CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20^th

8:00pm – 10:00pm

Cocktail Reception

Broadway 1, 2, 3

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21^st

9:00am – 5:00pm	ImageExpo (not associated with the ComicsPRO Conference)	Left Bank Annex 101 N Weidler Street
6:00pm – 7:30pm	ComicsPRO Registration	Forum Room, 3rd floor
7:00pm – 10:00pm	ImageExpo After Party (not associated with the ComicsPRO Conference) Image is hosting drinks for C-PRO conference attending retailers.   There will be a list at the door.	Jackknife 614 SW 11th Ave.

 

 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22^nd

Retailers, DC, and Marvel ONLY

Hangout Room (with snacks!) – Parlor Room C

VOTING FOR BOARD MEMBERS OPEN ALL DAY

8:30am – 9:30am	ComicsPRO Registration	Ballroom Foyer
9:30am – 9:50am	Welcome	Grand Ballroom I
10:00am – 10:55am	How-to Workshops A	Galleria I, II, III
11:00am – 11:55am	Marvel Presentation (Retailers Only)	Grand Ballroom I
12:15pm – 1:25pm	Retailer Lunch (Retailers Only)     Themed Tables – More may be added. Curating graphic novels and Comics –Ralph Mathieu Ordering Kids/All Ages Comics –Jenn Haines Carrying Manga – Morgana Rhalina Hartman Running a Kid’s Club -Christina Blanch Carrying Games at your store –Tim Stoltzfus Selling Back Issues -Bruce Treat What's next after closing your store -Perry Plush Guerilla selling. Crazy non-traditional outside the store selling -Jen King	Grand Ballroom I   Plated Lunch: Slow-Cooked Turkey, Mixed Green Salad with Mandarin Oranges, Sliced Almonds, and Citrus Vinaigrette, Cornbread Stuffing, Candied Yams, Roasted Cajun Corn.   Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, Coffee Hot Tea   Vegans/Vegetarians: Please ask your servers for the Vegetarian option.
1:30pm – 2:00pm	State of the Industry Discussion (Retailers Only)	Grand Ballroom I
2:00pm – 4:00pm	Break-out Rooms – Solutions! (Retailers Only)	Galleria I, II, III
4:00pm – 5:15pm	Retailer/Creator Meet-up	Grand Ballroom II
5:15pm – 6:00pm	Closed Membership Meeting (Members Only)	Grand Ballroom I
6:00pm – 7:15pm	DC Presentation (Retailers Only)	Grand Ballroom I
7:30pm – 9:00pm	DC Dinner (Retailers Only)	Skyline Room   Buffet Dinner: Chipotle BBQ Chicken, Roasted Sirloin of Beef, Grilled Vegetable Brochettes, Baby Carrots, Roasted Vegetables, Butternut Squash Soup, Pasta Salad, Fingerling Potato Salad, Roasted Yukon Potatoes, 5 Cheese Mac N’ Cheese   Various Deserts, Coffee, Hot Tea   Cash Bar
9:00pm – 10:00pm	Dark Horse Welcome Reception	Atrium

 

 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23^rd

Hangout Room (with snacks!) – Parlor Room C

VOTING FOR BOARD MEMBERS OPEN UNTIL NOON

7:30am – 8:10am	Vendor Registration	Ballroom Foyer
8:15am – 9:30am	Breakfast   8:30 Aftershock 8:50 Titan 9:00 Devil's Due/1First Comics 9:10 Hero Initiative 9:20 Showcase Vendors	Grand Ballroom   Breakfast Buffet: Croissant Sandwich with Ham, Egg & Tilamook Swiss Cheese, Bagels and Cream Cheese, Cereal Bar, Fruits, Greek Yogurts, Fruit Juices, Coffee, Hot Tea.
9:30am – 10:25am	How-to Workshops B	Galleria I, II, III
10:30am – 11:00am	Keynote Speaker – Dinesh Shamdasani ComicsPRO Industry Award ComicsPRO Memorial Award ComicsPRO Unsung Hero Award	Grand Ballroom I
11:00am – 12:00pm	Industry Discussion	Grand Ballroom I
NOON	VOTING FOR BOARD MEMBERS ENDS	Registration Desk – Ballroom Foyer
12:15pm – 2:00pm	Lunch   12:30 Dark Horse 12:50 Art Brand 1:00 Lion Forge 1:20 IDW 1:40 Valiant	Grand Ballroom I   Buffet: Taco and Salsa Bar, Tortilla Soup, Black Bean and Roated Corn Salad, Beef Barbacoa, Pork Carnitas, Fajita Vegetables, Corn and Flour tortillas, Salsas, Queso Fresco, Tortilla Chips, Cilantro Lime Rice, Refried Beans, Deserts. Coffee, Iced Tea.
2:10pm – 3:40pm	Roundtables See Roundtable Assignment Page	Grand Ballroom II Galleria North Galleria South
3:40pm – 3:55pm	Break with Snacks!	Ballroom Foyer
4:00pm – 4:55pm	Sponsor Presentations   4:00 Image 4:20 Eaglemoss 4:30 Boom!	Grand Ballroom I
5:00pm – 6:30pm	Roundtables See Roundtable Assignment pages	Grand Ballroom II Galleria North Galleria South
6:30pm – 8:30pm	Break for Dinner on your own
8:30pm – 9:00pm	CBLDF Cocktails	Grand Ballroom I
9:00pm – 11:45pm	Auction to Support CBLDF	Grand Ballroom I

                              

 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24^th

Hangout Room (with snacks!) – Parlor Room C

8:00am – 9:30am	Breakfast   8:45 Diamond Comic Distributors	Grand Ballroom I   Plated: Country Scrambled Eggs, Applewood Smoked Bacon Strips, Breakfast Potatoes, Pastries, Orange Juice, Coffee, Hot Tea. Vegans/Vegetarians: Please ask your server for the Vegetarian Option.
9:30am – 10:30am	Roundtable Shuffle   Vendors stay at their tables. Retailers can go to any table they want. We recommend appointments.	Grand Ballroom II Galleria North Galleria South
10:30am – 10:40am	Break	Ballroom Foyer
10:40am – 12:10pm	Roundtables See Roundtable Assignments Page	Grand Ballroom II Galleria North Galleria South
12:10pm – 12:30pm	Break with Snacks!	Ballroom Foyer
12:30pm – 2:00pm	Roundtables See Roundtable Assignment Page	Grand Ballroom II Galleria North Galleria South
2:00pm – 2:30pm	Closed Membership Meeting (Members Only)	Grand Ballroom
2:30pm	End of Meeting
4:30pm – 7:30pm	Bus Tour of Local Stores   (post-conference activity)	Pickup at CBLDF Offices 811 SW Naito Pkwy Suite 100

                                                                                                                                                              

 

 

                                 

 

 

 

 

UNOFFICIAL EVENTS (NOT AT COMICSPRO)
If you'd like info re: unofficial events, please contact Publisher or Vendor Directly.

2/21 Wednesday

10:00 AM - 5 PM        IMAGEEXPO  

7PM - 10PM               ImageExpo After-Party      

2/22 Friday
7PM - 8:45PM      Discover your BOOM Studios DRINK UP!                                                                                   Shift Drinks, 1200 SW Morrison St. https://www.yelp.com/biz/shift-drinks-portland
Open invitation / No RSVP needed / No tickets required If you go to this, please be back at the hotel at 9PM for the CBLDF Auction!

                                   

WORKSHOPS

Thursday 10:00am - 10:55am

 

Diversifying into Gaming with a minimal investment

(Galleria I)

Are you interested in diversifying your product mix into gaming but don't know where to start? Are you worried about the vast array of choices? Worry no longer!  Tim Stoltzfus of More Fun Comics and Games and Steve Unverferth of Star Clipper will show you why you should bring in games, what games to start with, and give you strategies for growing the category. Focus will be on how to start selling games with a minimal investment.

Marketing and Social Media Roundup

(Galleria II)

This year's marketing and social media roundup will focus on getting people into your shop, finding ways to fill the financial gap when new comic sales are low, places to acquire new customers, and the importance of keeping your current customer base engaged. Please bring your success stories to share! Presented by John Dudas owner of Carol and Johns (Ohio). In 2015, Yelp selected CNJ’s as one of the top 100 businesses of any kind, even though they have never paid them for any advertising. In 2016 CNJComics was selected by Facebook for their Small Business Council, an honor only 40 business out of 70 million on FB have been selected for.

Sales Diversification: Profitable and Necessary

(Galleria III)

Are you looking to add items to your store that will complement your comics and graphic novels? Are you having a hard time figuring out where to start? Back by popular demand is Jenn Haines (M.A., B.Ed., OCT), The Dragon, Canada. - a trained teacher as well as an Eisner award-winning comic retailer. Known for carrying a diverse selection of products, The Dragon is equal parts comics and games, with a healthy mix of merchandise for the whole family. Jenn will give you constructive steps to develop complementary product lines to help offset a soft comic market.

 

 

 

Friday 9:30am - 10:25am

 

CBLDF: Retailer Rights Workshop Preview & Feedback Session

(Galleria I)

Get a first look behind the scenes of CBLDF's Retailer Rights Workshop, a touring presentation for comic stores and their staff prepared by the Fund's expert legal team! CBLDF's Retailer Rights Workshop covers legal principles related to selling comics and offers practical training for common risk scenarios like police visits, adversarial media visits, protests, and more. This workshop will tour at least ten cities this summer. Preview this valuable workshop, provide your feedback, and share how we can work together to protect the First Amendment rights that make the comics medium thrive!

 

 

21st Century Marketing: Marrying Brick & Mortar with Digital 

(Galleria II)

Learn how to drive traffic, buzz, and sales by using digital / social channels to amplify your in-store efforts. Presented by marketing consultant Scott Perry. Perry has spent years building national marketing campaigns for TV networks, film studios, and record labels at indie retail, from his early days at the Coalition of Independent Music Stores to promoting shows like Rick & Morty, Robot Chicken, My Little Pony, X-Files, and Supergirl at many of your shops.

 

 

Trend or Perennial? Turning This Week’s Hit Into A Perennial Bestseller

(Galleria III)

There's always excitement about new comics! But what are some ways that stores can work with publishers to turn this week’s hit a bestselling perennial backlist title? Gina Gagliano (First Second) and Tucker Stone (Consortium/Ingram) talk about displays, features, events, social promotion, and more for your favorite comics that you want all of your customers to read. 

                                                                    

 

VENDORS ATTENDING

Ace Universe
Action Lab
AfterShock Comics
American Retail Supply
Archie
Art Brand Studios
Ata-Boy
BCW Supplies
Black Bird (Sam Humphries/Jen Bartel)
Black Mask
BOOM! Studios
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
CGC
Collection Drawer
ComicHub
Consortium/Ingram
Dark Horse
DC Comics
Devil's Due/ 1First Comics, LLC
Diamond Comic Distributors
Eaglemoss
Fansets
First Second Books
GTS Distribution
Hero Initiative
Humanoids
IDW Publishing
Image Comics
Lion Forge
Marvel
Max Protection
Microcosm
Oni Press
Papercutz NBM
Pop Up Shops
Ram V.
ReedPOP
Renegade Comics
SitComics
Skybound
Titan Comics
Valiant Entertainment
VIZ Media