According to organizer Rhonda Schneider, they'll be "thinking outside of the book" at this year's Independent Online Sellers' Conference being held in Seattle July 18-21, 2008.
The conference was first offered seven years ago as a means for online booksellers to meet, network, learn from the experiences of others and brainstorm about ways to increase their own business as well as grow the industry overall. A visit to the headquarters of Amazon.com, the online book-selling giant, as well as the chance to meet some of Amazon's executives, helped establish this as a "not-to-miss" event.
Each year the number of attendees has increased as has the scope of the subjects covered, vendor participation and number of presentations both on and off-site. And while the ties to Amazon continue, according to Schneider this year's event will "break out beyond them to include approximately 20 participating vendors" including some that deal with toys, electronics and other compatible merchandise to sell alongside the books.
"While there are some subjects that must be included and covered every year," said Schneider, "we're committed to keeping it fresh and adding to the variety of topics presented."
The conference is designed so anyone involved in online selling can benefit from attending. Broader than books now, the theme of this year's event says it all: "Helping Grow and Improve Your Media or Non-Media Online Business."
"Our target audience includes the one-person independent just starting out all the way up to well-established stores like Half Price Books," she said. "Suppliers, retailers, wholesalers, resellers - we invite them all to participate and ask them to tell us what they want to get out of the conference. But it doesn't have to just be books. Whatever someone needs - online tools, inventory software, bookkeeping systems, packing advice or ways to cut shipping expenses - we try to address every question and help find solutions to each problem faced by any Internet seller."
They also make sure that fun is part of the mix as well.
"The point is to send attendees home feeling that they've learned something. That they got the help they were looking for. That they got their money's worth. But we also want them to have a good time while they're here. The conference is designed with lots of opportunity for social interaction. People at earlier conferences have become lasting friends. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their families or guests and enjoy Seattle while they're here."
The July 18-21 conference, organized by Schneider and Robert Grothe, will be held at the Seattle Airport Marriott with some sessions on Sunday and Monday scheduled at Amazon Headquarters. The cost of the four-day event is $325 if registration is made on or before June 30 and $400 after July 1. Special rates for hotel rooms are available through the Independent Online Sellers' Conference website. Payments for registration or hotel accommodations can be made directly from the site via PayPal or credit card through PayPal.
About the author: Jan Perry is a freelance writer currently living in Northern Kentucky. She has authored a web site review column for The Cincinnati Post for the past 10 years (http://www.perrypostings.com) along with features on everything from rock climbing in Red River Gorge to her wild ride in a Red Baron biplane. She's been an eBay member, buying and selling, since 1997 and a collector of many things just about all of her 56 years. She's in the process of selling a collection/accumulation of more than half-a-million new, used and antique buttons through eBay. She has written an as yet unpublished mystery book and is currently working on her first novel.
