|
ComicsPRO is hosting a full day of programming at Comic-Con International: San Diego! Join us Friday, July 23 in Room 12, Room 13 and Room 32AB. For our full list of panels, please visit our blog
Visit ComicsPRO at our booth at C2E2! New to retailing or thinking about opening your own store? Join us for our "So You Want To Be A Comic Book Retailer?" panel! (More details coming soon.)
ComicsPRO hosted programming at the 2009 Comic-Con International: San Diego convention
Friday, July 24th:
Room 12
10:30-11:20 Night Flight Presents!
Mimi Cruz-Carroll of Night Flight Comics (Salt Lake City UT) presents an hour packed with ideas for progressive retailers, particularly those who want an edge when working with educators and librarians. Mimi, along with Dr. Robyn Hill, show retailers how to prepare a Supergirl lesson plan aimed at elementary level students. Then, noted author Frank Beddor (Looking Glass Wars) shares the dramatic way he enraptures students with his books and graphic novel, leading to sales! ComicsPRO retailers will receive a special exclusive offer to help sell Looking Glass Wars in their stores.
Room 12
11:30-12:20 Selling More Comics & Graphic Novels: A Forum for Publishers
Publishers large and small--- What makes some comics sell better than others from a retailer perspective? How do you make your comic stand out, get new customers for your book, and get retailers to notice? Presented by ComicsPRO President Joe Field (Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, Concord, CA), and board members Phil Boyle (Coliseum of Comics, FL) and Carr D'Angelo (Earth-2 Comics, Sherman Oaks and Northridge, CA), who combined have more than 50 years of comics retailing experience. Publishers of all sizes, including new publishers and self-publishers, are invited and encouraged to attend!
Room 13
12:30 ComicsPRO Update and Cookie Break!— Hey, comic retailers, creators and publishers! Find out all the latest news about your trade and advocacy group from board members Joe Field, Carr D'Angelo, and Phil Boyle. They’ll fill you in on what plans are in store for ComicsPRO members, what benefits you can reap by becoming a Retail Member or an Industry Partner, and what a difference everyone can make when they pitch in to improve the state of comics' retail. All that and cookies, too! It's a no-brainer!
Room 12
1:00-1:50 Eisner “Spirit” Video Viewing
The Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award is the industry's "Hall of Fame" for progressive retailers. “Spirit” Award facilitator and award recipient Joe Ferrara (Atlantis Fantasyworld, Santa Cruz, CA) shows the video presentations for this year's award finalists, with discussion about each nominated retailer, the store’s display techniques, and the other notable features. Hey, retailers! Steal some good ideas here!
Room 12
2:00-2:50 Comic Book Store Marketing
You’ve got a well-stocked store, so now it’s time to add fuel to your comics’ retailing rocket! Whether using traditional media, social media or e-mail marketing, there are techniques you can use to make your store stand out. Matt Price (Features Editor at The Oklahoman newspaper) and Annette Price, co-owners of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, OK, give you solid ideas to get your message out to the public.
Room 12
3:00-3:50 Cutting Without Hitting Bone
Phil Boyle has owned and operated Coliseum of Comics, a chain of comic & game specialty stores in Florida, since 1983. What started out as a single store of 480 square feet has grown into 5 locations ranging in size from 880 to nearly 5000 square. feet. With locations in malls, strip centers, and stand-alone buildings, and stores ranging from metro areas to rural towns, Phil is familiar with stores of all sizes and make-ups. In this seminar, Phil will touch on some of the ways to save some money, taking a look at the hard choices, and making changes in your business to meet these challenging times.
Room 32AB
4:30 - 6:00 So You Want to Be a Comic Book Retailer?
A Comic-Con tradition! You love comics and want to get into the business, but art and writing are not in your skill set. Have you considered opening your own comic book specialty retail business? You have questions—this panel of experts has answers. Host Joe Field (Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, Concord, CA) is joined by retailers Carr D'Angelo (Earth-2 Comics, Sherman Oaks and Northridge, CA), Chris Powell (Lone Star Comics, TX), Scott Proulx (Double Midnight Comics, Manchester, NH) and Diamond Comic Distributors field sales manager Dave Hawksworth to discuss your future as a retailer of comics and graphic novels.
ComicsPRO 2009 Annual Meeting March 19-21, 2009
Register Today!
Meeting Information
New York Comiccon February 6th-8th Jacob Javitz Center NYC
Join us during the professionals-only hours for retailer-focused programming hosted by ComicsPRO!
Building a Stronger Customer Base: Community Outreach
Friday, February 6th - Panel Room 4 (1A14) 10:00am
Learn to survive these tough economic times by creating a wider base of customers. ComicsPRO presents mechanisms for reaching out to libraries, educators, students and reading groups in your area, focusing on ways to get them into your store. Samples for retailers while supplies last.
Optimizing Your Business: Point-of-Sale Systems
Friday, February 6th - Panel Room 4 (1A14) 11:15am
Discover the ways that an automated point-of-sale system can help save you time and money, and compare the comics-oriented POS programs available today. Free demos while supplies last.
Digital Marketing
Friday, February 6th - Panel Room 4 (1A14) 12:30pm
Learn how to keep up with your customers, capture sales and promote your store in an increasingly digital world. Moving beyond the typical website, discover ways to use paid and free resources on the internet to raise your business profile and your market share.
---
Fans and new entrepreneurs--join us on Saturday for a look inside comic book retailing!
So You Wanna Be A Comic Book Retailer?
Saturday, February 7th - Panel Room 5 (1A17) 11:15am
ComicsPRO brings together retailers with many decades of combined experience to talk to fans and potential entrepreneurs about opening a comic book store. Bring your questions and your notepads! Learn about the ComicsPRO Mentoring Program which helps new retailers open their stores or existing retailers expand into their markets. Free promotional materials while supplies last!
Stop by the ComicsPRO booth for giveaways and great discounts on books about retail and marketing!
Meet us in Baltimore!
Didn’t have a chance to meet with us in San Diego? You’re invited to breakfast, again—this time in Baltimore! Join us for that and other retailer programming at Baltimore Comic-Con. For more information, please click here.
We've got a lot of things planned for Comic-Con International: San Diego!
Besides sponsoring the breakfast, we are hosting a full day of retailer programing. If you are in San Diego, please come by. You can mingle with fellow ComicsPRO members and learn something new. For more information about the program, please click here.
ComicsPRO Membership Meeting 2008, Las Vegas, NV
We're pleased to announce the ComicsPRO Annual Meeting March 19-21st, 2008. For more information visit the Official 2008 Meeting Page, and please click here for
the Registration Form
ComicsPRO Sponsors Black Dossier Tour with UK Artist Kevin O'Neill
Exclusive signing engagements promote highly anticipated graphic novel! Kevin O'Neill, artist of the anticipated original graphic novel LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: The Black Dossier will do an exclusive signing tour covering nine comic specialty stores and one pop culture convention over the course of eight days from November 14 through November 21. The tour begins on the first day of release of LOEG: The Black Dossier in New York City and ends eight days later in Las Vegas, Nevada.
ComicsPRO Membership Meeting 2007, Las Vegas, NV
We're pleased to announce that the first ComicsPRO Annual Meeting will be held at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas from April 11-13, 2007. For more information visit the blog, and please click here for
the Registration Form
Diamond Comics Retailing Summit 2006, Baltimore, MD
ComicsPRO will be present at Diamond Comics 2006 Retailer Summit in Baltimore, MD on September 10th, 11th & 12th. We'll be at booth #805, so for more information about the ComicsPRO organization please come visit us! We'll also
be offering discounted retailing materials to our members!
San Diego ComicCon 2006
Comic-Con International once again offers exclusive programming to our friends in the comics retailing community. In addition to the programs taking place in Room 22, a special Retailer Networking Lounge is set up in Room 21. This room is available to retailers all weekend long. It’s a quiet place to sit and make new friends in the retailer community.
Retailer programming at Comic-Con 2006 has been arranged by ComicsPRO, the Comics Professional Retail Organization. For more information, comic retailers are asked to please attend the ComicsPRO informational meeting on Saturday July 22 at 2:00 in Room 22.
Friday
10:30-11:30 Breathing New Life
Looking for new ideas and new products for your store? Brainstorm with hosts Nancy McCann of Comics Unlimited (Westminster, CA) and Mimi Cruz Carroll of Night Flight (Salt Lake City, UT), as they explore new merchandise lines and display techniques to enhance your profitability. Room 22
11:30-12:30 Screening the Spirit
Each year at Comic-Con, the Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award is given to a deserving retailer. Before this year’s award recipient is announced tonight, join Eisner Retailer Award facilitator Joe Ferrara (Atlantis Fantasyworld, Santa Cruz, CA) to see the videos submitted by this year’s finalists. This is a great way to learn from other retailers. Lots of ideas here, folks! Room 22
12:30-1:30 Breaktime
Take a break in the Retailer Lounge with board members of ComicsPRO, the retailer trade organization that is the advocate for all specialty market storefront retailers. Room 21
1:15-2:30 Retailer Speed Dating
Each table in the retailer lounge will be devoted to a specific topic which may include Store Design/Display Innovations, Advertising & Marketing, Customer Service, Dealing with Book Market Distributors, Staffing issues & Incentives, and others. Every 10 minutes, retailers will move to the next table. During the final 10 minutes, each table's anchor retailer will share some of the best ideas gleaned from this session of retailer "speed dating." Anchor retailers include Chris Powell of Lone Star Comics (Dallas, TX) and Joe Ferrara of Atlantis Fantasyworld (Santa Cruz, CA). Room 22
2:30-3:00 Breaktime in the Retailer Lounge. Room 21
3:00-4:00 Let Get Down to Business!
The business of comic books is flying high right now, but there’s always work to be done and improvements to make. All specialty market comic retailers, publishers, distributors, and other suppliers are invited to this freewheeling forum to talk about business issues facing everyone in the comics’ biz. Room 22
4:00-5:30 So You Want to Be a Comics Retailer?
It’s not just a job—it’s a mission! This panei is always a popular event at Comic-Con because so many have dreams of owning their own comic book store. You have questions, this panel of experts has answers. Host Joe Field, owner of Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff (Concord, CA) will be joined by John Munn from Comic Book Ink (Tacoma WA), Matt Price from Speeding Bullet Comics (Norman, OK), and Dave Hawksworth from Diamond Comic Distributors’ outside sales team to talk about the business of comics. This special Retailer Event is open to the public. If you’ve ever wanted to open your own comic book store, this panel is for you! Room 22.
Saturday
11:00-12:00 Eisner Retailer Videos: A Closer Look
The Spirit of Comics Retailer Award recipient for 2006 will be announced at Friday night’s Eisner Awards’ ceremony. Join retailer award facilitator Joe Ferrara (Atlantis Fantasyworld) as he reviews the finalists' videos to promote a discussion of what all retailers can glean from them. Learn something new! Come on in and borrow from the best! Room 22
12:00-1:00 Comic Book Industry Alliance Meet & Greet
Join Robert Scott (CBIA forum host/moderator, owner of Comickaze, San Diego, CA) in the Retailer Lounge. All industry professionals are invited to learn more about the CBIA (www.theCBIA.com), a valuable online forum that’s a must-use tool for successful retailers, creators, and publishers. Room 21
1:00-2:00 “I Owe How Much?!”
Comic retailers know owning their own business is great! Until they realize how much they owe in taxes. Income tax, self-employment tax, payroll taxes, Social Security and Medicare taxes—where does it all end? Joe Davidson will help retailers try to figure out how to lower their tax bill for the next year. Joe is a Registered Tax Preparer in the state of California and has worked in the tax field since 1997, specializing in personal income tax and payroll tax. Room 22
2:00-3:00 ComicsPRO: Your Retailer Trade Organization
All comic book retailers are welcome! If you are a comic book retailer with a storefront, you need to be a part of ComicsPRO, the only active trade organization specifically for comic book retailers. Amanda Fisher of Muse Comics (Missoula, MT), Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics (Concord, CA), and Chris Powell of Lone Star Comics (Dallas, TX) will talk about what’s happening with the group. Where does membership stand? What benefits are there? What’s up for the future of ComicsPRO? All the answers are here! Room 22
|
