 150 A will be the site of "Improving Efficiency to Achieve Success." This seminar will show booksellers how to use their time more effectively, make their staff more productive, and implement efficiencies throughout the store. Intended for owners and senior staff of bookstores of all sizes, the session will focus on how to streamline routine functions so that more time and energy can be devoted to achieving the goals booksellers have set for their store.

From 2:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m., in Room 150 B, will be the seminar, "Independent Booksellers as Mavericks," presented by William C. Taylor and Polly LaBarre, the authors of Mavericks at Work (coming from HarperCollins this fall). This session is designed to help senior bookstore managers and owners look beyond best practices to "next practices." Shown through examples of successful businesses from all industries, attendees will learn how to rethink competition, reinvent innovation, and reconnect with customers.

Taylor is founding editor of Fast Company, which during his tenure won two coveted National Magazine Awards and scores of other honors. He has also been published in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Harvard Business Review.

During eight years as senior editor of Fast Company, LaBarre wrote influential articles on strategy, creativity, and personal success and co-hosted its signature Real Time conferences. She has made numerous media appearances, including Good Morning America, CNN, and CNBC.

From 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. and again from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m., in Room 143 A, will be the seminar, "Creating Effective E-Newsletters." E-mail, as indispensable as a telephone to a 21st-century retailer, is the "killer app" of the Internet. Attendees will hear a panel of bookseller experts discuss how to use e-mail newsletters to communicate with their customers, further their marketing goals, and drive traffic to their websites and stores.

"Creating Killer Events" will be held in Room 143 B from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. and again from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. With books sold in more and more outlets each year, independent booksellers are finding new and innovative ways to distinguish themselves from the competition. One of the most effective tools to set themselves apart is offering a schedule of compelling events. In this session, booksellers will review an event prep checklist and hear experienced booksellers describe what makes a killer event.

From 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. and again from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m., in Room 143 C, will be the session, "How to Be the Story: Developing and Implementing a Public Relations Plan." On average, independent bookstores spend two percent of their annual budget on advertising. But what is the budget for public relations? What's the difference between advertising and PR? This session will show how a comprehensive public relations plan can have a greater impact on a store's visibility than advertising, and at a much lower cost. Learn how to formulate and execute a PR plan.

"How to Do a Customer Survey: A Case Study" will be held from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. and again from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. in Room 144 A. In this session, attendees can find out how to create and execute customer surveys that will help them learn more about their customers and then develop more effective strategies to meet their needs. This session will outline the "nuts-and-bolts" of how to do customer surveys -- including how to frame questions, administer the survey in their store and online, and analyze results -- through a case study of an independent bookstore that successfully used customer surveys to get results.

From 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., and again from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m., in Room 152 AB, Above the Treeline founder John Rubin and ABA staff will present, "Above the Treeline." Above the Treeline is an online software product designed to help bookstores improve finances by optimizing inventory selection. This session will provide booksellers with a demonstration of the product and information about the special discount for ABA member booksellers who subscribe to Above the Treeline.

Additional information about BookExpo America and ABA's educational programming and special events is available at www.bookweb.org/aba/convention/.