Forums

Booksellers in the Southeast will have two opportunities in January to meet with representatives of the ABA Board and senior staff to discuss issues of concern and share ideas, as well as get an update on the association's past activities and influence future plans. ABA's first forum of 2004 will be held on Friday, January 9, at the John F. Germany Public Library in downtown Tampa, Florida.

This week, ABA sent e-mail invitations to booksellers in the Southeast and Great Lakes regions (including booksellers in Wisconsin) to attend the first two ABA Booksellers Forums of 2004. In conjunction with the Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA), ABA will hold the first forum of the winter season on Friday, January 9, at the John F. Germany Public Library in downtown Tampa, Florida.

On Friday, January 9, ABA will hold the first of 16 Booksellers Forums scheduled for various locations across the country over the next four months. The forums provide booksellers in every region an opportunity to meet with senior ABA staff and Board members to share ideas, to discuss industry issues, and to receive updates on various association projects. Data gathered at the forums is invaluable to the association as it shapes future programs and initiatives to the benefit of all ABA bookstore members.

ABA's 2003 Booksellers Forums came to a close with the 12th forum, held in conjunction with the New England Booksellers Association, on May 1 in Storrs, Connecticut. Since the launch of the forum program in January 1998, ABA has hosted over 70 meetings with member booksellers across the country.

The 2003 ABA Booksellers Forum series came to a close on May 1 at the UConn Co-op, in Storrs, Connecticut. The forum, organized in conjunction with the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA), followed a meeting of the New England Children's Booksellers Association. The ABA/NEBA forum was the twelfth forum of 2003. Since the launch of the forum program in January 1998, ABA has hosted over 70 meetings with member booksellers across the country.

Booksellers are invited to attend an ABA Booksellers Forum to be held in Storrs, Connecticut, at the UConn Co-op, on Thursday, May 1, from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. The forum will follow a meeting of the New England Children's Booksellers Association and a reception for booksellers.

On Tuesday, April 8, ABA held a Booksellers Forum, in conjunction with programming of the Mid-South Independent Booksellers Association (MSIBA), in Katy, Texas. ABA and MSIBA members met with MSIBA president and ABA Booksellers Advisory Council member Tamra Dore of Katy Budget Books and ABA COO Oren Teicher.

The American Booksellers Association will be holding a Booksellers Forum in conjunction with the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA) on Thursday, May 1, at the UConn Co-op in Storrs, Connecticut.

Even an April snowstorm failed to chill the enthusiasm of independent booksellers at the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Spring Retreat, held on April 6 - 7 at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel in Philadelphia, where the focus was on sharing successful ideas and energizing store operations.

The Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA) held its Spring Seminar and Book Awards on April 4 - 5 at the Park Road Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. The weekend's programming included an ABACUS "Sneak Preview" and an ABA/SEBA Booksellers Forum. Representing ABA at the meeting were ABA COO Oren Teicher and BookSense.com Director Len Vlahos.

ABA will be conducting Booksellers Forums in conjunction with regional booksellers association meetings, held from April 4 - 8, in the Southeast, New Atlantic, and Mid-South regions.

Southeast

The Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA) Spring Seminar and Book Awards Celebration will feature a series of ABA programs in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5, at the Park Road Hotel.

The Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA) held its Spring Meeting on March 27 at the Transitions Learning Center in Chicago. The program included an ABA Booksellers Forum, an ABACUS "Sneak Preview," and a seminar on Succession Planning/Bookstore Valuation sponsored by ABA. Representing ABA at the meeting were President Ann Christophersen of Women & Children First in Chicago; Board member Karl Pohrt of Shaman Drum Bookshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan; CEO Avin Mark Domnitz; COO Oren Teicher; and Ivan Barkhorn, a consultant to ABA on strategic matters.

In the coming weeks, ABA Booksellers Forums will be held in the Southeast, New Atlantic, and Mid-South regions.

The Southeast Booksellers Association's (SEBA) Spring Seminar and Book Awards Celebration, April 4 - 5, at the Park Road Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, will include a Booksellers Forum and an ABACUS "Sneak Preview."

On Friday, March 14, booksellers from five states attended an ABA/MPBA Booksellers Forum that was held at the Mountain and Plains Booksellers Association (MPBA) Spring Meeting and Regional Book Awards Celebration. The event took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the Radisson Santa Fe, and was part of a full program for booksellers that ran from Friday to Sunday, March 16.

On Thursday, March 27, the American Booksellers Association will be holding a Booksellers Forum, an ABACUS "Sneak Preview," and a "Succession Planning/How to Value Your Business" seminar in Chicago. The events will be held in conjunction with the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA) Spring Meeting at the Transitions Learning Center in Chicago.