ABA's 2006 Regional Trade Show Programming Wrap-Up

Over the past two months, American Booksellers Association senior staff has crisscrossed the country to provide educational programming and to meet with booksellers at the nine regional association trade shows. ABA Board members were also in attendance at most of the shows to gather input from members.

Programming began on September 8 at the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance show in Orlando, Florida, and concluded on October 21 in Los Angeles at the Southern California Booksellers Association Authors Feast and Trade Show. From start to finish, staff, including ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz, COO Oren Teicher, and Director of Education Len Vlahos, presented 36 education sessions and met with hundreds of booksellers to gather input for the association's next Strategic Plan and to provide the latest news about the upcoming Winter Institute and Hotel ABA - Brooklyn at BookExpo America 2007. Staff also provided demonstrations of Above the Treeline and Constant Contact and information about other association products and services.

ABA member booksellers who stopped by the booth and dropped off a business card at any of the shows were eligible to win prizes. In random drawings, ABA awarded a color inkjet printer to a bookseller at each show, and the printer winners were then entered into the grand prize drawing to win airfare to, and up to a three-night hotel stay, at the association's Winter Institute in Portland, Oregon (see related story). ABA members also had a chance to win up to a four-night stay at Hotel ABA in Brooklyn for next year's BookExpo America in New York City, compliments of BEA.

Read Bookselling This Week's wrap-up of each show:

• Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance from September 8 - 10, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando.

• Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association from September 15 - 17, at the Denver Marriott Tech Center in Denver.

• New England Independent Booksellers Association from September 15 - 17, at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence.

• New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association from September 16 - 17, at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

• Midwest Booksellers Association from September 28 - 30, at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minnesota.

• Great Lakes Booksellers Association from October 6 - 8, at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn in Dearborn, Michigan.

• Northern California Independent Booksellers Associatio from October 6 - 8, at the Oakland Convention Center in Oakland.

• Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association from October 12 - 14, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.

• Southern California Booksellers Association on October 21, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.