NAIBA and NEIBA to Host “All About Events” Retreat

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The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) and the New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA) are inviting bookstore owners and event managers to attend the “All About Events” retreat, to be held April 12 – 13 at the Hyatt Regency in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.

The registration fee for the retreat is $25 for NEIBA and NAIBA member bookstores and $75 for nonmember stores. Full details about the event can be found through NAIBA and NEIBA’s websites.

Beginning on Sunday, April 12, booksellers will enjoy a keynote presentation on the changes and trends in events, followed by an afternoon of educational panels on topics such as why bookstores should hold events, how to manage the expectations of everyone involved, the logistics of hosting and promoting an event, venue considerations, and how to make money from events.

Program panelists include Matthew Ballast of Grand Central Publishing, Lara Phan of Penguin Random House, and booksellers Susan Coll of Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C; Jan Hall of Partners Village Store in Westport, Massachusetts; Hannah Moushabeck of Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Massachusetts; and Maribeth Pelly of BookTowne in Manasquan, New Jersey.

Following the panels, booksellers will gather in small groups with an assigned author to develop event plans from start to finish. Each bookseller will work with their team to create an event specific to their store for that book and author, keeping in mind the possibility of having the author visit for an official event following the retreat. Booksellers will be assigned to groups with authors Nancy Krulik, David O. Stewart, Rinker Buck, David Payne, John Freeman, Trevor Pryce, and Jami Attenberg.

On Monday morning, booksellers will have the opportunity to present their event plans to fellow attendees and receive constructive feedback and suggestions.

Booksellers who register for “All About Events” by April 6 will receive advance copies of the featured authors’ books. NEIBA and NAIBA will also begin coordinating team assignments on April 6, so early registration is encouraged.

To help defray the cost of attending the retreat, NEIBA and NAIBA will reimburse association member bookstores up to $100 for travel and hotel expenses. The special event rate at the host hotel, the Hyatt Regency Greenwich, located at 1800 East Putnam Avenue in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, is available until March 30.