72 Hours in Asheville: A Suggested Itinerary for Winter Institute 10

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By ABA Membership and Marketing Officer Meg Smith

A little more than 10 years ago, then ABA Board President Mitchell Kaplan, the founder and owner of Books & Books, came up with a pretty neat idea: Why not take ABA Education on the road to far-flung parts of the country? After all, he reasoned, the learning was invaluable, and the more booksellers who had access to it, the better.

OK, sounds easy enough, right? Rent a hotel, recruit some bookseller panelists, and put out the word. So, adopting our best Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney “let’s put on a show” attitude, ABA did just that, in Long Beach, California. We rented a hotel, recruited panelists, publisher sponsors, and author guests, and to our great delight, lots of booksellers came! It was new, it was fun, and people learned things: the Winter Institute was born.

Now, Winter Institute arrives at a milestone anniversary — 10 years, as many cities, hundreds of authors, tons of sponsor support, and a total of 2,500 booksellers later.

It’s time, once again, for “let’s put on a show” — a really big show!*

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2015

Asheville, North Carolina: Thriving mountain city; eclectic downtown with booming indie business scene; top destination for art, music, food, and craft beer; and home of awe-inspiring scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains. There’s a ton to do in Asheville, and ABA has arranged for Winter Institute guests to do a lot of it, both before and after the Institute.

Note: The schedule is jam-packed, so I haven’t added every detail in this e-mail. All attendees will get an event program on-site, so details about times, places, receptions, room locations, and more will be at your fingertips. Keep your Wi10 bible handy!

All Day Check into your hotel, either the Grove Park Inn or the Asheville Renaissance Downtown. Country or city, both of these places are delightful and will be filled with Winter Institute-ites. Pick up your badge and welcome bag soon as you can. There will be an ABA Welcome Desk at each hotel from noon to 6:30 p.m. Make sure to put on your badge first thing; it’s so comforting to spot a compatriot across a crowded elevator! (Since Wi10 takes place in multiple locations, we ask that you please keep your badges on at all times. Except while in the shower, of course.) The Grove Park is your destination for most meetings, special events, and meals.

Noon to 11:30 p.m. On Sunday, shuttle buses between the Grove Park Inn and downtown Asheville (Renaissance Asheville Hotel, Thomas Wolfe Memorial Visitor Center, and The Venue) will begin at noon and run every 15 to 20 minutes. The last shuttle from the Welcome Reception at The Venue will leave at 8:15 p.m. Shuttle bus service will continue between the Grove Park Inn and the Renaissance Asheville Hotel, with the last bus leaving the GPI at 11:30 p.m.

Note: Beginning at 2:45 p.m. the shuttle bus will drop you closer to town and the stores on the Indie Crawl (see below), and for the rest of the hours it will stop directly at the Renaissance. It’s as door-to-door as possible!

9:45 a.m. If you signed up to tour the Biltmore Estate — at 225 rooms, it’s the largest private home in the country — meet in the Grove Park Inn Vanderbilt Wing Atrium (Level 7) at 9:45 a.m., sharp! Give yourself a few minutes to find your bearings at the Grove Park — it’s massive! But the staff there is very nice and happy to give you directions. (Look in your Wi10 program for a color-coded hotel map, and follow our same-such signs throughout the building.)

We like this tour so much we arranged for it to be repeated on Thursday, February 12! Same time, same departure place, different day.

If you haven’t yet signed up for one of the Biltmore tours, it’s not too late — you have until January 31 to do so. I highly recommend visiting the estate. I’ve been there twice, once in the winter and once in the summer, and both visits were memorable. (See, here is a picture I took in the Biltmore gardens. I don’t know the names of the pretty flowers.)

3:00 p.m. through 6:30 p.m. If your schedule doesn’t allow for a Sunday Biltmore tour but you’ve got an appetite for Asheville history, these two other custom tours may fit the bill:

Departures from GPI on Sunday at 3:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. (times may change; check schedule once you arrive in Asheville) The Historic Asheville Trolley Tour is a 90-minute excursion through the varied neighborhoods and many legends of this mountain resort town. The trolleys don’t usually run in February, but ABA asked The Gray Line to make an exception, and they said yes! Only thing is, the trolleys are essentially open air, with thick plastic flaps on the sides. Take your coat and pioneer spirit. Tickets are $19. Advance purchase is suggested. I took the trolley tour while in Asheville last June. Granted, the day was sunny and 85°, but the tour was a perfect introduction to the city, even though we didn’t stop at 12 Bones Smokehouse.

(The Trolley Tours are scheduled to be repeated on Thursday, February 12, but may be canceled if not enough folks sign up. Hours and sign-up are available here.)

Regardless of your other plans, there should be time for a 30-minute visit to the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, which is next door to the Renaissance Hotel. Bookseller tours on Sunday begin at 3:15 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 4:15 p.m., 5:15 p.m., and 5:45 p.m. Reservations are not required. You’ll know you’re there when you see a sculpture of a giant shoe; apparently the man did not tread lightly.

The Grove Park Inn is no slouch when it comes to history, either; just take a look at the photos that line the walls! Follow the self-guided tour prepared by the hotel and learn about the history of E.W. Grove, the construction and early years of the resort, the Arts and Crafts-style furniture, and some of its most notable guests.

3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. See for yourself what makes Asheville so unique — its many independent businesses — on the Downtown Indie Retail Crawl. Enjoy a special welcome at about 15 stores and restaurants. Check out goods and goodies, ranging from art and gifts to my personal favorite — clothing! The shuttle buses will be running throughout, dropping you first at the fabulous Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café. Many of these stores are staying open just for us, so we hope you’ll visit them all.

And there’s more downtown….

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. We Are Ten, sponsored by ABA and Shelf Awareness: Everyone comes together at the Winter Institute Welcome Reception, held at The Venue (yes, that is the name of the place where the party will be held), 21 North Market Street in downtown Asheville. Lots of special guests and old friends from all corners of the industry have been invited to this joint Winter Institute and Shelf Awareness 10th anniversary party! Eat, drink, and be merry, for the shuttle will carry you home.

(5:30 p.m. Bookseller scholarship recipients, those new to the business, and Wi10 volunteers should have already received an e-mail about meeting at The Venue before the party for a short meet-and-greet with your publisher sponsor, your bookseller mentor, or me, respectively.)

9:00 to 11:00 p.m. It wouldn’t be Winter Institute without a nightcap; it wouldn’t be Winter Institute without publisher enthusiasm; and it wouldn’t be Winter Institute in Asheville without some Southern hospitality. Put those all together and they spell The Carolina Speakeasy: North Carolina Publishers** Welcome Wi10 Booksellers Piano Bar! Elaine’s Dueling Piano Bar at the Grove Park Inn should be quite the rockabilly place. In fact, you can get a head start on the fun with this North Carolina/Blue Ridge-inspired musical collection, created just for Wi10 by Algonquin’s Craig Popelars: The Asheville Winter Institute Soundtrack. Who’s up for a giant sing-along of “When You Get to Asheville” with Edie Brickell and Steve Martin?

For those staying at the Renaissance, the last shuttle leaves the GPI at 11:30 p.m. So everyone, enjoy!

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015

7:00 a.m. Shuttle buses between the Renaissance and the Grove Park Inn begin early! Shuttle boarding in each hotel will be well-marked, and noted in your program. (ABA staffers, in our fancy purple badges, will be able to point you in the correct direction, too.) You won’t need your umbrella at these bus stops. Last shuttle leaves the Grove Park at 8:30 p.m. on each of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

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If you’re driving to the Grove Park Inn: Hotel guests will receive complimentary outdoor self-parking. Garage parking is $15 per day and valet is $22 per day.

For day guests, outdoor parking is complimentary. Garage parking: 0-3 hours is complimentary, 3-6 hours is $10, and 6-24 hours is $15. Day guests can also take advantage of valet parking for $15 per day.

There is no fee for the Grove Park Inn baggage check.

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7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Ask ABA Desk sets up for the duration in the Atrium Landing across from the Grand Ballroom in the Grove Park Inn. Meet Member Relationship Managers Nathan Halter and Catherine Cusick, who can answer bookseller queries about event logistics and programming, as well as all other things ABA. Extra Wi10 programs will be at the Desk throughout.

Across the hallway from Ask ABA is the T-shirt concession stand. I’ll be there at various times throughout Wi10, selling the commemorative Wi10 T-shirt sporting an original design by bookseller Larry Law of Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois. (Larry will be in Asheville … ask if he’ll autograph your shirt!)

8:15 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. Start the day with breakfast and brain food, fed by morning plenary keynote speaker Steven Johnson. Johnson is the founder of a variety of websites and is the host and co-creator of the new PBS and BBC series How We Got to Now. His newest book is How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World, published by Riverhead Books.

10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Ponder the imponderable with your colleagues at the “How We Got to Now” — the bookselling edition — Bookseller-to-Bookseller Discussion Groups. Facilitated by ABA board members, conversations will consider issues inspired by the morning plenary.

You can expect help finding your way around thanks to the Wi10 Volunteer Crew. Volunteers will be wearing IndieBound buttons on their badge lanyards; don’t hesitate to seek them out if you’re dazed and confused.

11:35 a.m. to 1:35 p.m. The time may sound early, but believe me, you’ll be hungry for books and food during the Rep Picks Speed Dating Lunch, Day 1.

1:35 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. It’s the first run to the Galley Rooms of Wi10! Not to worry: there will be hundreds of titles and thousands of copies. Plenty for all. Shipping is in the room right next to the Galley Rooms. TIP: Bring your FedEx account number with you. If haven’t yet enrolled in the ABA Discount Shipping Program, do so now and save on shipping books back to the store.

2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Wow, the day just gets better! Author and social media phenomenon John Green gives the afternoon keynote talk, wonderfully titled “On We Go: Some Thoughts on the Last 10 Years and the Next 10.”

3:35 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Time for some focused learning sessions, and there are five to choose from. Topics range from finances and buying to urban planning, from Independent Bookstore Day to an introduction to the new website, LiteraryHub.com.

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Bring your mobile devices! WiFi is free in Grove Park and Renaissance guest rooms, as well as in Grove Park meeting rooms. We will tell you the secret password when you get there. (Hint: The secret password is “Wi10.”)

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5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Five more breakout sessions to choose from, including, for those who signed up, an advanced learning session for owners or managers, and for others, sessions on diversity from the ABC Group, social media tips, local business alliances, and an event manager roundtable.

9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Once again, Scholastic hosts a late-night “Meet & Treat“ fest, this year with authors Pam Muñoz Ryan, Ally Carter, Sarah Weeks, Dan Gemeinhart, and, of course, ice cream (and too many toppings to choose from)! The party will be held off-site, at The Century Room (above Pack’s Tavern), 20 South Spruce Street in Asheville. Scholastic will have its own party shuttle to get you to there and home again. Take a quick postprandial walk before you go to sleep, because there is more where Monday came from!

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Nathan and Catherine continue at the Ask ABA Desk. Just about now they begin to feel unloved, so stop on by before or after the many activities of the day.

8:30 to 10:00 a.m. Ever wonder how to make sense of the things that go wrong in your business or life? As breakfast keynote Sarah Lewis tells it, failure is a gift. Her talk — and book — is called “The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery.” I’m all ears!

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A couple of ideas for unscheduled time:

The Dogwood Suite becomes the SIBA Hospitality Suite and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Winter Institute. SIBA is nothing if not fun, so check this out.

From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, and 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Consultation Station companies — ABA affinity partners, POS vendors, and other entities booksellers should know about — are ready to meet with you, with or without an appointment. Owners and managers especially should check the Consultation Station roster.

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10:20 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. This block of education is truly tremendous: An advanced learning session on human resources, ABC on book fairs, ABFE on free speech emergencies, and a conversation about Grove Park Inn notable guest F. Scott Fitzgerald with Maureen Corrigan and Stewart O’Nan, moderated by Erik Larson.

Lunch follows from noon to 2:00 p.m., and includes Rep Picks Speed Dating, Day 2. And the Galley Rooms open following lunch, from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Something new this year is the ABA Member Town Hall meeting. ABA always conducts a Town Hall at BookExpo America, and it is being replicated at Wi10 to offer more members a chance to comment, ask, suggest, and otherwise give feedback to ABA. We really want to hear what’s on your mind.

4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Six, count ’em, six different sessions make up this education block. Will you choose customer service, IndieCommerce, business plans, or one of the other three? Please fill out the evaluation forms in whichever sessions you attend so ABA can, well, evaluate!

6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The highlight of every Winter Institute is the Author Reception, and this year is no exception: more than 70 writers and illustrators are attending. See the complete author list and bios on the Wi10 website.

6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Support the important work of the American Booksellers for Free Expression and also take home a one-of-a-kind kids book illustration. The Silent Auction for Free Speech in Children’s Books takes place just outside the Author Reception. ABFE will be raffling a few commemorative Wi10 posters signed by all of the authors at the event! These won’t be available again, folks.

Right next to the ABFE auction, Asheville art galley institution ZaPow! will be showcasing and selling original works done by local artists in honor of Winter Institute! It’s called “Art of the Book.”

Make it an early bedtime, take in the sauna at the spa, join a group dinner, or start one of your new galleys — this day is done!

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. After practically sleeping in, booksellers gather in the Grand Ballroom for breakfast and a talk about literature as a critical foundation of the American dream by the inspiring and enthusiastic Azar Nafisi (The Republic of the Imagination, Viking).

10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Consultation Station resumes.

10:05 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. No, that “:05” is not a typo. With so many activities and such a large hotel, the program schedule was scientifically designed so that people could easily walk from one side of the Grove Park Inn to the other without breaking a sweat. This two-hour period is the Bookseller and Publisher Focus Groups. Everyone will be assigned to a table, and multiple publishers will come to talk to you, with all best efforts to comply with bookseller requests for adult or kids interest.

12:25 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. This lunch is a “sit back and relax while hearing about tons of great, new books from small and university presses and Indies Introduce debut authors” kind of affair. Or, as it’s officially named, “The Books and Authors Lunch: Small and University Presses and Indies Introduce.” The sense of excitement and anticipation around new books never gets old, does it?

2:25 p.m. to 2:55 p.m. Stop by the Galley and Shipping rooms on your way to the next block of education breakout sessions.

3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Now is no time to slow down, for the education part of Winter Institute ends with a flurry. You can sleep when you return home. Offerings include an ABACUS Advanced Learning Session, three very practical sessions — one about Treeline best practices, one about the textbook market, and one about crowdfunding — and a featured talk from Chicago’s Second City Works and troupe, including an improv demonstration to show the power of “yes, and” thinking. (Yes, but what about “yes, but” thinking?)

4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Choose from six breakouts for the last education period of the schedule. It’s like the grand finale at Fourth of July fireworks — just when you thought the show was over, it intensifies! Check the program page for all the sessions and panelists.

6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Winter Institute finishes with the Small and University Press Authors Closing Reception: authors, signed books, toasts among friends, and recharged booksellers. It is the end, my beautiful friend. Another sing-along round of “When You Get to Asheville” anyone?

We’re looking forward to seeing all of you and celebrating 10 years of Winter Institute — and lots of creative and determined independent booksellers. The unspoken theme this year? It’s a great time to be a bookseller!

Safe travels,

Meg

*Winter Institute, of course, would not be possible without lead sponsor Ingram, and our many large and small publisher sponsors. Thanks, everyone, for supporting independent booksellers!

** Meaning Algonquin, Duke University Press, John F. Blair, Lookout Books, UNC Wilmington, and UNC Press.