More than 30 publishers have signed on as sponsors for ABA’s Sixth Annual Winter Institute [5] (Wi6). Thanks to their support, dozens of scholarships, covering up to a four-night stay at the host hotel and airfare up to $350, will be awarded to booksellers at ABA member stores.

Lead sponsorship for the Winter Institute, to be held from Wednesday, January 19, through Friday, January 21, 2011, in Washington, D.C., is provided by the Ingram Content Group.

“We sincerely thank all our Winter Institute sponsors for their continuing support of independent booksellers,” said Mark Nichols, ABA industry relations officer, “and look forward to announcing the Wi6 scholarship winners in November, after the last regional trade show.”

Publishers sponsoring bookseller scholarships to Wi6 are:

Wi6 scholarship winners will be selected from among all ABA bookseller members (no special application is needed). Booksellers who drop off a business card at the ABA tables at any of the nine fall regional shows will earn an extra entry in the scholarship drawings.

Registration for the Winter Institute is open exclusively to ABA bookstore and provisional members and is capped at 500. Spaces are being filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Since past Winter Institutes have been sell-outs, ABA is encouraging members to register as early as possible. The Wi6 event registration deadline is December 15. (Register now. [6])

ABA has reserved a block of rooms at Wi6's host hotel, the Crystal Gateway Marriott, for Tuesday, January 18, through Saturday, January 22, 2011. The special room rate of $119 a night for ABA bookseller and provisional members and participating publisher sponsors will only be available until January 5, 2011, or until the group block is sold out, whichever comes first. Registration is via the Crystal Gateway Marriott's dedicated Wi6 reservations page [7].

Questions regarding Wi6 hotel reservations should be addressed directly to the hotel at (800) 266-9432. To cancel a reservation prior to January 5, contact the hotel directly; on January 5 or later, e-mail [email protected] [8]. Importantly, Reagan National Airport is the best airport to fly into for easy access to the Crystal Gateway Marriott. The hotel provides free shuttle service to and from Reagan National, and it is only one Metro stop from the airport.

For information about Wi6’s 31 education sessions and special events, visit BookWeb.org [5].