ABA Launches Videos of Educational Programs Online

This week, ABA announced the launch of "ABA Education Programs Online," a new benefit that provides ABA members with access to streaming video of ABA educational programming. By simply clicking on the "Professional Development" link on the BookWeb homepage, members can access ABA education programs, including "The 2% Solution," complete with videotaped presenters and PowerPoint slides.

"ABA is very excited to take this first step into the world of multimedia distance learning," said Len Vlahos, ABA's education director. "The number one goal in our Strategic Plan calls for the association to 'create an accessible education program that effectively meets the needs' of the membership. These online seminars, along with live events like BEA, the Winter Institute, and the spring Bookseller Forums, move us further down the road of achieving that goal."

At present, ABA Education Programs Online features videos of three seminars from ABA's Day of Education at BookExpo America in New York City, in June 2005:

• The 2% Solution -- Presented by Chuck Robinson of Village Books (Bellingham, Washington), this seminar focuses on the drivers of bookstore profitability and how they can be used to move a business to greater profitability. Ways to increase sales, increase margin, control compensation, and control occupancy expenses are discussed.
  
  
• Increasing Margin -- Presented by ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz, this session shows how affecting gross profit margin can lead to increased profitability. Intended for booksellers already familiar with the principles of inventory management, this content-rich seminar compares and contrasts a profitable and unprofitable bookstore. Topics covered include controlling product mix, direct versus wholesale ordering, electronic ordering, understanding the value of early payment discounts, more efficient management of seasonal title orders, and more.
  
  
• Cost of Goods Sold 101 -- Presented by Vlahos, this seminar for owners, managers, and booksellers is an expansion of the Gross Margin/Cost of Goods Sold component of the "The 2% Solution" seminar. It examines what Cost of Goods Sold is, how it fits into and affects a bookstore's operating results, and the best, easiest, most accurate way to calculate it. A bookseller cannot know if the bookstore is profitable if the Cost of Goods Sold is incorrect.

Vlahos told BTW that selected sessions from last week's BookExpo America are scheduled to be available this fall.

Booksellers should note that, to properly view the presentations, they should exit all other programs first. For Windows users, the videos are best viewed with the most current version of Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player. For Mac users, the presentations must be viewed with RealOne Player 9.0. These presentations will not render properly in Mozilla browsers. A link to more detailed information on systems requirements can be found on the pages of each individual session.