Renamed retailers’ gathering offers inspiration, training and business in Orlando, Fla., next month

Christian Retailing magazine’s annual event for church and independent Christian bookstore managers and staff is getting a new focus and a new name.

Formerly known as The Gathering, the three-day program of inspiration, training and business will become Retailing ReBoot, scheduled for April 26-29.

To be held in Orlando, Fla., the conference theme will be “Engaging Without Limits,” looking at how retailers can connect more closely with God, with their customers and suppliers.

Workshops will address issues such as digital publishing, social media and growth categories, with leading retailer and supplier representatives taking part in panel discussions. The event will also feature an authors’ reception and the announcement of the winners of the magazine’s 2011 Retailers Choice Awards.

“We all know that consumers have multiple options for purchasing Christian products these days, but with all the developments in digital publishing it is more pressing than ever that stores look at what they need to do to remain relevant,” Christian Retailing Publisher Dave Condiff said.

“It’s imperative that they engage more closely with their suppliers and learn more how to serve their customers where they, the customers, are,” he added. “We want to provide a place where we can learn from each other some ways to do that—and from a foundation that is our trust in God to lead and guide us.”

Condiff said that the new name for the event was intended to capture the importance of updating retail practices. In addition, though The Gathering had been open to independent and other Christian retail stores for the past couple of years, since it had begun as The Gathering of Church Bookstores in 2005, some people still thought it was only for church-based retailers.

“Everyone involved in Christian retailing in its different forms is being impacted right now, and we want to learn from and encourage each other,” he said.

Last year’s event drew around 300 bookstore representatives and suppliers to Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky. In addition, the program included lunchtime discussions on e-books and bargain books, inspirational messages, more than nine hours of exhibition time for 90-plus exhibitors and an autograph party with 29 authors and artists.