Among the unique programs at the American Booksellers Association's upcoming Winter Institute [4] will be the opportunity for booksellers to take a merchandising tour of either Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore [5] (for large-store tactics) or The King's English Bookshop [6] (for small to mid-size stores). Aimed at bookstore owners and managers, as well as prospective booksellers, the tours, led by a merchandising professional, will focus on best practices.

The King's English merchandising tour will be held on Friday, January 30, from 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.; the tour of Sam Weller's is Saturday, January 31, from 11:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Space on the tours is limited, so ABA is asking interested Wi4 registrants to send an e-mail to [email protected] [7] with "Store Tour" in the subject line. The e-mail should indicate the bookseller's name, the store name, and the preferred tour. Tours will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Wi4 will also feature a roundtable discussion specifically for owners and managers of small to mid-size stores on Friday afternoon, from 4: 45 p.m. - 6:15 p.m., and another for large stores on Saturday afternoon, from 3:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.; both will be moderated by veteran booksellers.

Wi4 registrants who are interested in participating in a roundtable discussion should send an e-mail, including their name and store name, to ABA Chief Program Officer Len Vlahos ([email protected] [8]) with either "Small/Mid-Size-Store Roundtable" or "Large-Store Roundtable" in the subject line.

Watch for more details on the Merchandising Tours and the Roundtables in upcoming editions of Bookselling This Week.

The complete Wi4 program schedule [9] and the event registration [10] form [10] are available on BookWeb.org. Reservations for rooms at Wi4's host hotel, the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown, are via the hotel's special Wi4 reservations web page [11].