A Report on ABA's October Board Meeting

The American Booksellers Association Board of Directors held its fall meeting in Los Angeles, California, from Sunday, October 21, through Tuesday, October 23, following the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Author's Feast and Trade Show.

Over the course of its meeting, the Board:

• Received reports from ABA President Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Montana, and from association CEO Avin Mark Domnitz on their respective activities since the last Board meeting;

• Met with William King of Merrill Lynch, the association's financial consultant, who reported on the association's investments;

• Reviewed the association's 2007 financial statement and unanimously approved a 2008 - 2009 operating budget;

• Met with representatives from Brains on Fire, the identity company working with ABA to help rebrand the association's marketing efforts (a process that will be reported on in greater detail in the coming months);

• Spent considerable time -- under the guidance of consultant Ivan Barkhorn of Redstone Strategy Group -- refashioning the association's Strategic Plan into a series of "ends" policies. A report on those new ends policies will be provided to the ABA membership in a communication from President Lawrence in the coming weeks.

• Heard a report from ABA Education Director Len Vlahos on the plans for the upcoming Winter Institute, which will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, from January 24 - 27, 2008;

• Heard a report from ABA COO Oren Teicher on preliminary plans for BookExpo America 2008, to be held in Los Angeles, California, from May 29 - June 1.

While in California, many ABA Board members attended the SCIBA trade show. In addition, the Board met with the SCIBA Board to discuss programs and initiative that might benefit the associations' mutual members.