The 2002 Mid-South Independent Booksellers Association (MSIBA) Fall Trade Show will be held September 5 - 8 at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. "I am extremely excited about this trade show," said Andy Jackson, MSIBA's new executive director. (Jackson replaced Joe Holmes as executive director in January.) "This year … we are in a new hotel facility, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. This is quite an upgrade for us. Just imagine -- books, booksellers, authors, publishers, publisher representatives, and the sights, sounds, smells, and taste of New Orleans. I say, laissez les bon temps roulez!"

Attending the trade show from ABA will be CEO Avin Mark Domnitz; Mark Nichols, publishing partner manager; and Kristen Gilligan, manager of communications, industry relations, and trade policy.

The MSIBA Fall Trade Show kicks off on Thursday, September 5, with three educational seminars. At 1:00 p.m., Domnitz will lead a three-hour session, the "Budgeting and Monitoring Workshop." This financial seminar, which has garnered rave reviews from the many booksellers who have attended previous sessions, explores a system of financial controls meant to allow the bookstore owner/manager to predict performance and then to measure outcomes against those predictions. Seminar attendees receive a computer disk with a series of Excel worksheets, which allow booksellers to integrate what they learned into their own operations.

A two-hour session, "How to Use Four D's to Become an A-Plus Bookseller," from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., will offer booksellers tips and staff training ideas from a panel composed of booksellers with over 30 years collective experience. The four D's are: dazzling displays, dealing with cranky customers, databases conquered, and devilishly easy handselling tips.

At 4:30 p.m., it's the "Publishers' Show and Sell," a two-hour session where publisher representatives discuss the best of their fall line. This will provide booksellers who rarely see their reps a good opportunity to meet them and to hear about some great fall titles.

Friday morning programs will be dedicated to the children's market. The day will begin with the Children's Book & Author Breakfast at 7:45 p.m., which will feature Colleen Salley and Janet Stevens (Epossumondas, Harcourt) and Todd Parr (The Feel Good Book, Little, Brown). The breakfast is followed by workshops, presented by the Children's Committee, from 9:30 a.m. - 11:40 a.m. This year's theme is "It's a Small World," and workshops will focus on event planning, new ways to utilize favorite titles, and a special workshop, "When Authors Visit Your Small (Or Not So Small) Store," with author/illustrator Eileen Christelow.

The Friday Children Book & Author Luncheon, from 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m., will feature Denise Fleming (Alphabet Under Construction, Henry Holt), Tony DiTerlizza (The Spider and the Fly, S&S), and Mark Teague (Dear Mrs. LaRue, Scholastic Trade).

Following the lunch, the afternoon's programming will spotlight bookstore promotion and marketing. At 1:30 p.m., it's "Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know on How to Get Press to Your Store." This 90-minute session will be hosted by Kathy Patrick, the owner of notable hair salon/bookstore, and a five-time guest on Good Morning America.

At 1:30 p.m. and again at 3:00 p.m., ABA's Nichols leads "Combo: What's New with Book Sense and Electronic Handbook." In this session, Nichols will discuss news of upcoming book promotions and provide a sneak preview of some new Book Sense marketing ideas -- generated by fellow booksellers. In addition, Nichols will show attendees how to make the most out of the new electronic ABA Book Buyer's Handbook.

From 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Marilyn Ross, professional speaker and author of Shameless Marketing for Brazen Hussies (Communication Creativity) will host, "Shameless Marketing for Brazen Bookstore Hussies (and Men, Too)." Ross will give attendees tips for increasing store traffic, building stronger customer and employee loyalty, and positioning the bookstore as the place to buy books.

At 4:45 p.m., following Friday's educational programming, the elections for officers and directors will be held at the MSIBA Membership Meeting. The evening's Humpty Dumpty Dinner and Silent Auction, held from 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at New Orleans's Crescent City Brewery, will give attendees a chance to bid on and to win author and illustrator prints, while enjoying food and a little Dixieland music. This year's winner of the Humpty Dumpty Children's Choice Award will be announced during the event.

Breakfast With the Authors programs will be held at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, prior to the opening of trade show floor. Scheduled to speak at Saturday's breakfast are authors Julie Smith (Louisiana Big Shot, Forge), Douglas Kelly (The Captain's Wife, E.P. Dutton), and Robert McCammon (Speaks the Nightbird, River City Publishing). On Sunday, scheduled authors include J.C. Watts (What Color Is Conservative?, HarperCollins), Daniel Woodrell (The Death of Sweet Mister, Putnam), and David Marion Wilkinson (Oblivion's Altar, New American Library).

On Saturday, following the closing of the trade show at 4:30 p.m., are the Author Reading Rooms. Then, at 7:00 p.m., it's the Gala Author Reception, which will allow booksellers to become better acquainted with many authors, including those who appeared at MSIBA events.

On Sunday, the trade show floor closes at 11:30 a.m. and is followed by the Drawing for Cash Winners at Noon. Booksellers who place orders at the show will be eligible to enter and to win one of four $250 cash prizes in Sunday's drawing. The more a bookseller orders, the more entry forms the bookseller receives. (Booksellers must be present to win.)

For more information or to register for MSIBA Fall Trade Show, click here [5].