A Checklist for Winter Institute First-Timers

For many first-timers — or even 12th-timers — the annual Winter Institute can be an overwhelming maze of education sessions, publisher talks, author signings, and meet and greets. Here are a few reminders and tips to help you navigate Winter Institute 12:

• Before you go, visit the Winter Institute page on BookWeb for tips on travel and an overview of Wi12.
• Download the Winter Institute app to stay on top of last-minute schedule changes and choose to allow push notifications to get real-time alerts. The app enables users to review the event schedule and session descriptions, create personal agendas, message fellow attendees, share contact info, explore a map of the hotel, check out the list of attending authors, and fill out those ever-important session evaluations. Log in and create an account to get the most out of the app.
• Bring preprinted FedEx shipping labels to ease your way at the PartnerShip shipping desk.
• Bring business cards and/or one-sheets about your bookstore and a pen, and don’t forget extra store bookmarks to share at the Backlist Book Swap Party on Friday, January 27.
• Wear your badge at all times during the event. Listed on the back of the badge are table assignments for the Bookseller Discussion Groups, Rep Picks Speed Dating Lunches, and Bookseller and Publisher Focus Groups.
• Take time each night to review your plans for the next day.
• If you have preregistered for a session, made an appointment, or have an assignment and find that you cannot keep that obligation, do your best to let the person who is waiting for you know. If all else fails, flag down an ABA staff person (identifiable by the purple stripe on our badges) or e-mail [email protected].
• All mentees will sit with their mentors at assigned tables at the Breakfast Keynote with Roxane Gay on Saturday, January 28. Otherwise, there is open seating at the plenary sessions; doors open 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start.
• Attendance at the Bookseller Discussion Groups on Saturday, January 28, is critical; beyond the quality discussions booksellers can expect to participate in, these roundtable talks are an ideal way to meet fellow booksellers and make new friends at the start of the institute. Please be sure to join your assigned group following Roxane Gay’s breakfast keynote.
• ABA does its best to provide an interesting mix of publishers for attendees to meet with during the Rep Picks Speed Dating lunches. As a courtesy to Winter Institute’s publisher sponsors, booksellers are urged to remain for the entirety of the presentations at the Rep Picks Speed Dating Lunch, Day 1, on Saturday, January 28, and the Rep Picks Speed Dating Lunch, Day 2, on Sunday, January 29.
• Attendance at the Bookseller and Publisher Focus Groups on Saturday, January 28, is also very important; even if the companies present are not ones you normally do business with, these meetings are an essential element to opening and encouraging dialogue with publisher partners.
• The IndieCommerce team will be available in the Hyatt Regency’s Skyway Room to speak with any bookseller interested in improving their store’s online presence, whether they are a participating IndieCommerce store or not. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are also welcome.
• Session evaluations are one of the most important tools ABA has for making programming decisions. Booksellers can fill out evaluations through the Winter Institute app; a small number of paper evaluations will be available at each session. Booksellers are also encouraged to complete the overall Wi12 evaluation that will be e-mailed to attendees following Winter Institute.
• Books in the Galley Room are there for the taking, but attendees are asked to take only one copy of each; if a particular pile is getting low, please take just one to be shared among all store staff.
• According to Winter Institute bookseller veterans, the opportunity to meet fellow booksellers is one of the most valuable parts of the event. Don’t be shy; introduce yourself and be ready to exchange contact information. Swap business cards with everyone you meet; for easy reference and recall later, make a note on the card about what was discussed.
• ABA has a short list of publishers who are looking for booksellers to take to dinner. If you are looking for a dinner date, contact an ABA staff member or e-mail [email protected].
• Finally: Pace yourself, wear comfortable shoes, and have fun!

Have questions? Swing by the Nicollet Ballroom Promenade, where ABA staffers will be at the ABA Welcome Desk on Friday, January 27, and at the Ask ABA Desk on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, January 28–30. Booksellers can also speak with any ABA staffer, identifiable by the purple stripe on our badges, or e-mail [email protected].

See the full Winter Institute schedule here.