Winter Institute Waitlists Forming

Registration and hotel reservations for Winter Institute 2015 opened last Thursday, September 18, and sold out in record time. Waitlists are now forming for both.

Booksellers who would like to add their names to the waitlist for Winter Institute registration can do so here. People will be moved off the waitlist on a first-come, first-served basis as space becomes open. The American Booksellers Association will contact booksellers for the remainder of their registration information at that time.

To be placed on the waitlist for rooms at the Winter Institute host hotel, the Grove Park Inn, complete the form available here. ABA will contact people on the list on a first-come, first-served basis if rooms become available. The association is also working with the Grove Park Inn and other hotel properties in the area to ensure that all registrants will have a room and, if necessary, transportation to the Grove Park Inn. ABA will notify people on the waitlist via e-mail as soon as possible.

“ABA reserved more rooms for the Wi10 block at the Grove Park Inn than for any previous Winter Institute,” said ABA CEO Oren Teicher, “so we were as surprised as anyone that the block sold out so soon.

“The Grove Park’s reputation as one of America’s premier hotels apparently convinced many attendees to either come early or stay later and to bring family members, because far fewer attendees are sharing rooms.”

ABA will be creating a special forum on BookWeb to facilitate communication amongst attendees with rooms who may be willing to share. Watch for that announcement in BTW in the next weeks.

If you have registered and are no longer planning to attend the Winter Institute, or if you no longer need your reservations at the Grove Park Inn, you are asked to notify ABA at [email protected] as soon as possible so a waiting bookseller can take your place.

Anyone who would like to have his or her name removed from either waitlist is also asked to send an e-mail to [email protected].

Those who have registered and secured their hotel reservations are encouraged to make their travel arrangements as soon as possible. Information about travel choices is available here. Booksellers are also encouraged to explore the options provided by the Southern Hospitality Overnight Program (SHOP), developed by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. This program allows booksellers to stay overnight with a SHOP host and then carpool to and from the event. Visit the SIBA website for details, including host cities and suggested airports.

While the Winter Institute’s Welcome Reception is Sunday evening, February 8, the afternoon offers several tours and the Downtown Asheville Indie Retail Crawl, which booksellers may want to consider when making their travel arrangements. The Historic Trolley Tour of Asheville and the Biltmore Estate Tour are also offered on Thursday.

Winter Institute 2015 is made possible by lead sponsor Ingram Content Group and the support of publishers large and small.

Questions about Winter Institute 10 should be addressed to [email protected].