PNBA Begins the Fall Trade Show Season

The fall '08 regional trade show season kicked off in Portland, Oregon, with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association show, which ran from Monday, September 15, through Wednesday, September 17, at the Airport Holiday Inn. Monday was "education day" for PNBA, and vendors this year had the option of exhibiting for either one or two days.

The American Booksellers Association presented three education sessions at the show: "Creating Killer Events," "Green Retailing," and "Connecting to Your Customers and Community with IndieBound." ABA COO Oren Teicher told BTW that the presentations were all well attended, especially the IndieBound session, which was led by ABA Chief Marketing Officer Meg Smith.

Smith and approximately 75 booksellers discussed how IndieBound was successfully tapping into a growing movement of localism and sustainability, and she showed many new examples of how indie booksellers are incorporating the IndieBound movement into in-store merchandising and materials, and how they are reaching out to other local indie retailers. "There clearly was evidence that IndieBound materials and the overall message of the movement are taking root in the Northwest," said Teicher.

Next week's BTW will have a full report on PNBA and other trade shows.