Mark Your Calendar: BEA Highlights

Here's a look at some of the educational programming, special events, and resources for booksellers at BookExpo America. ABA's Day of Education, sponsored by Ingram, and the "Big Ideas at BEA" Conference begin on Tuesday, May 25, at NYC's Jacob Javits Convention Center.

General Info

ABA Hotel

The Park Central, aka the ABA Hotel, is located at 870 Seventh Avenue at 56th Street. The hotel is on Shuttle Bus Route 2. Inbound buses from the hotel to the Javits Convention Center will run every 10 to 20 minutes, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Buses will return from the convention center to the hotel from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The hotel will be the site of an evening reception on Monday, May 24, hosted by the Random House Publishing Group.

ABA Booksellers Lounge at BEA (Room 1E07/08)

Once again the ABA members-only lounge, Room 1E07/08 of the convention center, will be the place for booksellers to learn about ABA products and services, check e-mail, have books autographed by some of their favorite authors, recharge their laptops, have a snack, or relax in a comfy chair. ABA members can also pick up the latest Day of Education schedule, session handouts on a USB memory stick, and, while supplies last, a journal, courtesy of W.G. Ellerkamp Paper Company; a Frommer's Guide to New York City; and a special gift, courtesy of Other Press, a Who is Mr. Toppit? umbrella.

Lounge hours are:

• Tuesday, May 25: 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 26: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Lounge closes at 3:00 p.m. for the ABA Town Hall and Annual Meeting)
• Thursday, May 27: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

To provide an opportunity for as many members as possible to speak during Wednesday's ABA Town Hall Meeting, a sign-up sheet will be prominently displayed in the ABA lounge starting Tuesday morning, May 25. Booksellers will be called upon in the order in which they sign up.

Bag Check

A free bag check exclusively for ABA member booksellers will be open in Room 1E06 from 7:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26, and Thursday, May 27.

Autographing Schedules

In addition to the schedule of authors autographing for ABA members in the ABA Booksellers Lounge, some 400-plus authors will be autographing at tables in the BEA Autographing Area on Wednesday and Thursday. And more than 300 will be signing in booths on the trade show floor.

 Monday, May 24

 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.: Bookstore Open Houses

Booksellers are invited to open houses at 13 ABA memberstores. Visiting booksellers can look forward to a warm reception and some light refreshments. The Open House festivities are co-sponsored by the participating businesses, ABA, and BEA. Here's a list of stores (check to see individual store's open house hours) and a map highlighting their locations.

9:00 p.m. to Midnight: Random House Reception(Park Central's Times Square Room)

The Random House Publishing Group is hosting a reception for IndieBound booksellers in the Park Central's Times Square Room. Booksellers are invited for an informal nightcap with special guest authors, including Justin Cronin, whose The Passage is the number-one Indie Next List Great Read for June.

Tuesday, May 25

7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Arrive at the Javits Convention Center and pick up your show badge at the BEA registration desk marked "ABA Members." Stop by the ABA Booksellers Lounge (1E07/08) starting at 7:30 a.m. to pick up the Day of Education handouts on a memory stick, a journal, and other gifts.

8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: Opening Plenary: A CEO Panel on the Value of the Book (Special Events Hall) Co-sponsored byABA and BEA and open to all BEA badge holders.

Jonathan Galassi, president of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, will moderate the panel featuring:

• Bob Miller, Group Publisher, Workman
• Esther Newberg, Executive Vice President, International Creative Management (ICM)
• Skip Prichard, Chief Executive Officer, Ingram
• David Shanks, Chief Executive Officer, Penguin Group (USA)
• Oren Teicher, Chief Executive Officer, American Booksellers Association (ABA)
• Scott Turow, Author and Incoming President, Authors Guild

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.: ABA's Day of Education (Sponsored by Ingram)

ABA's Day of Education, which is open to all BEA badge holders, will include roundtable discussions and seminars on a range of issues, including techniques and tactics for website promotion, Google Editions, a new study on consumer book-buying behaviors, and more. All ABA education sessions are in the Javits "E" Hall. The full schedule, session descriptions, and session handouts can be found on BookWeb.org.

9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.: "Big Ideas at BEA" Conference

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.: CIROBE Remainders Pavilion

Only the CIROBE Remainders Pavilion will be open in the Exhibit Hall; the rest of the Exhibit Hall opens Wednesday, May 26.

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.: BEA Editor's Buzz

5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.: ABC Not-a-Dinner and (Mostly) Silent Auction(Edison Ballroom at 240 West 47th Street)

Bid on one-of-a kind children's book illustrations. Proceeds go to support ABC programming.

Opening Night Keynote Featuring Barbra Streisand (Special Events Hall)

The day will be capped by the Opening Night Keynote. Singer, actress, director, and soon-to-be author Barbra Streisand will be interviewed by Gayle King, editor-at-large of O, The Oprah Magazine. Free admission tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets will be available at the Opening Night Keynote Ticket Counter, located next to the Autographing Counter in the main registration area. Doors open at 4:00 p.m., and the event begins at 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 26

8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.: Children's Book & Author Breakfast (Special Events Hall)

Presented in cooperation with the Children's Booksellers and Publishers Committee (A cooperative committee of the American Booksellers Association, Association of Booksellers for Children, and the Children's Book Council).

8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.: "Big Ideas at BEA" Conference

9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Exhibit Hall Open

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: IndieCommerce Users Group Meeting (Room 1E09)
For current users of the ABA IndieCommerce system.

11:00 a.m. - Noon: ABA Gift Card Users Group Meeting (Room 1E11)
For booksellers with questions about the June 1 transition from a national gift card program to an in-store program.

Noon - 1:30 p.m.: Celebration of Bookselling Luncheon (Special Events Hall)

More than 40 of indie booksellers' favorite authors will be at this year's ABA Celebration of Bookselling Luncheon, sponsored by Baker & Taylor. The event, which is currently booked to capacity, will feature the presentation of the 2010 Indies Choice Book Awards.

2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. BEA Young Adult Editor's Buzz

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: ABA Town Hall Meeting (Room 1E10)
The Town Hall Meeting is the place for members to bring industry concerns to the attention of the ABA Board and staff and to participate in member-wide discussions.

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: ABA Annual Membership Meeting (Room 1E10)
For ABA members only, the Annual Meeting includes reports by ABA's president and CEO on the year's activities, voting on new initiatives, and a discussion of future plans.This year's meeting will feature a new format.

Thursday, May 27

8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.: Thursday Book & Author Breakfast (Special Events Hall)

8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.: "Big Ideas at BEA" Conference

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Exhibit Hall Open

11:00 a.m. - Noon: ABFFE Presents: Free Speech for Corporations?(Room 1E12)
Panelists Robert Weissman, president, Public Citizen, and Ira Glasser, former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, will explore the impact of the recent Supreme Court decision striking down limits on the money corporations can spend in political campaigns. Moderated by former Congressman Tom Allen, the president and chief operating officer of the Association of American Publishers.

Noon - 2:00 p.m.: Thursday Book & Author Lunch (Special Events Hall)

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For complete details and to register for BEA, visit BookExpoAmerica.com. For more information on the Day of Education and other ABA programming, visit BookWeb.org.