ABA to Kick Off Spring Forum Schedule at CAMEX

The American Booksellers Association will be holding its first Booksellers Forum of 2010 on March 12 in Orlando, Florida, in conjunction with the National Association of College Stores' (NACS) Campus Market Expo (CAMEX), where forum participants will be able to take advantage of special housing and registration offers. All ABA member booksellers are invited to the forum program, which is being held in conjunction with NACS and the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.

The ABA program, featuring the forum discussion, food, networking, and a look at how to find and serve customers in the crucial years ahead, will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 12, in Room W202C of the Orange County Convention Center (West Building, second level).

From 11:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., ABA CEO Oren Teicher will lead an open forum and discussion of industry issues. Attendees help guide the agenda of the forum, so booksellers are encouraged to come with questions and comments. Lunch will be served during the forum.

From 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., ABA COO Len Vlahos will present "Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion," an education session from ABA's highly regarded Winter Institute.

Booksellers planning to participate in the March 12 forum program are asked to RSVP to Jill Perlstein, ABA meetings and planning officer, by Friday, February 26.

ABA members can also take advantage of some great CAMEX specials in conjunction with the Booksellers Forum program. Bookseller Theresa Perry-White of California's Fullerton College, who attended the CAMEX trade show for the first time last year, said, "It was very worth it. We found a lot of new vendors and items for the store, and the show specials that I took advantage of will help our store's bottom line."

Among the CAMEX/ABA Forum Specials:

• NACS is offering its CAMEX hotel block for ABA members attending the Orlando forum. Rooms can be booked through the official housing company for CAMEX: The Housing Connection.

• Stay an extra day and attend CAMEX, the industry's largest buying event -- for free. Stay in the CAMEX hotel block (see #1) and get a free Trade Show-only registration.

• Stay until Monday, March 15, and attend the Disney Institute bonus session for free. Stay in the CAMEX hotel block (see #1) and get a free Disney Institute bonus session (March 15, 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.).

For contact information and a promo code to take advantage of these CAMEX offers available to ABA member booksellers, click here.

Watch for the complete ABA Spring Forum schedule in an upcoming edition of Bookselling This Week.