Wi5 Registration Continues

Bookstore and provisional members are now registering for the American Booksellers Association's Fifth Winter Institute (Wi5), to be held from Wednesday through Friday, February 3 - 5, 2010, in San Jose, California. Registration, which opened on September 3, is capped at 500 and is being filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The annual ABA event, sponsored by Ingram Book Company/Ingram Publisher Services, will feature 25-plus education sessions on everything from children's bookselling and graphic novels to health care reform and e-books. A special Technology Day, on Wednesday, February 3, offers separate tracks for booksellers new to the digital phenomenon and those with more experience.

A $50 nonrefundable meal fee for the three-day event has been instituted this year to help offset some of the food and beverage costs and to help keep the education program free to all ABA members. Also, new this year, booksellers can register for a single-day pass; the meal fee for a single day pass is $25. At this time, since it is not logistically possible for ABA to track who will be attending the meal functions, the meal fee is mandatory and due upon registration.

Past Winter Institutes have been sellouts, so ABA is encouraging members to register for the education program as soon as possible. The Wi5 event registration deadline is December 1. Register now.

ABA has reserved a block of rooms at Wi5's host hotel, the Doubletree San Jose, for Tuesday, February 2, through Saturday, February 6. The special room rate of $115/night for ABA bookseller and provisional members and participating publisher sponsors only will be available until Friday, January 8, or until the group block is sold out, whichever comes first. This year's hotel cancellation policy is different from previous years: To avoid being charged one night's rate plus tax, cancellations must be made prior to Friday, January 8. Any cancellations after that date will be subject to a charge for one night plus tax. Registration is via the Doubletree's dedicated Wi5 registration page. Any questions regarding Wi5 hotel reservations should be addressed directly to the hotel at (408) 453-4000. Reserve a room now.

ABA's Publisher Partners are sponsoring more than two-dozen Wi5 bookseller scholarships. Scholarship winners will be selected from among all ABA bookseller members, with booksellers dropping off a business card at the ABA booth at the fall regional trade shows earning an extra entry in the scholarship drawings. Scholarships will cover the cost of reasonable airfare, up to a four-night hotel stay at the Doubletree San Jose, and the Wi5 meal fee. Scholarship winners will be drawn at the end of October, after the last regional trade show.

Wi5 session descriptions and the complete education schedule are available on BookWeb's Wi5 Event pages. Questions may be addressed to [email protected]. 

Watch for more news on Wi5 in upcoming editions of BTW.