ABA to Hold Forums in New Orleans and Atlanta

The American Booksellers Association will hold two Booksellers Forums in the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) region in March. On Tuesday, March 14, there will be an ABA Booksellers Forum in New Orleans at Galatoire's restaurant on Bourbon Street, and on Friday, March 17, ABA will hold a forum and present educational programs at the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center in Atlanta. All members of SIBA and ABA -- owners and staff -- are welcome to attend the New Orleans and Atlanta events.

The program in Atlanta is in conjunction with the Spring Book Show, to be held from March 17 to 19 at the World Congress Center.

ABA's forum program format encourages discussion of regional as well as national issues affecting independent booksellers. Over the years, these forums have provided ABA with very constructive member input that has been indispensable in shaping future programs and initiatives of the association.

New Orleans

On Tuesday, March 14, ABA will hold a Bookseller Forum in New Orleans from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at the award-winning Galatoire's restaurant on Bourbon Street. ABA is hoping that this particular forum will serve as an opportunity for booksellers in the Gulf Coast region to come together to share experiences about what each is doing to restore their businesses in the wake of the hurricane devastation. In addition, ABA COO Oren Teicher, BookSense.com Director Len Vlahos, and Director of Special Projects David Walker will be on hand to answer questions and to discuss many issues of concern to independent booksellers.

ABA asks booksellers to contact Margaret Petrie at margaret@bookweb.org or (800) 637-0037, ext. 6614, if they plan to attend.

Atlanta

Educational seminars, an ABA Forum, and roundtable discussions will all be part of programming in Atlanta on the mornings of March 17 and 18 before The Spring Book Show hours.

On Friday morning, ABA programming will kick off at 8:00 a.m. with "Creating Killer Events." This hour-long seminar will look at how, with books sold in more and more outlets each year, independent booksellers are finding new and innovative ways to distinguish themselves from the competition. Participants will review an event prep checklist and hear experienced booksellers describe what makes a "killer" event.

From 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. will be the ABA Bookseller Forum. The forum is the venue to ask questions, express opinions, and share concerns with your bookseller colleagues. Teicher and Vlahos will be on hand to discuss many issues of concern to independent booksellers.

From 11:00 a.m. to noon, ABA's Vlahos will present "Getting the Most Out of Your Website." A website is a powerful marketing tool, but it's only as useful as the effort put into it. In this session, attendees will learn the basics of using their website as a tool to market the store, as well as 10 key tips on how to market a website to increase traffic and sales.

On Saturday morning from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. will be the SIBA-sponsored "Resource Roundtable," where booksellers will have the opportunity to sit at a table, listen, and ask questions of experts in a specific area of the book business. Every 20 minutes attendees will move to another table for another topic.

Among the roundtable experts will be ABA's Teicher and Vlahos; Karin Wilson of Page & Palette Bookstore in Fairhope, Alabama; Frazer Dobson of Park Road Books in Charlotte, North Carolina; Kelly Justice of Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia; Sally Brewster of Park Road Books in Charlotte, North Carolina; and SIBA Executive Director Wanda Jewell.

To adequately plan for handouts and room assignments, ABA asks booksellers to contact Margaret Petrie at margaret@bookweb.org or (800) 637-0037, ext. 6614, if they plan to attend. Booksellers are encouraged to contact ABA staff prior to the show with questions, suggestions, or comments. General questions and requests for information about the ABA/PNBA Bookseller Forum should be directed to Petrie.

The Spring Book Show at the Georgia World Congress Center is expected to draw more than 100 dealers, who will be featuring more than 50,000 book titles. This year's "Think Green This Spring" theme was chosen to reflect the St. Patrick's holiday weekend, said show organizer Larry May in a press statement. A "good ole' Irish jig" to permit conferees to socialize is planned for the evening of March 17.

For more information on the Spring Book Show, go to www.springbookshow.com.