Trade Show Season Kicks Off With SIBA & NAIBA

The fall regional trade show season begins a month from now with members of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) convening in Charleston, South Carolina, followed by the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Each show will provide booksellers with a full range of educational programming, author events, and networking opportunities, as well as some new innovations.

American Booksellers Association staff will be at each regional to present educational programming and to meet with booksellers at the ABA booth on the trade show floor, where there will be information about a special free trial membership for new ABA members.

Key among ABA’s offerings at the shows is a special presentation in conjunction with staff from the U.S. Small Business Administration that will explain how indie booksellers can take advantage of SBA’s services, including how to have the best chance possible of securing loans and lines of credit.

The ABA Show Special at both SIBA and NAIBA offers non-members a free trial ABA membership until January 31, 2012. The offer is open to any regular bookstore that hasn’t been an ABA member in the past two years. The trial includes all the benefits of membership: an invitation to Winter Institute 7 in New Orleans, access to IndieCommerce and Google eBooks™, IndieBound DIY files and in-store POS, the Book Buyer’s Handbook, and all of the additional members-only resources of ABA. Bookstores can sign up at the ABA booth on the show floor by completing an online application.

Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance [1]: September 17 - 19, Charleston, South Carolina

“SIBA is finding new ways to be relevant to the industry as a whole (selling books for member stores, directing thousands of readers to specific books while promoting bookstores, pulling together Club Read, and more),” said SIBA Executive Director Wanda Jewell. “We’re always looking to engage our collective clout.” To that end, SIBA is actively inviting book bloggers, booksellers, publishers, and other industry friends to the show, which will feature innovative new programming while keeping bookseller favorites.

“New stuff at SIBA ’11 that I’m excited about,” Jewell said, included:

•  “The First 180 Days Party, which is modeled on the popular ABA Winter Institute Author Reception.  The twist is these are books that have been published in the first half of this year. Come by and thank the authors that have made this year for your store.
•  “The Writers Block Auction Wedding, which is going to be so much fun.  Congrats to Sara and Brandon [who are getting hitched at the show], and the authors are game.  Come enjoy this SIBA Book Award Celebration and bring your money so you can bid to take an author to dinner in Shem Creek.
• “60 Reps. 60 Seconds Each.  60 Books You Don’t Want to Miss!, which is modeled on the innovative ThoughtLead Influencer Project. You don’t want to miss this Stopwatch Countdown to the best books of the season.”

Representing ABA at the show will be CEO Oren Teicher and Content Officer Dan Cullen.

The full SIBA education schedule is available at sibaweb.com [2], but here’s a look at what’s on tap from ABA on Saturday, September 17:

• Sales Tax Fairness Summit: 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
  Significant progress has been made nationwide in the fight for sales tax fairness, but the important work in leveling the playing field and equitably enforcing sales tax law is ongoing. Come and hear an update from ABA, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, and Main Street retailers that will help you understand more fully this critical issue — especially from a local perspective — and discuss ways in which you can help achieve sales tax fairness.
• Introducing the ABC Group at ABA:  9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
  The children’s book market is one of the most vibrant and growing categories in bookselling. Come and hear relevant data from the recent Bowker/PubTrack survey, and learn how to use your member benefits to better market your store to increase sales.
• What Can SBA Do for Your Bookstore?: 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  The resources of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offer a wide range of assistance to new and established booksellers, including loans, loan guarantees, business counseling, and other forms of support. ABA and SBA have established a strategic alliance in order to streamline the delivery of SBA services, improve communications, and help ensure that booksellers seeking working capital have the best chance possible of securing loans and lines of credit. Come to this session, introduced by ABA, and hear directly from SBA representatives about the programs and opportunities for booksellers. There will also be an opportunity to meet one-on-one with SBA staff.

New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association [3]: September 19 - 21, Atlantic City, New Jersey

NAIBA has revamped its conference schedule to focus on books on Tuesday— including an Editor’s Buzz, publisher and bookseller Picks of the Lists, and an afternoon exhibit hall — and on the business of bookselling on Wednesday. And more authors will be at the show this year, with the addition of a second Author Breakfast. 

“We worked hard to create a format and schedule that functions better with the flow of our attendees, matching their arrival, departure, high energy, and quiet time with the appropriate events,” said NAIBA Executive Director Eileen Dengler. “We are also proud of our publishers — Hachette, HarperCollins, Bookazine, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, BookPage, PGW/Perseus. They have all donated funds to pay for event tickets for frontline booksellers. We expect to have more frontline booksellers at the conference thanks to them.”

NAIBA’s Wednesday education program will explore a range of topics, including alternative business models, efficiency, publicity, kids’ music and sidelines, and how to spend your way to success. The latter, based on ABA’s popular session at Winter Institute 6, will feature Andrea Avantaggio, co-owner of Maria’s Bookshop [4] in Durango, Colorado.

Representing ABA at NAIBA will be Development Officer Mark Nichols, Membership and Marketing Officer Meg Smith, and Member Relationship Manager Kaitlin Pitcher. ABA will host the SBA Session on Wednesday, September 21:

• SBA Session: 9:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m.
  The resources of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offer a wide range of assistance to new and established booksellers, including loans, loan guarantees, business counseling, and other forms of support. ABA and SBA have established a strategic alliance in order to streamline the delivery of SBA services, improve communications, and help ensure that booksellers seeking working capital have the best chance possible of securing loans and lines of credit. Come to this session, introduced by ABA, and hear directly from SBA representatives about the programs and opportunities for booksellers. There will also be an opportunity to meet one-on-one with SBA staff.