Munce Group's members-only show 'reinforced importance of independent Christian retailing'

The mood of retailers and suppliers for last month's Munce Group's Christian Product Expo (CPE) was "upbeat, yet realistic," according to officials from the marketing group.

"The reality is that it is still a tough economy," Munce Group Chief Operating Officer Kirk Blank told Christian Retailing. "There was a great variety of retailers and vendors who were either up, flat or down. Through it all, every retailer is committed to their ministries, businesses and communities.

"Every message from the speakers and artists reinforced the importance of independent Christian retailing—and the impact that independent Christian retailers have in their communities," Blank added.

Held Sept. 13-15 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro, Tenn., CPE opened with a Bible conference featuring Kay Arthur. The keynote speaker was author Emerson Eggerichs, with Stan Toler and Ernie Haase & Signature Sound among the authors and artists in attendance.

Blank said retailer attendance was nearly identical to last year's CPE, a Munce Group members-only show. "We did experience an increase in exhibiting vendors," he said. "The increase in vendor attendance is due to the fact that typically one sales rep cannot handle the amount of order-writing alone. The Munce Group stores write significant amounts of orders on the exhibit floor."

Michael Turner, director of products and markets for New Day Christian Distributors, said he looks forward to exhibiting at CPE.

"Their shows are always our favorite and the best," he said. "We are an independent distributor, and we love serving independent Christian retailers. This CPE has been an excellent show for making connections with retailers and certainly, without a doubt, for writing significant orders."

Paul Dlouhy, manager of national accounts for EMI CMG, said the music company "received strong orders" at the event. "This has been the best show I've ever attended. CPE is well-organized," he said. "The Munce Group retailers are the nicest and most excited retailers that I've seen."

Joy Myers of Joy's Christian Store in San Clemente, Calif., said she was recharged at the event.

"The facility was great," Myers said. "Munce has always done a great job of organizing and running CPE. I have been encouraged beyond words. Kay Arthur and the Bible conference was life changing."

Jennifer McClelland of Danville Christian Store in Danville, Ky., agreed. "The way Munce has structured this show, it's easy to write orders, and the reimbursement plan is fantastic," she said.

Munce emphasized order writing at CPE by motivating retailers with a reimbursement program that helped to offset travel, food and hotel expenses, based on reaching order-writing goals. Munce serves more than 600 member stores in 49 states and in Canada.

Formerly called CPE Regionals East, Munce Group's CPE Hershey is scheduled for Jan. 17-19, 2010, at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa. Open to all independent Christian retailers, the event will feature as the keynote speaker best-selling author David Jeremiah—who dropped out of the Murfreesboro CPE due to his wife's surgery.

New Bible products from Zondervan and Thomas Nelson seek to engage people 'really hungry for the Word in every way and format'

The Bible once again leaps from the printed page this month as publishers continue to deliver God's Word in modern formats.

Releasing from Zondervan, the Glo Bible is the latest software product aiming to marry the Scriptures with new technologies. With a suggested retail price of $79.99, Glo has three DVDs, allowing users to experience the Scriptures through five "lenses" —the Bible, using the New International Version; an atlas, to see where major Bible stories happened; a timeline, with the ability to view the events chronologically and visually; topical, with searches of keywords and articles by scholars and teachers; and media, which includes a large collection of HD video, art and more. Included in the set are 7,500 encyclopedia articles, almost 2,500 photos and more than 450 virtual reality tours.

Nelson Saba, creator of Glo and CEO of Immersion Digital, said that the goal of Glo is to engage those increasingly focused on digital media.

"We have entire generations that were born into a digital world, and if you don't take the Bible to their world, they will become disconnected from it," he said. "If you're going to tap into those generations, you really have to have a product that will allow them to experience the Bible, to look for things the way they are used to looking for things on the Web."

Saba, who also created the best-selling iLumina Bible software for Tyndale House Publishers, visited this summer's International Christian Retail Show to preview Glo for Christian retailers, who will get a head start on sales because the product will debut first in the Christian retail channel.

Dan Merrell, chief marketing officer of Immersion Digital, said that if the track record of iLumina—selling 25% of its total sales in its first three months—holds true for Glo, "retailers are going to have a great opportunity."

One unique element of Glo is its ability to be expanded and adapted through integrated information from Bible publishers through online "Glo Stores," which will feature add-on packs such as animations and various translations, Merrell said.

"People are excited about the possibilities of this, not only as a personal engagement tool but as a platform to publish all forms of content," he said. "Publishers can push whatever type of content they want and connect it to the five lenses so that any piece of content can show up as a result of whatever a user is studying."

Meanwhile, the complete edition of The Word of Promise Audio Bible—retailing for $124.99—was to be released this month by Thomas Nelson. The follow-up to The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible—which received the Book of the Year award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) in 2008—the new release includes the full text of the Bible, with dramatic performances by well-known Hollywood actors such as Richard Dreyfuss, Gary Sinise, Jason Alexander and Jon Voight.

Carla Ballerini, vice president of marketing for Nelson's Bibles group, said she was expecting a big launch for the product and that the company was targeting listeners "beyond the traditional Bible buyer." The key factor in connecting customers with the new Bible would be to move beyond simply telling them about it, she added.

"Everything we're doing is all focused on allowing the consumer to experience the product before deciding if it's the right one for them," she said. "All of our purchase displays will have on-the-spot audio sampling, and we will still have our toll-free number where you can call and listen to samples."

Like Saba, Ballerini believes the end result is connecting new, technologically inclined generations with the Bible.

"We're at a time when people are really hungry for the Word," she said. "They're hungry in every way and format. We've never had a better opportunity to deliver it to them."

Featuring both first editions and repackaged best-sellers, the 12 titles include regular and large print editions of the NIV Study Bible, Large Print King James Version, The Busy Mom's Bible, The Adventure Bible and The Beginner's Bible.

The move follows CBA's decision not to repeat its January Industry Conference and is the latest change in the industry's evolving trade show calendar.

The free places at the event to be hosted by Southeast Christian Church are being offered to stores that participate in the Virtual Christmas Showcase, the publication's latest online initiative.

During the Sept. 15 celebration, Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy was presented with a guitar by local artist Wendy Lawson and Howard Books Vice President and Publisher Jonathan Merkh. The guitar--decorated with graphics of Nashville, Simon & Schuster and its parent company, CBS--will be displayed in Simon & Schuster's New York offices.

"It's wonderful to see more companies working in partnership," CBA President and CEO Bill Anderson told Christian Retailing. "This is the way the body of Christ should work together."