NEIBA Show to Offer Enhanced Programming, More Exhibitors

The New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA) will hold its 35th Annual Fall Trade Show from Thursday, September 18, through Saturday, September 20, at the Hynes Convention Center, in Boston. Among the show's notable events are the many education sessions, the 2008 NEIBA Book Awards Luncheon, the Children's Books Author/Illustrator Dinner, and the Friday Night Author Reception. American Booksellers Association education programming at this year's event includes "Surviving Tough Times," "Connecting to Your Customers and Community With IndieBound," "Consumer Behavior Revealed," and "ABA's E-Commerce Solution Users' Group."

"Frankly, with the economy in its sorry state, I was concerned we'd see a trade show downturn," said NEIBA Executive Director Steve Fischer. "On the contrary, when we're done counting all our booths and tables, our exhibitors will be slightly up. I take this as a vote of confidence that last year's show was a success and that regional shows continue to be effective ways to reach the booksellers."

NEIBA is increasing the visibility of its New England Book Awards with a marketing campaign and will be honoring winning authors Tomie DePaola, Alice Hoffman, and Nathaniel Philbrick, and publisher Down East Books. The information area will feature materials on the NEIBA Peer Review and Grant programs, as well as resources for Banned Books Week.

Fischer added, "The Children's educational programming is greatly enhanced, we've got sessions on sidelines, surviving retail in tough times, and the IndieBound session. Two sales reps are doing a presentation on blogging and our Publisher Picks will be better than ever."

ABA's programming, sponsored by Ingram Book Group/Ingram Publisher Services, will be presented by ABA Chief Program Officer Len Vlahos, COO Oren Teicher, and Marketing Coordinator Sarah Rettger. ABA education sessions include:

Thursday, September 18

• Surviving Tough Times in Retail, 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
  Independent bookstores are facing a multitude of challenges this coming season, and most likely in the year ahead. This workshop will focus on specific areas that will help store owners and managers survive these tough times. This content rich session will include discussions of cash management, inventory control, reducing costs and the importance of leadership and being proactive rather than reactive. The panel will include booksellers.

• Connecting to your Customers and Community with IndieBound, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  Come join ABA and NEIBA members in a roundtable discussion about the IndieBound program. Booksellers are invited to share what they've done in their stores with IndieBound promotional materials and the ways they've connected with other independent businesses, and to hear about creative ways others have used IndieBound. This session is intended for everyone attending the NEIBA Trade Show.

Friday, September 19

• Consumer Behavior Revealed: The Dating Game, 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  This fun, useful workshop premiered at the Winter Institute. Because consumers can buy books almost anywhere, independent booksellers need to add value to the book shopping experience. But to add value, we must first understand what motivates our customers. Come and learn what goes on in the heads of shoppers and how you can improve sales in your stores by understanding your customers' needs and desires.

Saturday, September 20

• ABA's E-Commerce Solution Users Group, 11:00 a.m. - Noon
  ABA's E-commerce Solution is undergoing a major overhaul, planned for a fall 2008 release. The site is migrating to the open-source platform Drupal, which will provide users with new and improved administrative tools, better performance and reliability, and a shorter path to new features and functionality. Participants in the users group will have an opportunity to meet with and provide feedback to ABA's e-commerce staff. Booksellers who are not currently E-Commerce participants are also invited to attend.

Opening the show Thursday morning are Harper CEO Brian Murray and HarperStudio Publisher Bob Miller in a conversation with booksellers moderated by Roxanne Coady of R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Connecticut. Following the keynote speakers will be the 2008 New England Book Awards luncheon. In the afternoon, the New England Children's Booksellers' Advisory Council hosts a Children's Book Presentation, where a group of wholesale and retail children's book buyers and handsellers will talk about the top kids' books for the fall season. Thursday's events close with the Children's Books Author/Illustrator Dinner. Guest speakers include Laurie Halse Anderson (Chains, Simon & Schuster), Jeanne Birdsall (The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, Knopf), and Norton Juster (Sourpuss & Sweetie Pie, Scholastic).

On Friday the trade show floor is open from 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. The day's events include the Friday Author Breakfast, NEIBA's Annual Meeting, Picks of the Lists, and the Author Reception. "Last years' Friday night Author Reception worked so well that we've invited more authors," noted Fischer. More than a dozen authors will be in attendance, including Elise Broach (Masterpiece, Henry Holt), Julia Glass (I See You Everywhere, Pantheon), and Stewart O'Nan (Songs for the Missing, Viking).

On Saturday, the trade show floor will be open from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The Authors Breakfast kicks off the last day of the show with Wally Lamb (The Hour I First Believed, HarperCollins), Dennis Lehane (The Given Day, HarperCollins), and Kathleen Norris (Acedia & Me, Riverhead).

ABA will have a booth on the NEIBA trade show floor, where booksellers can meet with staff and learn about IndieBound and the association's many other services and products. Information will also be available about the Winter Institute 4 (Wi4), to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from Thursday, January 29, through Sunday, February 1.

Booksellers can enter a raffle for a free trip to Wi4 (airfare and up to a two-night hotel stay for one person) by dropping a business card off at the ABA booth on the show floor. They can also enter the raffle a second time by updating their store profile via BookWeb.org. One winner will be chosen at random at the end of October from all entries received at the nine regional shows and via profile updates.

Registration materials, including ticket information and a full schedule of events, are available on the NEIBA website, www.newenglandbooks.org. Questions about NEIBA programming should be addressed to Nan Sorenson at [email protected].

Questions and requests for information about ABA's participation at NEIBA's trade show may be directed to Lisa Winn at [email protected].