College Store Programming at ABA Day of Education Sponsored by National Association of College Stores, this program will be offered concurrently with the ABA's Day of Education on Thursday, May 31, 2007 at Hotel ABA (The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn, New York.) College Store booksellers are welcome to take advantage of other ABA sessions and event that day by contacting Margaret Nafz at (800) 637-0037, ext. 6614 or [email protected]. College Store Literary Luncheon (11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.) Sponsored by NACSCORP Join your college store colleagues for lunch...and listen to some favorite authors at the same time. Speakers include Elizabeth Gilbert, whose latest book, Eat, Pray, Love, published by Penguin, has been a top Book Sense bestseller, and Charles London, author of One Day the Soldiers Came, to be published by HarperCollins in October 2007. To RSVP, contact Cindy Thompson ([email protected]) at the National Association of College Stores. College Store Success Strategies & Idea Exchange: (1:30-5:15 p.m.) College stores have a unique position in today's competitive marketplace. The series of presentations and discussions below will focus on trends, categories and strategies that can help make your store both more profitable and more valuable as a resource in the campus community. If you have additional ideas to suggest, contact Cindy Thompson ([email protected]) at the National Association of College Stores. College Stores, Digital Content and Innovation The textbook and course content markets are changing. Many college stores have seen changes in publisher strategies and the emergence of new competition. New technologies, new business models, the "knee in the curve," innovation climate, spirals of decline, and, oh yeah, will e-books ever become a profitable reality? In addition to new business models, college stores must develop a new language and new mindsets. This session will separate buzzwords from business necessity, and explore trends and key concepts central to thriving in increasingly digital markets. Speaker: Mark Nelson, Ph.D., digital content strategist, NACS. Winning Solutions...Big and Small! The first half of this session will focus on strategies for profitable general book inventory management, merchandising, and marketing, including a market overview and college store sales trend data. We'll also explore some niche categories in more depth, including financial expectations and common pitfalls. For example, how do you buy, merchandise and market your bargain books? Which price points, categories and assortments are working best for you? How do you keep up with all of the new releases in the world of graphic novels? How do you determine what is appropriate for your campus? What kinds of programs and events can you promote to make your store a destination? The next part of the session will focus on "little wins." We often look for big changes we could make in our stores to improve sales, and overlook the small, incremental changes that add value to the bottom line. Maybe you moved an item to the front lanes and found a bestseller in the process? Maybe you e-mailed key faculty members about a new title and found another book lover who now uses your store rather than shopping online? It all makes a difference! Join us for a free-flowing exchange of ideas! Speakers: Jon Bibo, vice president, sales and marketing, NACSCORP and a panel of booksellers.