Join Us at ABA Booksellers Forums

Two Booksellers Forums and additional ABA programming will be held on Friday, March 14, in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Spring Show in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and with the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association (MBPA) Spring Trade Show in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

On Thursday, March 27, ABA will hold its second Booksellers Forum in the Great Lakes Region this spring. The forum and additional programming will be held in conjunction with the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA) Spring Meeting at the Transitions Learning Center in Chicago.

The Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA) Spring Seminar, including an ABA Booksellers Forum, will be held on April 4 - April 5 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

As part of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Spring Retreat (NAIBA), ABA will hold its Bookseller Forum on Monday, April 7, 2003, in Philadelphia.

ABA and the Mid-South Independent Booksellers Association (MSIBA) will host a Bookseller Forum on April 8 in Houston.

The Booksellers Forum enables members to offer input for future programs and to receive updates on all association business.

PNBA

The ABA/PNBA Booksellers Forum will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m., followed by a workshop on the Book Sense marketing program, "Where We've Been, Where We're Going," from 10:15 a.m. - 11: 45 a.m. ABA Board member Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana, and ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz will conduct the forum and workshop.

Domnitz will also conduct a "Budgeting & Monitoring Workshop" in the afternoon, from 1:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Booksellers who have submitted financial data or who bring the data with them, will have an opportunity to meet with Domnitz to discuss ABACUS, the financial research tool for booksellers.

For more information about PNBA programming and trade show accommodations, visit the PNBA Web site at http://www.pnba.org/show.htm, or contact PNBA at (541) 683-4363 or info@pnba.org.

GLBA

From 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m., ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz will meet with booksellers who have already submitted their financial data to the ABACUS survey and those who bring their financial information to the meeting, to preview data gathered since ABA reintroduced the study last year.

Following the ABACUS session, ABA will conduct a Bookseller Forum from noon - 2:00 p.m. ABA President Ann Christophersen of Women & Children First in Chicago, Domnitz, and ABA COO Oren Teicher will provide an update on ABA business. Lunch will be served.

Later in the afternoon, from 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., the ABA seminar "Succession Planning/How to Value Your Business" will be facilitated by Ivan Barkhorn, a consultant to ABA on strategic matters and formerly a partner at McKinsey & Company.

On Friday, March 28, from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., ABA will host a reception for Chicago area booksellers with the ABA Board of Directors at Women & Children First.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Kristen Gilligan at ABA [(800) 637-0037, ext. 1286 or kristen@bookweb.org] or GLBA [(616) 847-2460 or glba@books-glba.org].

MPBA

In Santa Fe, at the MPBA Spring Trade Show, Len Vlahos, director of BookSense.com, will discuss the newest features of BookSense.com, as well as planned enhancements, at the BookSense.com Users Group Meeting from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. on Friday.

Also on Friday, from 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., Vlahos will be joined by Gayle Shanks of Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona, an ABA Board candidate, at the ABA/MPBA Booksellers Forum.

A Book Sense Update will be held on Saturday from 4:15 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. to explore what's new at Book Sense for 2003. Topics will include a possible gift card program, a new Reading Group 76, and regional bestseller lists.

For information about MPBA programming and trade show accommodations, visit the MPBA Web site at http://www.mountainsplains.org/(booksellers-only section), or contact MPBA at (800) 752-0249 (within the region); (970) 484-5856; or info@mountainsplains.org.

SEBA

The SEBA Spring Seminar and Book Awards Celebration will feature a series of ABA programs in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5, at the Park Road Hotel.

On Friday from 4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., ABA will provide a special "Sneak Preview" of the new 2003 ABACUS data for all stores that have already submitted their information, or who bring their information with them to Charlotte.

The Bookseller Forum will be held on Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. - noon, and is open to all ABA and SEBA members. ABA COO Oren Teicher and BookSense.com Director Len Vlahos will be there to answer questions and provide updates on association business. Breakfast will be included, compliments of SEBA and ABA.

For further information, call (803) 252-7755, fax: (803) 252-8589, e-mail: sebajewell@aol.com, or log on to the Web site at http://www.sebaweb.org/.

NAIBA

As part of the NAIBA Spring Retreat, ABA will hold a Bookseller Forum, open to all ABA and NAIBA members, from 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 7, at Sheraton Society Hill, 1 Dock Street, Philadelphia. ABA Board member John Bennett of Bennett Books in Wyckoff, New Jersey; Oren Teicher, ABA COO; Mark Nichols, director of book sense marketing; and Dan Cullen, ABA information director, will be present to ask questions and share ideas with colleagues. Lunch is included.

For details or to register for the entire NAIBA Spring Retreat, please contact NAIBA at 516-333-0681 or readingent@aol.com.

MSIBA

ABA and MSIBA will hold a bookseller forum on Tuesday, April 8, at Katy Budget Books, 2450 Fry Road in Houston, Texas. ABA COO Oren Teicher will be attending the forum, which will be followed by a luncheon co-sponsored by ABA and MSIBA. -- Nomi Schwartz

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For more information on any of the Bookseller Forums, contact Kristen Gilligan ABA manager of communications, industry relations, and trade policy at (800) 637-0037, ext. 1286 or kristen@bookweb.org.