ABA's Day of Education at BEA Offers Impressive Lineup

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This week, the American Booksellers Association unveiled the complete lineup of presenters for its Thursday "Day of Education" at BookExpo America. This year, for the first time, ABA's "Day of Education," sponsored by Baker & Taylor, and the Celebration of Bookselling, sponsored by Ingram Book Group/Ingram Publisher Services, will both be held on Thursday, May 31, at Hotel ABA, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, in Brooklyn.

Thursday's "Day of Education" programming, exclusively for ABA Bookstore members, will include a breakfast and lunch session, and 13 different education sessions (some repeated twice), presented by a range of expert retail strategists, professional booksellers, and ABA staff.

Here is a look at the full roster of presenters, as well as session times:

  • What Are You Reading? Breakfast: Hosted by ABA President Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Montana (8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.)

  • Plenary Session: Adapting to Change: Cathleen Black, the president of the Hearst Magazine Group and author of Basic Black: Make Passion Your Strategy and Other Lessons for Work and Life, coming from Crown Business this fall (9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.)

  • Expanding Your Bookstore: Why, When, and How: ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz (10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.; repeated from 1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.)

  • Building and Rewarding Customer Loyalty: ABA Director of BookSense.com and Director of Education Len Vlahos (10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.); this session will be presented by ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz from 3:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

  • ISBN-13 Roundtables: Open discussion (10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.)

  • What to Do When the Competition Comes to Town: A Case Study: ABA COO Oren J. Teicher and Sarah Pishko of Prince Books in Norfolk, Virginia (10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.; repeated from 3:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.)

  • ABFFE Lunch: Hosted by ABFFE President Chris Finan (11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.)

  • Staff Development: An Overview: Chuck and Dee Robinson of Village Books, Bellingham, Washington (1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.; repeated from 3:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.)

  • Participating in the Digital Revolution: High Altitude: ABA Director of BookSense.com and Director of Education Len Vlahos (1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.)

  • Book Clubs: A Panel: Moderated by Barbara Mead of Reading Group Choices; Panelists Mark LaFramboise of Politics & Prose Bookstore, Washington, D.C.; Jennifer Laughran of Books Inc. in San Francisco; Roz Parr of Random House; and Amy Baker, Associate Director of Marketing, Harper Perennial & Ecco. (1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m and repeated from 3:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m..)

  • Handselling: Customer Service with Results: ABA Membership Director Meg Smith and Valerie Koehler of Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston (1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.)

  • Improve Efficiency to Achieve Success: ABA Information Director Dan Cullen (1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.)

  • Getting More Out of Your Children's Section: Managing Selection, Service and Store Environment for Category Growth: Moderated by Kristen McLean, executive director of the Association of Booksellers for Children (1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.; repeated from 3:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.)

  • Participating in the Digital Revolution: Low Altitude: ABA Director of BookSense.com and Director of Education Len Vlahos (3:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.)

  • How to Be the Story: ABA Membership Director Meg Smith (3:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.)

ABA member booksellers who plan to take part in ABA's free full day of education are encouraged indicate what sessions they are likely to attend on Thursday in Brooklyn (this is for meeting planning purposes only, and attendees may attend any session on the schedule) by checking the appropriate boxes on the Day of Education registration form.

Importantly, to participate in the "What Are You Reading?" Breakfast, ABA Bookstore members must make a reservation when they register for the Day of Education, either through BookWeb.org or through the BookExpo America website. A confirming e-mail with a table assignment for the breakfast will be sent to booksellers during the week of May 14. Booksellers must bring a copy of this e-mail to the breakfast to facilitate seating. Questions about the "What Are You Reading?" Breakfast should be addressed to Book Sense Marketing Director Mark Nichols at [email protected].