PLA Board of Directors
Annual Conference 2011
2011.70
Date: June 10, 2011
To: PLA Board of Directors
From: Linda Bostrom
Manager of Professional Development
Melissa Faubel Johnson, CMP
Conference Manager
Re: PLA 2012, March 13 – 17, 2012, Philadelphia, PA
Plans are progressing on schedule for PLA 2012 to be held in Philadelphia, PA, March 13 – 17, 2012.
Exhibits
Currently, there are 200 exhibitors confirmed in 554 booths and one table top, and additional 26 companies holding 60 booths. This compares to 231 companies in 632 booths and one table top for the 2010 conference. We expect sales to pick up after Annual Conference and into early fall.
Registration
PLA will open “pre-registration” on July 13th in order to meet fiscal year deadlines. This is for main conference registration only. Housing reservations, as well as preconference and special event registration will be available in September.
PLA is outsourcing registration to Experient. Experient has handled conference housing for the past 5 PLA conferences and manages registration/housing for ALA Annual and MidWinter as well as the other division conferences.
Programs
During its meetings at the ALA 2011 Midwinter Meeting and in post-meeting work since then, the PLA 2012 Conference Program Subcommittee approved about 100 programs and 5 preconferences of the 320+ total proposals that were submitted. Since then, an additional 20 new programs and 5 preconferences have been created or are in process. A complete list of the committee-recommended preconferences will be available onsite in New Orleans, for the Board’s approval.
Talk Tables have been renamed ConverStations and applications are currently being accepted for those sessions. Deadline for submission is July 15, 2011.
Special/Meal Events
The following events are confirmed for PLA 2012:
Book Buzz Junior
Wednesday, March 14, 8:30-10am
Open to all conference attendees
Nancy Pearl presents “Book Buzz”
Wednesday, March 14, 10:30-noon
Open to all conference attendees
Adult Author Lunch with Joyce Carol Oates
Thursday, March 15, 12:15-1:45pm
Sponsored by HarperCollins
Ticketed event – pre-registration required
Children’s Author Lunch with Jerry Pinkney
Thursday, March 15, 12:15-1:45pm
Sponsored by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Ticketed event – pre-registration required
Audio Publishers Association Dinner with Carl Hiaasen, Wanda McCaddon, Lisa Scottoline & Karin Slaughter
Thursday, March 15, 6-8:30pm
Sponsored by AudioGO, Books on Tape/Random House, Macmillan Audio & Tantor Audio
Ticketed event – pre-registration required
PLA staff is working with publishers and agents to secure speakers for the Opening/Closing Sessions as well as the remaining luncheon slots.
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