2025 Fall Show
Education At-A-Glance
Education Programming Sponsored by Penguin Random House
Click on the title of the session for a longer explanation of the session and the list of presenters. More information is being added as it becomes available--so check back often.
Sunday, September 28
|
10:15 - 11:30 am
|
Ballroom 111A
|
Keynote Kickoff Education Plenary:
BookselLing: Conflict, Care, and Community in Bookstore Workplaces. RISEWITHUS founders KJ and AJ Williams share a restorative, equity-centered approach to conflict in bookstore workplaces—helping teams build practices that sustain care, accountability, and resilience.
|
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
|
Room 102A
|
First-Timers: What to Expect and What to Do
Is this your first PNBA Tradeshow? Not sure what you should focus your energy on? Do you have questions about what happens at certain events? Need a strategy for staying organized as you peruse the exhibit floor? Join PNBA Board members, show veterans, and Staff in a casual conversation designed to answer all of your questions. You are welcome to attend both, but this session is designed to be substantially the same as the session offered on Monday morning.
|
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
|
Room 101
|
Take advantage of the opportunity to weave a web of community at the Fall Tradeshow. Whether your existing or envisioned group is based on a shared interest (like...knitting!) or identity (such as LGBTQIA+, POC, etc), Affinity Group gatherings offer the chance to meet, share support, and launch new ideas within the bookselling community and beyond. Let us know what group or interest you'd like to see on the schedule by booking space via the button below. See details here.
Monday, September 29
Targeted Offerings:
Monday is all about the exhibits--and making your time on the exhibit floor as productive and rewarding as possible. If you need a boost, or just a break, there will also be several targeted pop-up style education sessions designed to help first-timers, give store staff that are not primarily buyers (and newer buyers) a chance to connect with others and ask questions about specific topics, and affinity group spaces for everyone to make connections. Go HERE for times and locations.
Thought-Bubble Pop-up Education: 45-minutes of "ask the expert" roundtables where attendees can drop in and chat with experts on various topics. Morning topics include Getting involved in Bookselling as an Industry, Edelweiss, and Returns.
First Time at PNBA? What to expect and what to do. Open conversation led by board members and show veterans.
Brian Parker presents We Are Made of Stories: The Art of Shaping Self Narrative. Bring you boxed lunch and join Brian and members of the Education Committee for this fun event.
Thought-Bubble Pop-up Education: 45-minutes of "ask the expert" roundtables where attendees can drop in and chat with experts on various topics. Afternoon topics include Buying, HR, and Handselling.
Space for Affinity Groups. Open all day. See details here.
Tuesday, September 30
Morning Marquee and Education Plenary
The day will begin with a keynote presentation by author Sue Aikens, author of North of Ordinary (Sourcebooks). (Tickets are required.)
Once her presentation is complete we'll open the doors and ABA Education Specialist Emily Nason will present Measure What Matters: 5 Key Numbers to focus on During Turbulent Times. During times of upheaval and uncertainty it’s difficult to determine which priorities to focus attention on. do just that. We’ll review KPIs like $ per transaction, $ per linear feet, # of transactions, and inventory turn rate as well as cash flow, cost of goods, and net profit. We’ll talk about how to use this information to make impactful changes in your store.
Education Day Offerings
Your PNBA Education Committee has reviewed feedback from prior shows, conducted surveys, put out a request for pitches for educational programming, and worked hard to connect with potential experts, all to bring you a well-rounded program of informative sessions on Education Day. Go HERE for more detailed session titles and descriptions, lists of presenters, and the time and place for each of these sessions.
Navigating Attacks on Your Store, by Philomena Polefrone of ABA. Learn best practices and strategies for dealing with harassment, threats, vandalism, and other attacks targeting your curation and events.
More Than Books: The Art and Impact of Buying Sidelines. In this practical, fast-paced session, we’ll explore how gift items and non-book merchandise (aka "sidelines") can drive traffic, increase margins, and deepen customer loyalty.
It's Getting Hot In Here: What Romance Readers Want You to Know. We all know that Romance is big business, but how much do you really know about the genre? Learn about the terminology, trends, and tips to help you serve your Romance customers.
Books and ...: Hybrid Store Models. We’ll talk about a variety of bookstore hybrids, the unique challenges faced by hybrid bookstores, and the additional ways hybrid bookstores play a role in their communities
Author Events: A Crash Course. Why host author events? And more importantly. . . how? Whether you have a vision for hosting 30 events a year or 300, store event staff and publisher reps will lead a discussion to demystify the process and identify best practices.
Taking Care of Your LGBTQIA+ Staff. Crowdsourced resources to ensure your booksellers and librarians are feeling safe and supported at work will be presented by our panelists.
Creating Immaculate Vibes: Applying Retail Experience Design to Bookstores. Explore how intentional design choices—from layout and lighting to signage and scent—can transform a bookstore into a space that invites discovery, community, and communicates your brand.
Capturing Middle Grade Readers--Meeting Them Where They Are At and Creating a Love of Reading. Enticing middle grade readers means raising the next generation of readers (and writers, booksellers, and neighbors!).
Saving Time as a Buyer. Strategies for how to tame your buying to-do list by working more efficiently and making the most of the time you have to spend on your buying duties.
Your PNBA Education Committee has reviewed feedback from prior shows, conducted surveys, put out a request for pitches for educational programming, and worked hard to connect with potential experts, all to bring you a well-rounded program of informative sessions on Education Day. Go HERE for more detailed session titles and descriptions, lists of presenters, and the time and place for each of these sessions.
Navigating Attacks on Your Store, by Philomena Polefrone of ABA. Learn best practices and strategies for dealing with harassment, threats, vandalism, and other attacks targeting your curation and events.
More Than Books: The Art and Impact of Buying Sidelines. In this practical, fast-paced session, we’ll explore how gift items and non-book merchandise (aka "sidelines") can drive traffic, increase margins, and deepen customer loyalty.
It's Getting Hot In Here: What Romance Readers Want You to Know. We all know that Romance is big business, but how much do you really know about the genre? Learn about the terminology, trends, and tips to help you serve your Romance customers.
Books and ...: Hybrid Store Models. We’ll talk about a variety of bookstore hybrids, the unique challenges faced by hybrid bookstores, and the additional ways hybrid bookstores play a role in their communities
Author Events: A Crash Course. Why host author events? And more importantly. . . how? Whether you have a vision for hosting 30 events a year or 300, store event staff and publisher reps will lead a discussion to demystify the process and identify best practices.
Taking Care of Your LGBTQIA+ Staff. Crowdsourced resources to ensure your booksellers and librarians are feeling safe and supported at work will be presented by our panelists.
Creating Immaculate Vibes: Applying Retail Experience Design to Bookstores. Explore how intentional design choices—from layout and lighting to signage and scent—can transform a bookstore into a space that invites discovery, community, and communicates your brand.
Capturing Middle Grade Readers--Meeting Them Where They Are At and Creating a Love of Reading. Enticing middle grade readers means raising the next generation of readers (and writers, booksellers, and neighbors!).
Saving Time as a Buyer. Strategies for how to tame your buying to-do list by working more efficiently and making the most of the time you have to spend on your buying duties.