MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
March 22- March 29, 2007 Edition
Pacific Booksellers
Cut Spring 2008 Show
To Revamp Strategies
EUGENE, OR/3/17/07–The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association board of directors March 17 announced that its annual spring trade show will take a two-year hiatus to work out details of its new marketing strategies. The group is looking for ways to draw customers into stores and improve sales. A new mission statement is aimed at being more responsive to changes in business and developing programs to help members boost the sale of books. Presumably, the next show or event, typically held in March each year, will be held in 2009. About 131 stores participated in this year’s event, up about 15% over the previous year, but fewer exhibitors bought space for the show, less than half the space leased for the 2006 show.
The PNBA is not the only bookseller organization trying to adapt to a new, more digitally oriented business environment. In early March, the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Associate, announced it was replacing its fall trade show with a booksellers’ sales conference in October in Baltimore, Md. That group hopes to turn its booksellers into book reps.
The Pacific Northwest show for Fall 2007 will presumably still be held September 19-21 in Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington.
