Even though it came as a surprise to some booksellers, it didn’t come as a surprise to others: the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association and the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association are contemplating merging shows. The idea, which has been batted about for years, picked up steam after the success of the MIBA’s and GLiBA’s joint spring meeting, held in Milwaukee on March 19. It drew 60 booksellers from 18 MIBA member stores and 12 GLiBA member stores.
According to several attendees at MIBA’s trade show in Minneapolis, MIBA’s seven-member board held a “special meeting” on the exhibit hall floor Friday. The discussion included outgoing GLiBA board president Cynthia Compton of 4 Kids Books & Toys in Zionsville, Ind., who was attending MIBA for the first time. During the meeting, which one participant insisted was simply a casual conversation, an exploratory committee was formed to determine the feasibility of holding just one MIBA/GLiBA trade show each year. MIBA booksellers reported being polled by board members during the show and subsequent reception as to whether they liked the idea of one show that would rotate between Minneapolis and either downtown Chicago or Michigan each fall.
“The decision was made to decide if it’s a possibility,” Carrie Obry, MIBA’s executive director, said in response to PW’s query. “We have to decide if we’d gain more than we’d lose booksellers. MIBA does not want to be in Schaumburg [Ill.], but we’re committed to staying relevant.”
Obry disclosed that the two organizations will be “running financials and checking out contracts” before deciding whether or not to move forward with a joint trade show. MIBA is contracted to hold its show at The Renaissance Hotel in the historic Milwaukee Road train depot in Minneapolis Oct. 4-5, 2012.
Deb Leonard, GLiBA’s executive director since last October, hopes that by merging the two shows into one larger show, both organizations will benefit, including increased support from publishers. “It just makes sense, it’s a way we can adapt to the new reality,” Leonard said Monday morning. She disclosed that GLiBA’s board has been discussing this possibility “for a while” and has been “doing backchannel stuff” with MIBA board members. But, she added, the issue has not been presented to GLiBA’s membership yet, so the news leaking out of MIBA may come as a surprise to them as they prepare to meet at GLiBA’s conference in Dearborn, Mich. on Oct. 14-16.
“We are committed to seeing if it makes sense,” Leonard declared, disclosing that GLiBA has not contracted beyond 2011 in holding its annual trade show, so that MIBA could conceivably host a joint MIBA/GLiBA show in 2012, and GLiBA would host it in 2013.
