Oregon, California Forums to Be Held Last Week of March

The American Booksellers Association’s Spring Forum schedule will continue with three programs in the last week of March for booksellers and prospective booksellers in the Southern California, Northern California, and Pacific Northwest regions. The forums, in conjunction with the regional booksellers associations, will be held in Portland, Oregon, on March 26, and in Redondo Beach and San Francisco, California, on March 27 and 30, respectively.

Each program is designed to provide attendees with an opportunity to share ideas, discuss industry issues, and receive updates on various association projects in an open forum. Each also features the ABA Education session “Conversations That Work,” which focuses on what to say and how to handle a variety of irksome situations in the store, including showrooming, aggressive customers, and those who use store inventory to copy information.

ABA programming is free and open to all booksellers — ABA members and non-members alike.

Wednesday, March 26: Portland, Oregon

Join ABA CEO Oren Teicher and Content Officer Dan Cullen for a forum program in conjunction with Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association at McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Avenue, Portland.

• Conversations That Work: 10:30 a.m. to Noon
• Booksellers Forum: Noon to 2:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
• PNBA Edelweiss Users Group: 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Reception at Green Bean Books: 4:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

For planning purposes, booksellers who will be attending the program in Portland are asked to RSVP to ABA Member Relationship Manager Nathan Halter by the end of the day on Wednesday, March 19, with PNBA Spring Forum RSVP in the subject line.

Thursday, March 27: Redondo Beach, California

Join ABA CEO Oren Teicher and Content Officer Dan Cullen for a forum program in conjunction with the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association, at Mysterious Galaxy Books, 2810 Artesia Boulevard, Redondo Beach.

• Coffee Social: 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
• SCIBA Introduction/Greeting: 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
• Conversations That Work: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Booksellers Forum: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
• Books and Brews (or wine): 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For planning purposes, booksellers who will be attending the program in Redondo Beach are asked to RSVP to ABA Member Relationship Manager Nathan Halter by the end of the day on Thursday, March 20.

Sunday, March 30: San Francisco, California

Join ABA CEO Oren Teicher and Content Officer Dan Cullen for a forum program in conjunction with the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association’s Spring Gathering, at NCIBA’s offices at the Presidio, 1007 General Kennedy Avenue, San Francisco.

• Booksellers Forum: 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
• Conversations That Work: 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

For the complete NCIBA Spring Gathering schedule and to RSVP for the forum, download the NCIBA Spring Gathering & ABA Forum Form and send it to NCIBA via fax to (415) 561-7685 or e-mail to [email protected] by the end of the day on Friday, March 21.