PNBA Show Gets High Marks for Education

The 2006 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Fall Trade Show was held from Thursday, October 12, through Saturday, October 14, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. The show included PNBA's Feast of Authors, Book and Author Breakfasts, and a full day of educational programming on Thursday, including the American Booksellers Association sessions "Shop Local: Forming Business Alliances in Your Community," "Improving Efficiency to Achieve Success," "Creating Killer Events," and "Above the Treeline, An Introduction."

PNBA Executive Director Thom Chambliss offered mixed comments on this year's show: He reported very positive feedback on a "better-than-ever" educational lineup and a sellout crowd at the Feast of Authors, but lower overall attendance.

"We had great educational sessions -- 19 of them," said Chambliss. "It was the most we've ever done at a trade show. They were well attended, and we got tons of positive comments. Everyone's looking forward to the sessions at ABA's Winter Institute.

"This was the third year that we've done the Feast of Authors, but the first time we sold out." Chambliss attributed the event's popularity to the lower ticket price. "We moved it from the convention center to the hotel and it was a lot cheaper," he said. "Authors, booksellers, and publishers all commented on it in very positive terms."

Show attendance of 390 booksellers, representing 126 stores, was down from the previous year by one bookstore and 14 booksellers. Chambliss attributed the dip in attendance to the show being held in mid-October rather than September, a move that was made at the request of publisher reps. However, he noted that since the show couldn't conflict with other regional trade shows or the Jewish holidays, "it ended up being too late."

As part of the show's Thursday education offerings, ABA presented four education sessions, which were free to all attendees.

"Shop Local: Forming Business Alliances in Your Community," led by ABA's COO Oren Teicher, focused on how booksellers can join with other local merchants to form independent business alliances and how they can work to convince communities to institute changes in zoning regulations and other policies to support businesses owned and operated locally.

Stina Seeger-Gibson of The Book End in Lincoln City, Oregon, told BTW that the Shop Local session was timely as her city council had just voted to set limits on the size of big-box retailers. "We're in a small town, and we have lots of independent stores," she said. "But we still need to support each other. I got some great ideas about how do that."

Seeger-Gibson also attended PNBA's "B2B: Working With Other Businesses to Sell Books" and picked up tips that she was able to use immediately. "The funny thing is one of my employees called while I was at the show with an order for the AAUW [American Association of University Women] annual dictionary giveaway," she said. "The session was very helpful for setting that up."

"Improving Efficiency to Achieve Success," presented by ABA Education Director Len Vlahos, emphasized effective time management and streamlining routine tasks so that more time and energy can be devoted to achieving store goals.

Chris O'Harra of Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane, Washington, told BTW that she and other Auntie's staff members attended the session, which she found "offered so many good tips together." One tip in particular -- to commit to one notebook for to-do lists -- was particularly relevant for her. "I have a million little lists everywhere," she explained. "I've got to use just one place to write everything down."

At the session "Creating Killer Events," Teicher was joined by bookseller Rick Simonson of Seattle's Elliott Bay, who offered insight on innovative ways for independent booksellers to distinguish themselves from the competition.

Dan Domike of Jackson Street Books in Seattle said he planned on expanding his authorless events series after attending the session, possibly by inviting the high school drama club and jazz bands to perform at the store. Another idea he picked up was holding readings for self-published authors a few times a year. "I hate to say no to self-published authors," he said. "I can invite those authors occasionally and have them help promote their own events."

"Above the Treeline: An Introduction," ABA's final education program on Thursday, featured a demonstration of the online software product, which is designed to help bookstores improve finances by optimizing inventory selection. The session also included information about the special discount for ABA member booksellers who subscribe to the product.

O'Harra said that after attending, she is "ready to sign up." The section-by-section analysis of inventory offered by Above the Treeline is "just the data we need," she added.

Overall, O'Harra declared this year's education "excellent" and the offerings "a little fuller." Noting the later-than-usual timing of the trade show, she said, "We liked it in October. We get so swamped in September. And it gave us the chance to bring a lot of orders."

As always, meeting and listening to authors was a thrill of the show, said O'Harra, who especially noted the appearance of Chuck Palahniuk, whom she described as a great supporter of independent bookstores.

Seeger-Gibson concurred with O'Harra regarding the high points of the show -- education and authors. "Education is really important to me," she noted, and added that she had already signed up for the Winter Institute. "And it's always exciting to meet authors," she said. "That's always fun. The authors, the education, catching up with other booksellers -- the whole show was a highlight."

Attendance at the show and a stop by the ABA booth to learn about the association's products and services and to offer input on ABA's next Strategic Plan had added benefits for Phyllis M. Potter of Islehaven Books of Borzoi on Lopez, Island, Washington, and Gretchen Montgomery and Matthew Mors of Square One Books in Seattle.

Potter won the ABA raffle for a color inkjet printer, which qualifies her for a drawing to win airfare and a hotel stay at ABA's Winter Institute in Portland, Oregon, on February 1 - 2, 2007. Montgomery and Mors of Square One Books in Seattle won a four-night stay at Hotel ABA in Brooklyn for BookExpo America 2007, compliments of BEA. --Karen Schechner