Let Your Voice Be Heard: ABA’s Town Hall and Annual Membership Meetings
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The American Booksellers Association will hold its Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday, May 31, from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. in Room 1E12/13/14 of the Javits Convention Center during BookExpo 2018.
The meeting agenda includes the formal announcement of ABA’s election results, reports from the president and CEO, a membership and financial update, and the opportunity for members to bring old and/or new business to the attention of the Board of Directors. All ABA members are encouraged to attend.
During the “New Business” portion of the meeting, if any member bookseller wishes to introduce a motion, one person representing each member company should be prepared to vote. When entering the meeting, ABA’s membership department will distribute designated voting cards for each voting member, which can then be held up to indicate that store’s vote.
The presence of 10 percent of the bookstore members or 100 bookstore members, whichever is less, constitutes a quorum, and a majority of bookstore members at a meeting at which a quorum is present is necessary to take formal action. A “majority” means that the number of affirmative votes cast must be at least equal to a quorum. Booksellers can learn more about the voting process in ABA’s Bylaws.
The Annual Meeting will be preceded by the Town Hall, from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., also in Javits’ Room 1E12/13/14. The Town Hall provides booksellers with the opportunity to express their opinions and concerns and to share ideas with ABA Board members and staff in a less formal setting.
To provide an opportunity for as many members as possible to speak during the Town Hall, a sign-up sheet will be prominently displayed starting Wednesday morning, May 30, in the ABA Member Lounge (Booth 721 on the trade show floor). Booksellers will be called upon to speak at the Town Hall in the order in which they sign up.
During the meeting, the floor will be open to questions and comments from all booksellers in attendance; however, anyone who would like to send questions in advance can e-mail [email protected]. Booksellers who do not wish to speak can also add topics for discussion to the sign-up form in the lounge.
BookExpo 2018 will be held May 30–June 1 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. Learn more about ABA programming here.