Sunday, October 6

3:30PM - 5:30PM

Education Intensive | Big Thompson

HARNESSING EDELWEISS: A WORKING SESSION
Edelweiss provides a suite of tools that will allow everyone in your team to contribute to sustaining your store's inventory. In this session we will cover core, analytics, community, and 360 Edelweiss tools that you can leverage for discovery, building out, and boosting your store's selection. Attendees will be able to practice utilizing key Edelweiss tools and leave with a deeper understanding of tactics they can implement for the purposes of knowledge sharing, previewing, and handselling. This is session is intended for intermediate users.

Monday, October 7

10:15AM - 11:15AM

Conversations with Colleagues | Big Thompson

COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS
Join this conversation about working with local businesses, schools, and libraries in your community. How can these relationships increase awareness of your store and increase sales? Bring your success stories about collaborations that have worked for your store, and well as questions for your colleagues.

2:00PM - 3:00PM

Conversations with Colleagues | Big Thompson

TOTAL COMPENSATION
Owners and managers, join your colleagues for an open discussion on ways to provide improved compensation with a limited budget for wages. What are some of the other benefits you can offer your staff? Come with your own successful ideas and your questions for the group.

3:15PM - 4:15PM

Conversations with Colleagues | Big Thompson

SIDELINES BUYING & MERCHANDISING
Join your colleagues for an open discussion on creating a foundational inventory of sidelines and gift items, improving your non-book selection, and highlighting your gift selection through merchandising. Come with your own successful ideas and your questions for the group.

Tuesday, October 8

10:00AM - 11:00AM

THE EXPERT IS IN: BUYING | EXHIBIT HALL FOYER

Our volunteer bookselling "experts" are willing to help! During this hour, visit the Ask and Expert table to ask a specific buying question, or listen to the valuable Q&A.

11:00AM - 12:00PM

THE EXPERT IS IN: MERCHANDISING | EXHIBIT HALL FOYER

Our volunteer bookselling "experts" are willing to help! During this hour, visit the Ask and Expert table to ask a specific question about store merchandising and building displays, or listen to the valuable Q&A.

2:00pM - 3:00pM

THE EXPERT IS IN: Receiving | EXHIBIT HALL FOYER

Our volunteer bookselling "experts" are willing to help! During this hour, visit the Ask and Expert table to ask a specific question about receiving or returns, or listen to the valuable Q&A.

3:00pM - 4:00pM

THE EXPERT IS IN: bookstore finances | EXHIBIT HALL FOYER

Our volunteer bookselling "experts" are willing to help! During this hour, visit the Ask and Expert table to ask a specific question about managing your bookstore finances, or listen to the valuable Q&A. (Please note, our volunteers are not accountants, and cannot give specific financial advice about your business.)

Wednesday October 9

10:15AM - 11:15AM

What 25 Great Stores Have In Common | Cherry Creek

Lisa Urhik, president of Franklins Fixtures and co-owner of Plenty Downtown Bookshop in Cookeville, TN, will lead an exploration of pattern languages of physical spaces, display, and storytelling practices that great bookstores stores have in common. We'll see examples of some core concepts that illustrate what it means to be truly differentiated independent bookstores.

Marketing Analytics | Platte River

Whether it's your website, social media, flyers, ads, or newsletter, understanding the data marketing channels give you is key to understanding customer behavior. In this session, Candice Huber, instructor for the Professional Booksellers School Event Management course, will explain how to gather customer and marketing data, look at tools for tracking marketing analytics, share how to track and analyze website and social media analytics, and explore what this data means for your business.

Financial Awareness: What Matters and Why | Big Thompson

This session, presented by Tim Huggins, founder and former owner of Newtonville Books, past CFO of Brookline Booksmith, and currently a CFO “On the Go”, will focus on identifying and explaining the recommended annual planning activities, and the monthly performance reports that are critical for small business owners and management teams to engage and review regularly.

11:30AM - 12:30PM

Display 201 | Cherry Creek

You understand the fundamentals of good display, so now what? Join Lisa Urhik to examine how your stories, your personality, and your staff show up in the bones of your store. From scintillating writing on shelf talkers (show, don't tell) to creating a labyrinth of experience that can only be yours.... we'll cover as many nuggets of display wisdom as we can fit into our short timeframe, both for practical application when you return to your store, and for deeper contemplation.

Budgeting for Buying | Platte River

How many of us fly by the seat of our pants when it comes to budgeting for inventory? In this session, Candice Huber, Dean of Bookstore Finances for the Professional Booksellers School, will present practical and actionable steps for budgeting for buying, even if you're starting from scratch. This session will be inclusive of a variety of business models.

Panel Discussion: Passports, Maps, and Scavenger Hunts for IBD and Beyond | Big Thompson

In recent years, booksellers in cities and larger regions have created collaborative activities and events to generate foot traffic and awareness of indie stores for Independent Bookstore Day. Join our panelists to hear about the successful programs they've created and participated in, including the lessons they've learned along the way. Bring your ideas and questions for a discussion with the panel.

12:45PM - 2:00pm

ABA Education Lunch  |  Telluride

PRIORITIZING CASH FLOW: 10 AREAS TO REVIEW FOR IMPROVED CASH FLOW AND PROFITABILITY
The true key to being in control of your business is to be in control of your cash. A bookstore’s financial stability is dependent on far more than just profitability, and cash flow determines your store’s ability to cover day-to-day expenses, such as purchasing inventory, paying suppliers, and meeting operational costs. In this session, ABA will discuss cash flow tools briefly then guide stores through ten essential steps to improve your store’s cash flow, financial stability, and long-term resilience. (Optional lunch ticket available, purchase not required to attend.)