The Winter Institute Begins

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As Bookselling This Week reaches your Inbox this Thursday, close to 500 ABA member booksellers are converging in Louisville, Kentucky, for the opening of the American Booksellers Association's Third Annual Winter Institute (Wi3).

The two-day, jam-packed education event starts with an opening celebration featuring hors d'oeuvres and light refreshments at the Muhammad Ali Center from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. this evening. The Ali Center's exhibits and presentations will be open exclusively for ABA members. A complimentary shuttle bus will run between the Louisville Downtown Marriott and the Ali Center from 6:45 p.m. until 10:30 p.m.

Friday's programming features 12 education sessions, four Reps' Picks sessions, and two keynote addresses, all capped by an evening Author Reception, where booksellers will be able to mingle with more than 35 of their favorite authors who will be autographing their newest titles! (Read what some of these authors had to say about "a dark and stormy night in Louisville....")

On Saturday, programming continues with 12 more education sessions, 8 Reps' sessions, a lunchtime keynote panel, and a closing reception.

Over the course of the two days, booksellers will benefit from the wisdom of more than 35 veteran business professionals, as well as the experiences of Wi3's keynote speakers: Danny Meyer, president of the Union Square Hospitality Group and author of Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business (HarperCollins); Gary Hirshberg, president/CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farms and author of Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World (Hyperion); and three leaders of the "Local First" movement: Bill McKibben, educator, environmentalist, and author of Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future (Holt Paperbacks); Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and author of Big Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for American's Independent Businesses (Beacon); and Michael Shuman, co-founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies and author of The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition (Berrett-Koehler).

All Winter Institute participants who don't have an early morning plane to catch on Sunday are invited to Wi3's final event -- the Booksellers Cafe -- to network and learn from colleagues at moderated discussions organized by job function.

Wi3 programming and special events are made possible by the generous support of Event Partners -- Baker & Taylor, BookExpo America, and Ingram Book Company/Ingram Publisher Services -- and the Institute's Publisher and Supporting Partners. ABA encourages booksellers to extend their thanks to all of Wi3's partners.

And for the latest happenings at Wi3, be sure to check out BookWeb's ABA Omnibus for blog postings by ABA's Senior Director of Editorial Content, Dan Cullen, and photo highlights of each day's special events.

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