COMICSPRO ANNUAL
MEMBERSHIP MEETING 2017
The next ComicsPRO Annual Membership Meeting will be held February 16 - 18 2017 in Memphis, Tenneesee.
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Ross Richie founded BOOM! Studios in the spare bedroom of his apartment in June of 2005. Since then, BOOM! has won Diamond's "Best Publisher" Gem Award the last 7 out 8 years, had five New York Times Best-Selling graphic novel series (Mouse Guard, Lumberjanes, Adventure Time, Irredeemable, and Clive Barker's Hellraiser), been awarded a slew Eisner and Harvey Awards, and a GLAAD Media Award. Richie was a Keynote Speaker for The Harvey Awards, a judge for the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, and a guest columnist for The Hollywood Reporter. Richie produced the film 2 Guns starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg based on the BOOM! comic book. Under Richie's leadership, BOOM! has grown to four imprints including the award-winning graphic novel publisher Archaia, which it acquired in 2013.
SCHEDULE
Final schedules will be handed out at the conference.
2/15 Wednesday
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Registration 2nd Floor Oxfor
Welcome Reception 1st Floor
(Sponsored by Eaglemoss) Magnolia Ballroom
2/16 Thursday (Retailers, Marvel, DC, Diamond only)
Note: Gatlingburg is the break room. There will be drinks, light snacks, and places to sit between programs.
8:30 AM – 9:15 AM Registration - Light Snacks 2nd Floor
No breakfast will be served Heritage Foyer
9:15 – 9:30 Welcome 2nd Floor
Heritage II, III, IV
9:30 – 10:55 Marvel Comics Q&A with Marvel SVP David Gabriel 2nd Floor
(Retailers Only) Heritage II, III, IV
11:00 - 12:00 Closed Membership Meeting (Members only). 2nd Floor
Heritage II, III, IV
12:00 - 1:20 Retailer Lunch (Retailers Only). 1st Floor
Taste of Italy Buffet Magnolia Ballroom
1:30 - 2:30 Diamond Comics Distribution Q&A 2nd Floor
Heritage II, III, IV
2:40 - 7:00 DC Comics (Retailers Only) 2nd Floor
Heritage II, III, IV
2:40 Welcome and intros
2:50 Editorial presentation with Publishers
3:30 Publishers Q&A
4:00 – 4:15 Break (Snacks)
4:15 DC Collectibles presentation
4:45 DC Collectibles Q&A
5:00 – 5:15 Break
5:15 Sales & Trade Marketing presentation
6:00 Sales & Trade Marketing Q&A
6:40 Giveaways
7:30-9:20 DC Dinner (Retailers Only) 1st Floor
Buffet: Southern Comfort Magnolia Ballroom
Fresh greens with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and carrots, ranch and red wine vinaigrette
Pineapple cole slaw, Memphis honey bbq ribs, Barbeque chicken, Pasta Primavera, Crispy jojo's, Collard greens braised with smoked turkey legs, Corn on the cob, Warm rolls, Pecan pie, southern peach crisp
9:30 - 10:30 Dark Horse Welcome Reception (Retailers and Vendors) 2nd Floor
Heritage Foyer
2/19 Friday
Note: Gatlingburg is the break room. There will be drinks, light snacks, and places to sit between programs.
7:30 AM Vendor Registration 2nd Floor
Heritage Foyer
8:15 AM – 9:45 Breakfast 2nd Floor
Downtown Memphis Table Breakfast Buffet Heritage II, III, IV
Assorted breakfast breads, pastries, muffins, and croissants
Butter and fruit preserves, Sliced seasonal fruits, Granola with yogurt, Dry cereals with assorted milks, Bacon, Scrambled eggs, Breakfast potatoes O'Brien, Buttermilk biscuits with homemade sausage gravy, Oatmeal with crasins, brown sugar, and toasted almonds
8:25 Showcase Vendor Shout Out (5 min)
8:30 Hero Initiative (5 min)
8:35 Titan Comics (10 min)
8:50 Action Lab (10 min)
9:05 Space Goat (20 min)
9:25 Devil’s Due (10 min)
9:50 - 10:35 Workshops Workshops
Hiring, Training, and Managing Staff with an eye to increasing 2nd Floor
the bottom line Jackson
Finding the right employees can be difficult. Jenn Haines, of the Dragon, will give you tips on how to hire, train, and manage employees to run the store day to day, leaving you free to improve the profitability of the business. (Topics may include: interview questions, workplace resources, training and evaluations, etc.)
Using the Calendar to your advantage 2nd Floor Chatanooga
We know you celebrate Free Comic Book Day! But how about Local Comic Shop Day®? Or Banned Books Week? Children’s Book Week? Reading Without Walls? Jack Kirby’s birthday? Learn to profit from the calendar. Celebrating Anniversaries and Commemorative Days can bring in new customers and reward existing customers. This panel will provide a calendar and a hand-out of event suggestions. Hosted by Gina Gagliano (First Second Books), Tucker Stone (Nobrow), Alex Cox (CBLDF), and Jim McLauchlin (Hero Initiative).
INCREASING REVENUES, DECREASING COSTS: BRAINSTORMING 2nd Floor
Knoxville
Please join Joe Murray (Captain Blue Hen Comics), Marco Davanzo (Alakazam Comics), and Jen King (Space Cadets Collection Collection) as they lead the audience in brainstorming ways to increase revenues and decrease costs in your stores. We will use retailer feedback from the most recent retailer survey as a starting point.
10:45 – 11:00 Keynote Speech - Ross Richie 2nd Floor
Heritage II, III, IV
11:00 – 11:15 Industry and Memorial Awards Presentation 2nd Floor
Heritage II, III, IV
11:15 - 11:45 Industry Discussion 2nd Floor
Heritage II, III, I
11:50 – 12:30 Workshops
Expand your customer base: Work with Schools! 2nd Floor
Jackson
Jenn Haines, of the Dragon, will walk you through the graphic novels presentations she takes to schools at the elementary and high school levels. She will show you how discussing the language of visual storytelling will not only engage kids to come to your store, but also show teachers how they can incorporate comics in their classroom, leading to increased library purchases. (Topics may include: which books to feature, how to differentiate the presentation for different audiences).
Using Social Media to drive customers into your shop 2nd Floor Chatanooga
Hang out with John Dudas (Carol and John's), Joe Field (Flying Colors), and Bret Parks (Ssalefish) as they talk you through some of the ways you can inspire your customers to shop local and engage the culture of your shop. From planning out a social media strategy, to creating engaging posts, along with tips on how to deal with situations that get out of control. Learn from their mistakes and let's make Wednesdays great again! (This presentation will include lots of take away information from Facebook on page moderation, popular apps to create engaging posts, and a trimmed down blueprint class path specifically for small businesses).
Sell more Young Adult (YA) graphic novels! 2nd Floor
Knoxville
In the early 2000s, the bookstore market underwent a radical change -- the emergence of a teen category. Buoyed by books like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Fault in Our Stars, stores and libraries all over the country developed separate reading sections for teenagers, and YA books have become one of the fastest-growing categories in publishing ever since. After the success of kids sections in comics stores, how can stores build the readership for the next level of YA readers? This discussion will provide suggestions and a book list for creating a YA section. . Hosted by Gina Gagliano, First Second Books, and Filip Sablik, BOOM! Studios.
12:40 – 1:55 Lunch 2nd Floor
Buffet: South of the Border Heritage II, III, IV
Vegetarian Chowder, Field greens with diced peppers, mandarin oranges, tomatoes with cilantro lime vinaigrette and ranch dressing, Fire roasted corn and black bean salad, Seasoned ground beef, Chicken fajitas, Soft flour tortillas and hard taco shells, Shredded lettuce and cheese, Guacamole, salsa, and sour cream, Refried
12:50 Valiant (15 min)
1:05 IDW (20 min)
1:30 BOOM (20 min)
2:00 – 3:30 Roundtables (see Roundtable Assignment pages)
8 roundtables 1st Floor
Magnolia I
8 roundtables 1st Floor
Magnolia II
8 roundtables 2nd Floor
Heritage I
8 roundtables ` 2nd Floor
Memphis AND Natchez
3:30 – 3:45 Break – Snacks 2nd Floor
Heritage Foyer
3:45 – 4:50 Sponsor Presentations 2nd Floor
3:45 Oni (10 min) Heritage II, III, IV 3:55 Lion Forge (10 min)
4:05 Aftershock (10 min)
4:20 Dark Horse (15 min)
4:35 Image (15 min)
5:00 – 6:30 Roundtables (see Roundtable Assignment pages)
8 roundtables 1st Floor
Magnolia I
8 roundtables 1st Floor
Magnolia II
8 roundtables 2nd Floor
Heritage I
8 roundtables ` 2nd Floor
Memphis AND Natchez
6:30 - 8:30 Break for Dinner (On your own)
8:30 CBLDF Cocktails 2nd Floor
Heritage II, III, IV
9:00 Auction to Support CDLDF 2nd Floor
Heritage II, III, IV
2/18 Saturday
7:30 Bus load-in for Diamond Warehouse Tour. Meet Outside
We leave at 8:00 on the dot.
8:00 AM – 10:20 AM Diamond Warehouse Tour. Olive Branch
Refreshments at the warehouse
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM Light Snacks/Not Breakfast 2nd Floor
For those that don’t go on tour Heritage Foyer
10:45 AM – 12:05 PM Roundtables (see Roundtable Assignment pages)
8 roundtables 1st Floor
Magnolia I
8 roundtables 1st Floor
Magnolia II
8 roundtables 2nd Floor
Heritage I
8 roundtables ` 2nd Floor
Memphis AND Natchez
12:05 PM – 12:20 PM Break 2nd Floor
Heritage Foyer
12:20 AM – 1:40 PM Roundtables (see Roundtable Assignment pages)
8 roundtables 1st Floor
Magnolia I
8 roundtables 1st Floor
8 roundtables 2nd Floor
Heritage I
8 roundtables ` 2nd Floor
Memphis AND Natchez
1:40 - 2:10 Closed Membership Meeting (Members only) 2nd Floor
Boxed Lunch Sandwiches Heritage II, III, IV
Ham & Cheese, Roast Turkey or Grilled Vegetable Wrap
Pasta Salad, Chips, Cookies, Bottled Water, Soft Drinks
2:10 End of Meeting
HOTEL RESERVATIONS
The 2017 Meeting will be held at the Downtown Memphis Sheraton in downtown Memphis. Reserve your room by January 12, 2017 and get the preferential ComicsPRO meeting rate of $135/night.
https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/events/start.action?id=1609304084&key=13C60DD4
ABOUT THE COMICSPRO ANNUAL MEETING
Join us for what has become one of the most important retailer gatherings in the industry! Retailers, publishers, distributors and vendors gather to discuss major industry issues and to develop ways to improve our market. All retailers, and all vendors interested in reaching comic book retailers, are invited. ComicsPRO members also use this meeting as an opportunity to discuss the organization's current projects and plans. Help plan the direction of your trade association, and get involved in the discussion that kicks off the industry's year at our Annual Meeting!
HOW CAN MY COMPANY PARTICIPATE?
Comic Book Stores:
Comic Book Retailers can register online. The registration fee is discounted for ComicsPRO members, but you do not have to be a member to attend! Attendees must be able to represent their company in votes and decisions during the discussion, so if you are a comic book store employee, the store owner must designate you as a company representative. Meals are included in your registration fee, and all retailer attendees are presented with a gift bag of product donations from our sponsors!
Publishers, Distributors and other Vendors:
Publishers, distributors and other vendors interested in working with the industry's most progressive retailers are invited to attend the AMM as Official Sponsors. Please contact marco@comicspro.org for more information.
VENDORS PARTICIPATING
A full list of participating vendors will be released as we get closer to the meeting. For the most up to date list, visit 2017 Meeting Sponsors
ROUNDTABLE VENDORS (32)
Action Lab
AfterShock Comics
Anomaly
Archie Comics
Ata-Boy
BCW Supplies
BOOM! Studios
CBDLF
CGC
Dark Horse
DC Comics
Devil's Due/1First Comics
Diamond Comic Distributors
First Second Books
Graphitti Designs
GTS Distribution
Hero Initiative
Humanoids
IDW Publishing
Image Comics
Lion Forge
NBM/Papercutz
Nobrow
Oni Press
Poster Emporium
Scout Comics
Skybound
Space Goat
Titan Comics
Valiant Entertainment
VIZ Media
Zenescope
SHOWCASE VENDORS
Bonfire Marketing
Fansets
Guardian Kinght Studios
ReedPOP
The Collection Drawer Co