CBA convention's smaller footprint seen as an 'advantage' for retailers, distributors and suppliers

An upbeat mood and positive sales reports were common feedback from retailers, distributors, marketing groups and suppliers regarding CBA's 61st convention.

Lorraine Valk, co-owner of Banner Books Parable Christian Store of St. Joseph in St. Joseph, Mich., said she was "encouraged and blessed."

"In talking with many people, I got the overall feeling that they were extremely pleased with the event and that they viewed the smaller show footprint as an advantage," said Valk, whose store won CBA's top honor for retailing excellence and was recognized for its marketing efforts. "There was more emphasis on content and value than on trying to build the fanciest booth with the biggest wow factor.

"Overall, there was a camaraderie and compassion for one another, including an open dialogue of sharing ideas and visions for the future," she added.

STL Distribution North America President Glenn Bailey liked the venue at the America's Center because "it was the right size for the show."

"An awful lot of venues are just too big for us," he said. "This was very appropriately sized. More stores could drive in because of the location. The traffic in our booth Monday was incredible. … The other two (days) were more at the level of what we had anticipated."

Bailey said that the company had signed up some new accounts. STL clients who had taken space in the outer booths in St. Louis were already booking their spaces for next year, he said.

Whitaker House-Anchor Distributors Sales and Marketing Manager Karen Keisler said its booth was "very busy."

"I didn't think we had a good location," said Keisler, noting that more than 300 rolling tote bags were given away to retailers with qualifying orders. "It's turned out well. We've been busy from the start."

Among publishers absent this year were WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group and NavPress, who joined Thomas Nelson—having also skipped the show in Denver and Orlando, Fla., the past two years.

"It did feel like there were fewer people in attendance than in past years, but we enjoyed great meetings with our customers and valued partners, and always appreciate the face time that ICRS offers," said Verne Kenney, Zondervan's executive vice president of sales. "It's always good to come together as an industry and learn from one another.

"In general, it feels that, as an industry, we've weathered the tough times," he added. "While there are fewer retailers, those who remain are fully committed and excited about their business, as are we. We always evaluate the show at the end of the year and make a decision about the upcoming year, and continue to be strong supporters of (CBA)."

Howard Books Vice President and Publisher Jonathan Merkh said the Simon & Schuster imprint had "a token booth," but did most of the company's business in a hospitality suite.

"We are trying to evaluate our strategy with erasers to the show," he said. "We obviously want to support CBA, but we also want to be wise with our resources, so we are trying to determine what is the value of advertising versus booth space.

"It's challenging," Merkh added. "We don't want to be invisible like some publishers are."

Munce Group President Kirk Blank said ICRS was "always beneficial" because of the appointments he could make with suppliers.

"We were disappointed in the amount of retailers who attended," he said. "The vendors we spoke with noted that sales/orders were down from last year's event in Denver. Many exhibitors mentioned to us that booth traffic was also down—even with the shortened schedule of ending a day earlier and at 3 p.m."

Blank noted that most vendors, including the CBA booth, began to break down their exhibits at lunchtime on the show's last day.

"While there were simply not enough retailers at the show to justify the costs of exhibiting, we do benefit from the interaction with the small amount of retailers who attended and also the supplier partners we were able to meet with," he said.

Jason Anzalone, Kerusso's marketing director, said the convention was "still the premier event for pulling together the entire Christian product industry."

ICRS "is still one of our best venues for connecting face to face with our customers," he said. "It's crucial as part of our customer relations, sales and marketing."

Brenda Harrison, co-owner of Lighthouse Christian Bookstore in Bedford, Ind., said she and her husband, Keith, "loved going to the big show with lots of vendors to see."

"We spent all most all of our time on the exhibit floor," he said. "The retailers I talked to really enjoyed ICRS this year."