ABA at Three Regional Shows Next Week

American Booksellers Association staff members are looking forward to seeing booksellers at the New Atlantic, Mountains & Plains, and Southern independent booksellers association trade shows next week. ABA staff will be there to offer educational programming and to meet with booksellers at the association’s booth on the show floor.

Booksellers who stop by the booth can learn about membership specials and ABA programs and services, and owners and staff at ABA members can enter their names for an extra chance to win a scholarship to the Sixth Annual Winter Institute, to be held January 19 - 21, 2011, in Washington, D.C.

Here's a quick look at ABA’s education sessions at the three shows; complete details about regional programming and registration information can be found on the respective regional websites.

New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA): September 21 – 22, Trump Marina, Atlantic City, New Jersey

ABA COO Len Vlahos will lead two education sessions at the NAIBA show:

• Buying and Spending Your Way to Success: September 21, 10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
  By understanding and controlling your cost of goods sold, you can grow your gross margin. When you're practicing intelligent buying and have maximized your gross margin, you will be in a better position to spend your dollars with the greatest impact, and the result will be a healthier business. This session will focus on procedures for implementing better financial management.
• Practical Ways to Use IndieCommerce: September 21, 4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
  A discussion, demonstration, and Q&A period on the updated IndieCommerce product.

Kaitlin Pitcher, ABA’s member relationship manager for the NAIBA region, will be at the association’s booth on the trade show floor.

Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA): September 23 – 25, Marriott Denver Tech Center, Denver, Colorado

ABA Content Officer Dan Cullen will moderate the association’s education session:

• Linked by Passion – Growing Sales Through Local Retail Partnerships: September 23, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  By working with other indie businesses in your community, you can grow sales. But how can you convince your indie neighbors that participating in cross promotions or other shared events can strengthen their businesses as well? Learn from a panel of booksellers who have created successful partnerships, including Laura Keuchenmeister of Bookworks in Albuquerque, Heather Duncan of Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, and Andrea Avantaggio of Maria's Bookshop in Durango, Colorado.

Elizabeth Nichols, ABA’s member relationship manager for the MPIBA region, will be at the ABA booth on the trade show floor.

Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA): September 24 – 26, The Plazas, Daytona, Florida

ABA Marketing Manager Paige Poe and Senior Customer Service Manager for IndieCommerce Scott Nafz will be at the SIBA show.

• The Value of IndieCommerce & The Retailer Place, September 24, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  Moderated by Nicki Leone, this panel will feature IndieCommerce’s Nafz and Baker & Taylor’s The Retailer Place whiz-master, who will explain their respective e-commerce products. Questions to be answered include: What are the fees for each service? How is shipping handled? Can the store sell e-books through either product? Offer affiliate programs? Add store inventory? What about non-book items? What percentage of sales does the store get to keep? And more.