MPBA Trade Show a 'Vigorous' One

The Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association (MPBA) 2002 Trade Show was held at the Marriott Denver Tech Center in Denver, from September 19 - 22. This year's show incorporated some scheduling and format changes, which were received well by attendees, said Lisa Knudsen, executive director for MPBA. Overall, the show was "excellent," she said. "I was happy with the turnout of booksellers, and exhibitors were pleased with traffic. It was a vigorous trade show."

Knudsen noted that, at this year's show, the usual Saturday night literacy benefit was moved to Saturday morning, with the Saturday evening benefit being replaced with a reception and awards ceremony. These changes were incorporated partly as a result of last year's trade show, which began two days after 9/11, she said. Due to the terrorist strikes, many events were cancelled; most authors were unable to attend; and the once-customary Saturday night benefit for literacy turned into an informal evening that offered booksellers a collegial and comforting setting. Those present for the 2001 MPBA Trade Show expressed their preference for the less structured approach.

Another change, made for fiscal reasons, was moving the 2002 Regional Book Awards ceremony to the regional show. Usually, the awards are presented in March. "We're belatedly presenting the awards [this year]," Knudsen said. "Next year, it will be in March once again."

The trade show opened on Thursday, September 19, with "Bookselling 101," a full day of seminars and roundtables for owners, managers, and employees in business for three years or fewer.

Highlights of the day's events included a two-hour seminar, "Customer Service," said David Johnson, manager of Fact & Fiction bookstore in Missoula, Montana. Heather Duncan of Denver's Tattered Cover presented the seminar, and discussed how great customer service can help independent booksellers differentiate themselves from other book retail outlets.

"[Great customer service] is one of those things we all talk about, but sometimes forget," said Johnson. "It was good to get that reinforcement and hear other booksellers talk about it." Overall, MPBA "did a good job" with the educational programming, he said. "There was a little bit for everybody."

On Friday, September 20, educational programming ran from 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., followed by MPBA's General Meeting and, then, the MPBA Welcome Cocktail Party, which was sponsored by Ingram Book Company. Also on Friday, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., was the Publishers Marketing Association's Mini Publishing University, which included two seminars and "Luncheon & Meet the Buyers."

Knudsen told BTW that some of Friday's highlights included ABA's educational programming. Morning workshops began with "What's New at Book Sense," with ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz and Marketing Officer Michael Hoynes. The session gave attendees an exciting update on the Book Sense program, including news of book promotions and new 76 plans, regional bestseller list updates, and the extended free trial for BookSense.com. Later that day, in ABA's "Succession Planning" session, Ivan Barkhorn, strategic planning consultant to the ABA, moderated a discussion on the timely topic of succession planning.

Margaret Shumaker, general manager for Albuquerque, New Mexico's Bound to Be Read, especially enjoyed Friday's roundtable discussion "One Problem I Haven't Been Able to Solve in My Store," as well as "Selling Magazines," a workshop on integrating magazines into your store. "I had a great time," she said. "It's always good to talk to people in your region."

Knudsen noted that Rosamund Stone Zander's Thursday seminar, "The Art of Possibility," which offered a set of breakthrough practices for creativity in all human enterprises, received very positive reactions. And she added that "people enjoyed" Friday's seminar "Say Yes to Change," with George and Sedena Cappannelli.

On Saturday, the Author Breakfast for Literacy featured previous Book Sense 76 authors with their new titles: Russell Martin (Picasso's War, Dutton), Christina Schwarz (All Is Vanity, Doubleday), Sandra Dallas (The Chili Queen, St. Martin's), and Diane Smith (Pictures from an Expedition, Viking). Fact & Fiction's Johnson said that the breakfast was a "nice mix of people. The author events were great." Following the breakfast, the exhibit halls opened.

Saturday evening's 2002 MPBA Regional Book Awards Reception gave attendees an opportunity to congratulate two of the winners: Donald Worster (A River Running West, Oxford University Press) for Adult Nonfiction and Michael Spooner (Daniel's Walk, Henry Holt), the Children's Chapter Book Award recipient. Both were presented with their awards and talked about their work. The other 2002 Regional Book Awards winners were: Brady Udall (The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint, W.W. Norton) for Adult Fiction; John Szarkowski, (Ansel Adams at 100, Little Brown), the Arts Award winner; and Andrew Glass, (Mountain Men: True Grit and Tall Tails, Doubleday Books for Young Readers), who won the Children's Picture Book Award.

Additionally, MPBA presented its Gordon Saull Awards. Margaret Maupin of Tattered Cover was awarded Bookseller of the Year, and Larry Yoder, sales rep for Holtzbrinck Publishers, received the Sales Representative of the Year award. Baker & Taylor, Kent News Company and Partners/West sponsored the event.

On Sunday, the Children's Author and Illustrator Breakfast for Literacy featured Caldecott Award winner Paul O. Zelinsky (Knick-Knack Paddywhack!, Dutton) and Pulitzer Prize winner Jules Feiffer (The House Across the Street, Hyperion). The exhibit hall opened following the breakfast.

"I think the show went really well. I had a good time," said Fact & Fiction's Johnson. -- David Grogan