Winter Institute

On the final day of Wi11, ABA CEO Oren Teicher announced that Winter Institute 2017 will take place in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The 11th annual Winter Institute, held from Saturday, January 23, through Tuesday, January 26, at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, was ABA’s biggest standalone education event yet. Close to 600 ABA member booksellers took part, along with more than 100 authors, 160 publishing professionals, 35 Consultation Station service providers, and 40 international guests from eight countries.

Booksellers were brought to their feet by Harvard Business School associate professor Amy Cuddy’s Winter Institute keynote speech, inspired by the message that adopting confident body language can improve one’s ability to be truly present in life’s toughest situations.

Award-winning author and literacy advocate Kwame Alexander delivered an enthusiastic and inspiring breakfast keynote on his life as a writer, bookseller, and publisher on the final day of Winter Institute 2016.

On Monday, January 25, ABA member booksellers shared their comments, questions, and concerns about a range of topics with the association’s 10-member Board.
 

Kicking off the first full day of educational programming at Wi11, author and brand-building expert Martin Lindstrom delivered a breakfast keynote based on his upcoming book, Small Data: The Tiny Clues That Uncover Huge Trends.

Wi11 registrants flying on Saturday from the East Coast are encouraged to check with their airlines about moving up their flights; the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel has alerted ABA to a new check-in process utilizing chip and pin credit cards.

The January 20 edition of IndieCommunication features opportunities for users and non-users to learn about IndieCommerce at Wi11, as well as details about training webinars and a survey.

Winter Institute opening keynote speaker and branding expert Martin Lindstrom is offering booksellers at Wi11 the chance to win a free branding consultation.

While more consumers are choosing to shop locally to support their communities, a number of challenges remain for local economies, as presenters will discuss during three education sessions on localism at Winter Institute 11.

Help ABA prepare for the first-ever Backlist Book Swap at the Winter Institute by submitting the title of the book you will be bringing to the January 23 party via a form on BookWeb. All Wi11 registrants are encouraged to participate.

The next edition of Bookselling This Week will arrive in your inbox late Tuesday afternoon, January 26, with reports, and plenty of photos, from Winter Institute 11 in Denver.

Here’s a plan for getting the most out of Winter Institute 11, from Saturday’s bookstore tours, Opening Reception, and Backlist Book Swap to the final packed day of education and the Small and University Presses Closing Reception.
 

Tattered Cover General Manager Matt Miller will recreate the free speech training given to all new employees of the iconic Denver bookstore at a Winter Institute session on January 26.

The Consultation Station, featuring representatives from ABA’s affiliated business solution partners, POS vendors, and others, returns to the Winter Institute on Monday, January 25, and Tuesday, January 26.