May 29, 1998 American Booksellers Association Gears Up for BEA FOR RELEASE ON OR AFTER MAY 29, 1998 Contact: ABA Len Vlahos (914) 591-2665, ext. 215 American Booksellers Association Gears Up for BEA ABA Plans Aggressive Convention and Trade Show Tarrytown, NY (May 29, 1998) -- The American Booksellers Association (ABA) will use its annual Convention, being held in conjunction with the BookExpo America trade show in Chicago May 29- June 1, as a forum for communicating with members and as a launching pad for new initiatives and exciting events. Highlights among the dozens of events, panels and seminars being held during the ABA Convention are: Celebration of Bookselling -- Booksellers gather for the second year in a row to celebrate this most rewarding profession. The event will be highlighted by the presentation of the ABBY Award to Charles Frazier for his first novel, Cold Mountain (5:30-6:30 p.m., Saturday, Grand Ballroom). Relationship Marketing -- Martha Rogers, Ph.D., co-author of The One to One Fieldbook: The Complete Toolkit for Implementing a 1 to 1 Marketing Program, will show booksellers how to establish long-term, mutually productive connections with their customers. (Saturday, May 30, 1:30-2:30 p.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m., room S530B) Strategic Planning Focus Groups -- ABA member bookstores are invited to take part in a series of focus groups on Saturday, May 30. The Association leadership and staff need the input of the bookstore members on the preliminary work of ABA's Governance Task Force, as well as on a draft statement of organizational values prepared by the ABA Strategic Planning Committee. (11:00 a.m., Noon, 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., room S502 A/B). Other events include: Benchmarks of Success: Comparing Your Store with Industry Standards Roundtable Discussion, which provides the opportunity to put a store's financial profile in context with that of the industry as a whole, using ABA's ABACUS financial survey results (Noon-1:30 p.m., Saturday, room S501D); Using the ABBY Awards to Promote Yourself, designed to give stores the tools to make themselves "destinations" for those seeking award-winning titles (Noon-1:30 p.m., Monday, room S502B); the Fundamentals of Bookselling Study Series Roundtable, discussing specific titles in the ABA's Open Learning Series, geared to sharpening the selling and marketing skills of store staff (9:30-11:00 a.m., Monday, room S502A); and, of course, the ABA Town Hall and Annual Meeting, (beginning Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in room 404 A/B). In addition to an aggressive schedule of events, the ABA Booth (#4953) will be a destination ABA members won't want to miss. Representatives will be on hand to explain ABA's business insurance program and ABA's health care program for member stores. New initiatives that will be highlighted at the booth this year include: Bookstore Publicity Kit -- Created by ABA's public relations firm, Kratz & Company, working in conjunction with the Association staff, the kit includes sample press releases, guidelines for talking with the media, tools for promoting in-store author events, lists of major market media contacts, and more. Merrill Lynch Retirement and Business Planning -- A representative from Merrill Lynch will be on hand to explain the association's new retirement plan for member bookstores. Now employees (owners and staff) from stores of any size can plan for their future. Relationship Marketing -- A representative will be on hand to counsel independent booksellers on how best to implement a relationship marketing program in their stores. Also on hand will be representatives from both BookScan and Ingram's INDepth, the two leading programs that give booksellers the tools they need to engage in relationship marketing. ABA Member Web Site -- Jeff Wexler, ABA's director of information services, will be in the booth demonstrating ABA's new booksellers virtual community. The Web site will include interactive bookseller forums, ABA's affinity initiatives, a bibliography of top news stories, and more. Finally, in addition to ABA, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) will have an active Convention as well. ABFFE highlights include: A Silent Auction to benefit ABFFE will be on tap Saturday morning through 2 p.m. Monday afternoon at the main entrance to the South Exhibit Hall in McCormick Place. More than 125 companies -- publishers, distributors, and other businesses and individuals -- have donated recent and backlist books, including autographed copies, as well as audio- and videotapes, office equipment, sidelines, and more. All BEA attendees can bid for these items. The winning bids will be announced on-site on Monday afternoon (though you don't need to be on hand to win). A panel discussion entitled "Free Expression -- Too Free at Last?" will involve noted journalists and First Amendment advocates Wendy Kaminer, Gerry Spence, and Juan Williams in an examination of the limits of First Amendment protection (11 a.m. to Noon, Sunday, room S406B). The event is co-sponsored by The Freedom to Read Committee of the Association of American Publishers and the Freedom to Read Foundation of the American Library Association and will be moderated by broadcast journalist and author Bill O'Reilly. Two Good Foundations stores -- one in the main lobby and another on the trade show floor -- are further opportunities to raise funds for ABA's free-expression causes. Convention souvenirs and other items will be offered at great prices. Several well-known personalities and authors -- including Rick Bragg, Fannie Flagg, Roy Blount, Jr., and master of ceremonies Ed McMahon -- will be taking part in the Book and Author Improv beginning 8:45 p.m. Sunday at the Navy Pier. Proceeds for this event, with tickets selling for $15, will go to support the Book Industry Foundation. Founded in 1900, the American Booksellers Association is a not-for-profit trade organization devoted to meeting the needs of its core members -- independently-owned bookstores with retail store front locations -- through advocacy, education, research, and information dissemination. The ABA actively supports free speech, literacy, and programs that encourage children to read. The Association -- headquartered in Tarrytown, New York, and on the Web at http://www.bookweb.org -- also hosts the annual ABA Convention in conjunction with BookExpo America each spring. ### Topics: News - Bookselling,