St. Louis show to offer practical help regarding digital technology and social media

Echoing the title of "Meet Me in St. Louis," the classic 1944 romantic musical film starring Judy Garland, CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey is excited to gather with conventioneers in the city, the site of the association's summer show.

Marking its 61st anniversary and hosted in a Midwest location for the first time in years, the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) is being held June 27-30 at America's Center.

"We were in St. Louis in 1979, and had a strong turnout then," Riskey said. "Since most of the industry's store network is in the Midwest and the South, St. Louis should be a very attractive location because it's a more convenient to drive in, and we have secured housing concessions to make lodging and travel more affordable. The city's convention center was recently upgraded to create a positive event experience."

Like last year, the 2010 show runs from Sunday morning to Wednesday lunchtime. With 13 training tracks, CBA has nearly tripled the number of educational offerings—available for free to members.

"There is much to be learned at ICRS," said CBA Chair-elect George Thomsen. "Not just about new products, but much to learn about how our industry is changing, about how to be a better business person in a changing retail environment."

In addition to the free workshops, there is "a tremendous opportunity to engage in dialogue with others and to learn from them," added Thomsen, the manager of church-based The Harvest Store in Riverside, Calif., who takes over the chairmanship of the association in October. "Much of what I have learned about our industry was learned at ICRS and other trade shows."

Riskey said he wants to get conventioneers up to speed on the latest development and information on two hot subjects—digital technology and social media.

"We have two very important and timely themes emerging in our programs this year," he said. "One is creating industry dialogue on the role of Christian stores in a digital age. Many people have been talking about it, and the conversation has been going on for years because of the digital-music transition, but CBA is creating an action-oriented approach to ensure Christian stores are not left out of the technology loop, as occurred with digital music.

"Social media is also an important issue for retailers as consumers are using new communication technologies to connect with friends, families and favorite businesses," Riskey said. "Watch for information on Twitter meet-ups and Facebook games during ICRS."

Besides a General Session and workshops focusing on the role of stores in the digital age and retailers using social media, the show will spotlight bargain product suppliers in the new Bargain Boulevard section of the exhibit floor.

Also new this year is the Family Entertainment Theatre, which will offer attendees a convenient location where they can view movie screenings and learn about upcoming film and DVD projects. Elsewhere, the Debut Avenue section of the exhibit floor will feature new products by suppliers exhibiting at the show for the first time.

Meanwhile, the Marketsquare area of the exhibit floor will again be the central meeting place to conduct international business and rights negotiations at the convention.

"We expect more international buyers at Marketsquare because publishers have been communicating to European companies about ICRS and Marketsquare," Riskey said. "CBA and Christian Trade Association International (CTAI) have cooperated to reach out to Europeans and other internationals who couldn't make it to the London Book Fair."

In April, ash from an Iceland volcano shut down airspace across Europe for five days, causing the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights and travel disruptions for 10 million people, according to European aviation officials.

CBA and Christian Trade are expanding facilities and providing attendees inducements to help cover lost time and money from the incident, said CTAI Director Kim Pettit.

A sneak peak of the third movie in "The Chronicles of Narnia" film series will be offered at ICRS. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is due in theaters Dec. 10.

Saturday, June 26

Always a significant pre-show event, the two-hour Christy Awards reception will start at 7:30 p.m. at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel. Like last year, the 11th annual event will be presented at a dessert reception rather than the traditional banquet affair. Author Lisa Samson, a two-time Christy Award winner and seven-time nominee, will keynote the event.

The Christy Awards honors excellence in Christian fiction in nine categories, and is open to the public as well as to convention-goers. Reservations are available for $30 per person by contacting Donna Kehoe or click here.

Sunday, June 27

The first day of the show, the registration desk will be open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Retail buyers will receive vouchers at registration, and the first 2,000 who redeem them will receive Buyers Bags filled with goodies and coupons.

Scheduled for 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m., the CTAI International Vision Celebration & Luncheon will feature Remi Morgan, pastor of Lagos Province 24 of The Redeemed Christian Church of God in Nigeria and operator of the largest Nigerian Christian products distributor. This is an opportunity to meet attendees from around the world and learn more about what God is doing in other nations.

In addition to workshops on using social media and navigating through today's increasingly digital environment, CBA will spotlight the subject with Digital/Mortar: Store Value in a Digital Age.

Running 3-4:30 p.m., the General Session will feature a panel—including EMI CMG Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President David Crace; Mardel Christian & Education President Jason Green; Evangelical Christian Publishers Association President and CEO Mark Kuyper; Powell's Books Director of Web Stuff Darin Sennett; and Google Director of Strategic Partnerships Amanda Edmonds—discussing the role that stores will play as e-books and e-readers continue to gain popularity.

The Sunday evening service, Worship Him, 6-7:30 p.m., sees Randy Alcorn (Tyndale House Publishers) addressing the audience, while Jeremy Camp and The Museum (both EMI CMG) will lead attendees in worship.

Pacesetter will again be held Sunday, 7:30-9 p.m., featuring Phil Vischer (Tyndale House Publishers) and Fireproof Producer Stephen Kendrick (B&H Books/B&H Publishing Group). The Blackwood Brothers and Sisters (both Daywind Records) as well as Gold City (Provident-Integrity Distribution) will perform in a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Southern Gospel music. Pacesetter will also include the presentation of the CBA Spirit of Excellence Awards, recognizing the industry's most collaborative and innovative practices in the past year.

Monday, June 28

Registration runs from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The 30-minute Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony & Devotion starts at 8 a.m., marking the industry's 61st year with popular speaker and best-selling author Josh McDowell (Harvest House Publishers) addressing attendees to kick off the opening of the exhibit floor. Floor hours Monday will be 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

The Prospective Retailer Seminar, running 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., shows ICRS attendees who are thinking about opening a store how to start a successful business, creating business plans, understand customers, have adequate capital and offer customers the best inventory assortment possible. When the two-day seminar ends, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with sponsoring suppliers to discuss their retail business.

Merchandising Workshop, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., offers eight free merchandising demonstrations in the product categories apparel, fiction, fine art, gifts, jewelry, study Bibles, family entertainment and CBA channel exclusives. As with last year, the 30-minute demonstrations will be led by suppliers as they engage attendees in hands-on exercises for effective showcasing of the products. At press time, the schedule for the demonstrations was not finalized.

Running 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., the CBA Member Luncheon will feature information on this year's Christian retail channel exclusives that the trade association has developed with suppliers, and the winners of the CBA Spirit of Excellence Awards.

From 1:30-2:30 p.m, the workshop New Marketing: Using Social Media to Market Your Store will offer marketing tips for retailers to build an online community.

A General Session, Drill Down: Digital Solutions, also running 1:30-2:30 p.m., will feature a panel of industry leaders and digital experts to discuss the future of the Christian retail store in terms of today's increasingly digital environment.

The popular Children's Product Trends session, to be held 3-4:30 p.m. and led by Mary Manz Simon, will help retailers understand the latest trends and research in children's products in order to improve and grow this category in their store. Product samples will be provided, and retailers must be in attendance to receive them.

Simon has conducted a survey, available by clicking here, on children's resources. Retailers who complete the survey will receive a free copy of the results during her children's workshop.

All are invited to the Prayer for the Industry, to be held 5:30-6 p.m. Prayer will be led by Evergreen Press.

The exhibit floor has a soft close from 5:30-6 p.m.

Tuesday, June 29

A favorite of retailers, The Retailer Idea Exchange Breakfast runs 7-8:30 a.m. as store representatives share what is working in their stores and best practices.

Floor hours Tuesday will be 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The Future of Christian Retail as Told by Your Customers, 8:30-9:30 a.m., will present the latest consumer data and research regarding shoppers' purchasing behavior.

Also 8:30-9:30 a.m., Church Store Specific: Using Social Media to Market Your Church Store will help church retailers to utilize social media to build a stronger community around their stores.

An additional Merchandising Workshop runs 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Church Store Specific: Aligning Church Leadership with Your Ministry, to be held 10-11 a.m., will offer church retailers tips on how they can bring church leadership on board with their stores.

Also in the 10 a.m. hour, Differentiate Your Store with Knowledgeable Frontliners will help retailers train their staff in customer-service disciplines and provide the latest product information from leading suppliers.

The Prospective Retailer Seminar continues Tuesday, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Scheduled from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., the Heart of the Artist Luncheon, sponsored by the Gospel Music Association, will feature performances by Sanctus Real, Matthew West and Audrey Assad (all EMI CMG).

The exhibit floor has a soft close 5:30-6 p.m.

From 6-7:15 p.m., California pastor and best-selling author Francis Chan's Fear God film will premiere at the Roberts Orpheum Theatre, located one block from America's Center. The film is the first installment in the "Basic" DVD series from David C. Cook and Flannel.

Wednesday, June 30

On the last day of the show, participants can register from 7 a.m. to noon.

The exhibit floor opens at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m.

Scheduled from 7-8:30 a.m., the Heart of the Author Breakfast will feature several authors, including Tosca Lee, Robin Caroll and James Rubart (all B&H Publishing Group); Lynn DeShazo, Eleanor Clark and Janet Ruth (WinePress Publishing); Frank Pastore (Tyndale House Publishers); and Brian Zahnd (Charisma House/Strang Book Group).

The workshop New Marketing: How to Reach Your Customers on a Shoestring Budget, 8:30-9:30 a.m., will show retailers how to implement low-budget techniques into their marketing plan.

Also in the 8:30 a.m. hour, Christian Store Day: It's Coming, Are You Prepared? promises to help draw more customers into Christian stores and strengthen retailers' presence in the community with the initiative effort, scheduled for Oct. 23. Christian Store Day is intended "to raise awareness and drive traffic to Christian retail," Riskey said, replicating the "great success" Record Store Days had in drawing consumers to music retailers.

More Merchandising Workshop sessions run 9-10:30 a.m. The last workshops of the day will also target niche areas. In the 10 a.m. hour, Surviving Tough Times: Bargain Book Strategies for Success will help retailers tap into bargain books to help drive traffic and sales.

Also at 10 a.m., Increasing Traffic & Sales Through Book Clubs will focus on increasing foot traffic and sales by offering retailers pointers on how to open their stores as meeting places for church and community groups.

For the final information from CBA on this year's International Christian Retail Show, click here.

For our reports from the show floor, follow Christian Retailing on Twitter. And to receive more detailed show news, sign up for our free e-newsletter, Christian Retailing Update, click here.

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VISIT ME IN ST. LOUIS

ICRS host city has plenty of 'must-see options'

Nicknamed the "Gateway to the West" for its role in the westward expansion of the United States, St. Louis offers plenty to see and do for ICRS attendees.

The top must-see stop is the Gateway Arch, the iconic image of St. Louis that towers 630 feet over the Mississippi River. The city received its Gateway moniker in 1965 after the Arch was built as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.

Visitors can take a tram ride to the top, see a documentary and a giant-screen movie, visit the Lewis & Clark exhibit in the museum and shop at the nation's tallest man-made monument.

Within walking distance of the Gateway Arch, Citygarden is touted as an "artistic oasis" in the heart of downtown, blending lush plantings and internationally renowned sculpture on 2.9 acres. With no fences or gates and no admission fee, Citygarden is open year round.

One of the largest urban parks in the country, Forest Park is approximately 500 acres larger than New York City's Central Park. In 1904, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, considered the greatest of the World's Fairs, drew more than 19 million visitors to Forest Park. Recently renovated, the park, which offers free admission, features the Art Museum, St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis Zoo, Jewel Box greenhouse, History Museum and The Muny theater as well as a 7.5-mile biking, jogging and skating path, skating rink and lakes.

Home to more than 22,805 exotic animals, many rare and endangered, the St. Louis Zoo features 800 species and is set in the hills, lakes and glades of Forest Park. Admission to the zoo is free, although there are fees for some attractions.

Also located in Forest Park, the St. Louis Science Center features 700-plus exhibits, the Omnimax Theater, planetarium and traveling exhibitions. There is no admission charge to the science center, but there are fees for some attractions.

Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is the nation's oldest botanical garden in continuous operation and a National Historic Landmark. A center for botanical research and science education, the garden offers 79 acres of horticultural display, including a 14-acre Japanese garden, Henry Shaw's original 1850 estate home and one of the world's largest collections of rare and endangered orchids.

Conventioneers can also visit the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. The tour requires a considerable amount of walking with visits to areas both indoor and outdoor.

"Play ball!" will be heard during Major League Baseball action at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, the most successful National League franchise.

Visitors can cruise the Mississippi River on the Tom Sawyer or Becky Thatcher paddle wheelers. Gateway Arch Riverboats, located at the Gateway Arch Riverfront, offer one-hour cruises, dinner cruises and a two-hour moonlight cruise.

ICRS attendees can also take a tour of Joyce Meyer Ministries, headquartered in the Bible teacher and best-selling author's hometown of Fenton, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.

Source: St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission. For more information, call 800-325-7962, or click here.

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