Your guide to the educational opportunities at CBA’s summer show

MORE DETAILS: For final information from CBA on this year’s International Christian Retail Show, go to www.christianretailshow.com, and watch for the ICRS brochure coming in the mail. 

Celebrate the Word, Impact the Culture” is the theme for this year’s International Christian Retail Show, celebrating its 62nd year at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center, July 11-13. 

“The theme relates to the heart of Christian retailing built around the core of the Word of God and our work to impact the culture,” said Curtis Riskey, executive director of host CBA. “It also celebrates the 400th anniversary of the King James Version Bible translation, originally published in 1611, and the continued relevance of God’s Word today.”

The training aspects of the show “will be different because they are focusing on the latest issues facing retail, such as effective social-media engagement with customers and others who would be customers,” Riskey said. “Other topics include how to create events that engage your community and not just be another poorly attended book signing, and how to work with authors to drive traffic and increase sales. 

“Also, training will provide skill development in practical retail management and offer a separate new Retail Academy for all retailers and all skill levels.”

Workshops will be a strong element of the show, but retailers can get educated in other ways as well. 

“Special merchandising areas will demonstrate how to build strong category destinations, such as the Thoughtful Books exhibit, a cooperative publisher effort that will show how specialized high-margin titles can attract thinking people and spiritual leaders to your store,” Riskey said. 

Another area will offer advice on preparing for this fall’s Christian Store Week, which has been expanded from a single day. 

CBA’s newly redesigned, two-day Retail Academy is structured for current or prospective retailers asking questions such as: “How do I develop a strong business plan?” “Do I have enough capital?” “Have I chosen the right location?” and “How will I determine my inventory mix?” 

Retailers also will have the opportunity to meet with sponsoring suppliers providing services and products that will help stores build or strengthen their business. 

For retailers who want to learn to use social media to increase store traffic, this session aims to instruct them on leveraging today’s technology to connect with customers. 

Store owners or managers who wonder if their frontliners would feel comfortable leading someone to the Lord in their store will learn how to minister to customers in a retail setting through this session with Aurelio Barreto, founder of Not of This World and C28. Barreto will share real-life examples from his retail chain, where on the sales floor thousands have committed their life to Christ.

1:30 -2:30 p.m.

CBA Workshop: Successful In-Store Events on a Budget

Hosting in-store events can be a challenge. In this workshop, retailers will learn how to be successful in this area by using proven strategies and concepts. Experienced retailers will share lessons learned from their events, from which their stores have not only increased traffic flow but sales as well. 

Participants will also learn how to host a winning Christian Store Day.

1:30-2:30 p.m.

CBA Workshop: Novel Ways to Sell Fiction

Retailers will build on their current knowledge of selling Christian fiction. Along with longstanding best practices, creative and workable ideas collected from retailers and publishing professionals will be introduced. 

3-4:30 p.m.

Children’s Product Trends

Led by children’s author and expert Mary Manz Simon, the annual training event will showcase the latest trends and merchandising ideas in children’s product for retailer owners/managers, buyers and frontliners. Products from sponsoring suppliers will be highlighted, and each attendee will be given a sample of each featured product.

Additional registration is required.

TUESDAY

8:30-9:30 a.m.

CBA Workshop: Successful In-Store Events on a Budget

Repeated from Monday.

8:30-9:30 a.m.

CBA Workshop: Building Recession-Proof Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty can translate to consistent sales even in an economic downturn. In this workshop, retailers will learn strategies to build a sense of community in their stores and establish strong customer loyalty. 

This presentation explores what it means for stores to take educated risks, successfully provide alternative services and select product based on what consumers really want.

10-11 a.m.

CBA Workshop: Increasing Traffic and Sales Through Church Relationships

A panel of industry professionals will aim to help stores understand and connect with the local church in order to grow the store’s value to the church. Topics covered will include how to build relationships with local churches, looking at the church as a buyer of church and office supplies, understanding who attends the church and how to navigate church politics to reach the decision-makers and influencers who make recommendations as to where church members should shop for Christian products.

10-11 a.m.

CBA Workshop: Getting Employees into Their Sweet Spots

This session is for owners and managers who want to find the best new employee and place him or her in the ideal position for her personality and skills. Retailers will learn how to identify what motivates each individual and how to provide him or her with work that draws out a person’s God-given gifts.

10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Retail Academy, Part 2

This is a continuation of the Retail Academy, Part 1 from Monday. Additional registration is required.

3-4:30 p.m.

Retailer Idea Exchange Reception

The Retailer Idea Exchange gathers together retailers for idea-sharing and networking to build up the Christian retail market. 

Additional registration is required.

WEDNESDAY

8:30-9:30 a.m.

CBA Workshop: Increasing Traffic and Sales Through Church Relationships

Repeated from Tuesday.

8:30-9:30 a.m.

CBA Workshop: Finding Your Audience and Building Customer Relationships

Repeated from Monday.

10- 11 a.m.

CBA Workshop: Building Recession-Proof Customer Loyalty

Repeated from Tuesday.

10-11 a.m.

CBA Workshop: How to Grow Sales by Better Understanding the Fiction Publishing Process

This workshop considers how the fiction publishing process affects the Christian retail store’s business. 

ICRS highlights

Launching ICRS this year, the first General Session will see researcher and best-selling author George Barna sharing from his new book, Futurecast: What Today’s Trends Mean for Tomorrow’s World (Tyndale House Publishers), “what he has learned about where the church, the country and the culture is going,” said CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey. Barna will then moderate a panel of retailer and supplier leaders “to make practical sense of the trends for Christian stores,” Riskey said.

As part of the celebration of the Bible at ICRS, the show will feature “Celebrate the Word Bible Legacy,” an exhibit of historic Bibles and biblical artifacts. The exhibit will be open to convention-goers and to the general public. 

In this time of transition for the Christian products industry, ICRS aims to help stores become much “more than just a place to sell things,” Riskey said. Along with the exhibits and training at the show, the Town Center aims to inspire retailers and suppliers to better connect with the church and local communities. 

“As the store becomes a community-gathering place for people of like mind and passion, what happens in the retail environment also must adapt,” Riskey said.

“The Town Center area aims to demonstrate ways to engage local communities and provide compelling store environments,” he said. 

The Retail Innovation Area of Town Center will “inspire retailers with innovative technologies and strategies to connect with customers how they want to be connected with.”

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