NCBA 2015 Education/General Sessions
Tuesday Education
Keynote Session featuring Cheryl Strayed
General Session
Gary Jones, NCBA President and Cheryl Strayed, Author of Wild
Please join us as we Boldly Go into the Future! At The 2015 Annual Meeting and Trade Show. This year's keynote speaker will be author Cheryl Strayed, renowned American memoirist, novelist and essayist. Strayed's personal essays have been published widely in national magazines and journals and have twice been selected for inclusion in The Best American Essays. She won a Pushcart Prize for her essay "Munro Country," and her second book, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail which has been translated into more than thirty languages was number 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list for seven consecutive weeks. Oprah Winfrey announced that Wild was her first selection for her new Oprah's Book Club 2.0 and it has been made into a major motion picture starring Reese Witherspoon. Cheryl will be talking on many subjects including material from her new book Brave Enough a collection of quotes-­‐-­‐
drawn from the wide range of her writings-­‐-­‐that capture her wisdom, courage, and outspoken humor. Around the world, thousands of people have found inspiration in the words of Cheryl Strayed, who in her three prior books and in her "Dear Sugar" columns has shared the twists and trials of her remarkable life. Her honesty, spirit, and ample supply of tough love have enabled many of us, even in the darkest hours, to somehow put one foot in front of the other-­‐-­‐and be brave enough. A copy of Brave Enough will be distributed to everyone in attendance.
What's Hot with Idea Exchange featuring Paula Haerr
General Merchandise/Store Operations
Paula Haerr, VP Retail Services, Connect2One
Looking for great product ideas and What’s Hot trends? Look no further. Our session facilitator Paula Haerr from Connect2One will share insights on trends and hot products from mainstream retailers and college stores nationwide. You can also get into the act by bringing your best-­‐selling products to show off to other attendees: hoodies, tees, accessories, totes, techno gadgets, and more. Whatever’s hot, bring it on for this fun and interactive session. OER Panel Discussion
Course Materials
Ken Brown, Director, PCC Bookstore; Amy Hofer, Oregon Community Colleges' Statewide Coordinator Open Education Library Services; Travis Kibota, Ph.D., Department Chair, Biology, Clark College; Washington Coordinator; Another Faculty Member
Please join us for a moderated panel discussion with various experts on the growing trends in the Open Educational Resources area. We will ask our panel some tough and candid questions on the future of OER's on our campuses. After the session we will open it up to the audience for a question and answer session.
Wednesday Education
The Bookstore ABC's or Actively Building Connections on Campus.
Kaina Barba, Technology & Supplies Buyer & Michae Owenby, GM Buyer, Clark College, WA
General Merchandise/Store Operations
NCBA 2015 Education/General Sessions
In this presentation we would like to share our experience as general merchandise buyers and our methods of reaching out to students, Tuesday Education
faculty, and staff to better build our bookstore business, improve our services, and contribute to our campus community. We will share in-­‐store programs and promotions we’ve created that have added to our bottom line and at the same time built our relationships with our campus partners and students. Our experiences (good, bad, and ugly) using all kinds of promotional methods will be shared for all to see and hopefully learn something to apply in their own stores. Let us know if that would be something you’d like us to do!
Digital Content Product Institute
Course Materials
Tony Ellis, Vice President Industry Advancement, NACS
Learn what's in those access codes you've been selling for years. Join Tony Ellis and our publishing partners for an introduction to what you can learn at the NACS organized and sponsored Digital Content Product Institute (DCPI). This educational program will run concurrently with the Trade Show and will allow Publishers to demonstrate their digital products to the people who sell them on a day to day basis. The DCPI begins with a welcome and introduction session and then will segue into presentations by numerous publishers. The event will be capped off with a final summary session moderated by Tony Ellis in which we will explore the many ways to apply the knowledge we have gained from the vendor presentations. You do not need to attend all sessions of the DCPI in order to participate. Come when your schedule allows.
Inventory Management Systems and POS Roundtable Discussions
General Merchandise/Store Operations
Tony Sanjume, Director of Retail Services, Lane Community College
Please join us for a frank discussion on the ups and downs of your store inventory management software and POS system. These facilitated round table discussions will be divided into three groups: MBS Systems, NBC/WinPrism Systems, and Sequoia/Other systems. In the discussion we will discuss best practices and help formulate a list of enhancements that are important to the people who actually use the system. Our end goal will be to provide our vendors with a short list of items that stores would like to see improved upon or developed.
Thursday Education
NCBA Author Breakfast
General Session
Diana Abu-­‐Jaber, Author
Please join us for this beloved NCBA tradition. At this year's breakfast we will be featuring Diana Abu-­‐Jaber. The author of Birds of Paradise, an Indie Books Pick, as well as of the award winning memoir, The Language of Baklava, the best-­‐selling novels Origin and Crescent, which was awarded the 2004 PEN Center USA Award for Literary Fiction and the American Book Award. Her first novel Arabian Jazz won the 1994 Oregon Book Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. A frequent contributor to NPR, she teaches at Portland State University and divides her time between Portland and Miami. All attendees will be provided with a copy of her new book: Life Without a Recipe.
How and Why to Fight a Lease Takeover
John Gilmore, Chief Revenue Officer, Sidewalk
General Merchandise/Store Operations
NCBA 2015 Education/General Sessions
The Independent store is the most effective provider of value to college students today, and the best route to campus store success. Tuesday Education
But to have any chance of staying independent in the face of current corporate efforts to take over this market entirely, an independent store needs to be ready to present these crystal clear arguments about their value proposition to campus, prove that they are far more innovative than the leased operators, and double down on efforts to lower student prices on textbooks. We’ll hit on tough
lessons learned from those who’ve gone leased against their will, those who regret not fighting harder, and those who’ve come back
from lease to recover student value in the form of an independent store. We’ll hear from stores who’ve succeeded in protecting their
students from corporate takeovers, and talk about what they did to accomplish this. Most of all, we’ll make very clear the arguments
around why to stay independent, and provide additional resources for attendees to prepare for any impending RFP battles.
Digital Driven Strategies/How to Make the Move Towards Digital
Course Materials
Maxine Sarai, Verba; Shannon Goddfrey, Sales & Marketing Director, RedShelf
Come hear about trends in the digital realm in two mini-­‐sessions presented by Verba and Redshelf. Followed by a Q&A
VERBA: Data-­‐driven Strategies: As a trusted source in the industry, Verba will present data collected over the past year on the purchasing habits and decision-­‐making of 3.8 million students actively purchasing textbooks in a price transparent environment. We will analyze the growth of rental sales, new vs. used, what is going on with digital, custom books and more.
REDSHELF: How to Make the Move Towards Digital (eText Trends, Opportunities, and Self-­‐Publishing with your Bookstore): Join RedShelf as they provide insight on why stores should add digital course material options throu gh trends and analytics they've collected. Enhance your students learning environment by integrating with digital platforms that will best fit their needs. They will also provide best practices on making the move towards digital and how to support faculty.
The Future of YOUR Campus Store…It's all up to YOU
General Merchandise/Store Operations
Mark Palmore, Vice President Strategic Services, Nebraska Book Company
Today’s colleges and universities have many options when it comes to the future of the on-­‐campus bookstore. Make sure you and your store teams are making the institutional option the best for your campus. Over the past few years the companies that serve the self-­‐
operated institutional store model have added more product enhancements to increase your course material sales and help you compete with the internet retailers. Attend this interactive session to see how using products such as Dynamic Sourcing, Market Based Pricing, Automated Order Decisions and other value added services can enhance your course material sales and change the future of collegiate retailing. The future of your store is now and it’s all up to you to make it happen for your campus!
Exploring the Future of Course Content Ecosystem on Campus
Course Materials
Tony Ellis, Vice President Industry Advancement, NACS
As professors increasingly use myriad sources and formats of content to support instruction and learning, the larger campus and higher education ecosystem that develops, delivers, maintains, and disposes of course content in support of the faculty must adapt. Learn key findings from the "Mapping the New Course Content Ecosystem on Campus" research project (funded by the NACS Foundation). Discuss what is expected from campus stores in order for the new course content ecosystem to support evolving teaching and learning practice. Explore implications and opportunities for how we can build and nurture that ecosystem.. We must ask and answer critical questions to remain relevant on campus. Let’s advance the conversation together!
NCBA 2015 Education/General Sessions
Bring on the Buzz
Tuesday Education
General Merchandise/Store Operations
Paula Haerr, VP Retail Services, Connect2One
Build traffic and create a buzz with events and promotions. Paula Haerr from Connect2One will showcase outstanding examples from stores of all sizes from across the country for ideas you can implement in your store and in your social media marketing. Is Gold Sitting in Your Backroom?
Course Materials
Matt Schleede, Course Material Manager, University Book Store, Inc., U of Washington/Other Store TBD
A how to for selling store course materials backstock on the internet.
Build Your Bench
General Merchandise/Store Operations
Lara Konick, Chief of Retail Operations, University Book Store, Inc., U of Washington
Join us as the Human Resources and Retail Operations manager for one of the largest bookstores in the country discusses best practices in the field of human resources as applied to the college bookstore industry. This session is designed for new staff members, long time managers, and everyone in between. Topics will include staff assignments & responsibilities, engaging your team, and preparing our future college store leaders. Rental Strategies
Course Materials
Peggy Bollenbaugh & Linda Reling, Course Materials Buyers, Titan Store at LCC
Join us as Peggy and Linda present how one store tackles the task of assembling a rental book list from 6+ wholesalers by using Verba and other such tools. Session to be followed by a Open Forum on best practices for renting books in your store.
How to Win the Data War Against Amazon
Course Materials
Jim Zaorski, CEO, Sequoia, Inc. and Brian Herlihy, VP Marketing, Sequoia, Inc.
Despite having advantages like a superior location, instant gratification, returnability and competitive prices, university stores have been losing the customer relationship war to vendors like Amazon, who effectively gather consumer data and harnesses this data to drive sales, for years. This session will examine how data is driving competitorsÕ sales, what stores can do to level the playing field, and discuss some of the logistical and privacy issues that need to be surmounted to better compete.
Meet your New College Customer Bookstores
General Merchandise/Store Operations
Jessica James, IndiCo, Channel Development Manager
There’s no such thing as a “typical” college student anymore; fast-­‐changing social, technological, and economic realities have created a unique, new college consumer. We will present proprietary research that identifies the new demographics, buying patterns, habits and preferences, and how they apply to course materials acquisition. Also covered will be new research on faculty attitudes about digital, OER, and custom materials, as well as real-­‐world examples of what collegiate retailers are doing to meet these challenges.