Stephen Strang, publisher of Christian Retailing, reflected in Wednesday's Strang Report on the happenings of the International Christian Retail Show in his 30th year of attending CBA's show. Despite the changes in the industry, Strang affirmed that "the independently owned Christian bookstore remains a very important channel."

Though the people he talked with at the show were "generally upbeat," Strang noted the more conservative presence by some exhibitors, saying that the sagging economy is "why some people cut back on the convention by having smaller booths or sending fewer people."

Still, he continues to see value in attending and benefited from "many very important meetings, some of them impromptu, which have resulted in connections and deals that would have never happened otherwise," he said.

Strang spoke of a personal highlight, the good response to a breakfast with key people in the industry "to teach and update them about our new Christian Advertising Network which allows Christian ministries and organizations to take advantage of reaching the millions of Christians who now use the World Wide Web."

He also commented on other company events at the show, including a signing by David Tyree, "the New York Giants player whose amazing catch won the Super Bowl and is the subject of our new book called More Than Just The Catch." Strang called Tyree "a dynamic spiritual Christian," noting that his book releases Sept. 2.

To see the full Strang Report, visit www.strangreport.com/2008/07/report-from-international-christian.html.

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