So… Who Is Going To ComicsPRO Then? And What Are They Up To?

1:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Brewery Tour: Organized by Jenn Haines
and Marco Davanzo

1:30 Pick up from Hilton

1:45 PM Breakside Brewery
1570 NW 22nd Ave.
2:45 Leave.

3:00 Great Notion Brewery
2444 NW 28th Ave
4:00 Leave.

4:15 Gigantic Brewery
5224 SE 26th Ave
5:15 Leave.

5:30 Back to Hilton

Offsite

6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Retailer Registration

Forum Suite

8:00 PM – 8:15 PM

Introduction: John Dudas
Welcome to Portland, Greg Rucka

Galleria South

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Registration + Morning Snacks

Grand Ballroom Foyer

8:30 am

Annual Meeting 101
Administrative Director, Todd Merrick

If you've never been to a ComicsPRO annual meeting, Todd will let you know what to expect.

Grand Ballroom II

9:00 am – 9:10 am

Welcome: Peter Dolan, President of the Board

+ ComicsPRO Board of Directors

Grand Ballroom II

9:10 am – 9:25 am

Staying Healthy While Selling Comics
Atom! Freeman!

• Learn the basics of staying healthy while running a business and a family
• Hear the solutions of many other retailers who have turned their health around
• Discover your personal path to feeling more focused and energetic

Grand Ballroom II

9:25 am – 9:45 am

Get a Life!
Phil Boyle
Free yourself from the daily grind.
Be more effective at your job.

Grand Ballroom II

9:45 am – 10:10

ComicHub Retailer Presentation
Stu Colson
Case Studies + New Features Coming Up + Industry Data

Grand Ballroom II

10:15 – 10:27

Image Comics

Grand Ballroom II

10:30 – 10:46

Boom! Studios

Grand Ballroom II

10:50 – 11:10

Break

Grand Ballroom Foyer

11:10 am – 11:35

Membership Meeting
(ComicsPRO Members Only)
Introduction by Tim Stoltzfus, Director

Marco Davanzo, Executive Director Report

Director Candidates

Open Mic – Any Member

Grand Ballroom II

11:35 – 12:20

Marvel Comics
Introduction: Jenn Haines
David Gabriel
(Retailers Only)

Grand Ballroom II

12:20pm – 1:25pm

Retailer Lunch (Retailers Only)

Themed Tables discussing various topics

Long Term Retailers answer questions to stores open less than 5 years:
Joe Field, Calum Johnston

Social Media on Facebook and Instagram
Timmy Heague

Graphic Novel Fairs (eg Scholastic):
Jonathan Cohen

Selling to Schools/Selling Kids Comics
Andrew Woodrow-Butcher

How a Blind Guy keeps a comic shop open for 27 years plus other Accessability topics
Richard John Early

Selling Old Comics
Bruce Treat, Carr D'Angelo

Creator, Small Publisher Spotlight
Matt Pizzolo

Facebook Live Selling
Jen King

Selling Manga
Christopher Butcher, Morgan Perry

Creator Spotlight
Matthew Rosenberg, Tyler Boss

Marvel
David Gabriel

Dark Horse
Matt Parkinson, Dave Marshall (EIC)

Ask Us Anything!  with Image Comics
Jeff Stang, Kat Salazar

Grand Ballroom I

Mambo Italiano Lunch
(Buffet)

Cabbage White Bean Soup
Romaine Salad with Garlic Croutons and Grated Parmesan
Basil Pesto Penne Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Rosemary Potato Bread with Olive Tapenade
Vegetable Lasagna with Eggplant, Wild Mushroom and Spinach
Braised Chicken Cacciatore with Wild Mushrooms, Onions, and Tomato Sauce
Creamy Soft Polenta and Braising Greens
Sweet Italian Sausage with Roasted Peppers and Fennel
Espresso Panna Cotta
Coffee/Iced Tea

Vegans please ask for Vegan Option

RETAILER

TRACK

(GRAND BALLROOM II)
MC JOE MURRAY

PUBLISHER

TRACK

(GALLERIA SOUTH)
MC ATOM! FREEMAN

Social Media Success Stories:
John Dudas, Eitan Manhoff, Colin McMahon, Marc Bowker, Chris Proulx, Jen King

The State of the Union For Publishers:

Kristen McLean, NPD Group

Join NPD Executive Director of Business Development at the NPD Books practice Kristen McLean as she gives Publishers the 411 on Comic Industry performance, including recent examples of the interaction between books and streaming vldeo, and what these case studies have to say about publishing success in our rapidly evolving cross-platform future

2:15 PM – 2:40 PM

The State of the Union For Retailers:
Kristen McLean, NPD Bookscan

In this session NPD BookScan's Kristen McLean will give us a retailer-centric recap of what happened in the comic market in 2019—what's up, what's down, and what's coming—as well as key trends in the broader worlds of toys books and games you should be thinking about to build your business smarter in 2020.

Board of ComicsPRO Dialogue
ComicsPRO Board of Directors

We will go over the status of various programs that ComicsPRO runs including Local Comic Shop Day and 24-Hour Comics Day. The Board will also be soliciting feedback for a substantial retailer survey that ComicsPRO is launching. Finally, we will be discussing retailer concerns and preparing vendors for Friday and Saturday Programming.

2:45 PM – 3:25 PM

Graphic Novels, Perennials, and Curation
Moderated by Marco Davanzo

Peggy Burns (Drawn Quarterly), Filip Sablik (BOOM!), + Eric Stephenson (Image Comics), Dave Marshall (Dark Horse)

What makes a graphic novel a perennial seller? What do publishers look for in choosing projects? Can comics be perennial sellers? What type of graphic novels sell differently in the book market … in the Direct Market …. online? These and other questions will be answered.

Marketing to Comics Shops: The Basics
Atom! Freeman, Prana: Direct Market Solutions

Atom! Freeman will discuss the basics of building a complete campaign to sell your product into Comics Shops. We'll cover the entire life of a campaign from Announcement to Sell-Thru. We'll review the challenges, current best practices and workshop new solutions.

3:25 PM – 3:45 PM

BREAK (WITH SNACKS)

BREAK (WITH SNACKS)

Kids and Young Adult Graphic Novel Symposium

Moderated by Retailers: Brian Hibbs and Jenn Haines

Panelists: Gina Gagliano (RH Graphic), David Saylor (Scholastic), Mark Von Bergen (First Second)
This symposium will touch on various topics of Kids and YA publishing. Panelists will discuss best practices, successes, failures, what can be learned from other markets, and how the Direct Market and Kids Graphic Novel Publishers can work together to grow Direct Market Sales of Kids graphic novels.

How Can ComicHUB help Publishers?

Stu Colson

Stu will be sharing some sell-through data and discussing ways that Publishers can use ComicHub's platform to interact with retailers and consumers.

Penguin Random House

A look at upcoming releases and key marketing information.  Plus PRH creators will be there!

Gina Gagliano,  previewing upcoming RH Graphic projects
Nicole Valdez – Discussing Marketing to both consumers and Direct Market
Tyne Hunter – Penguin Young Reader releases and other PRH releases

Creators:  Laura Knetzger (author of Bad Boys) and Jose Pimienta (author of Suncatcher).

Kent Watson is Executive Director of Pubwest – an association of book publishers.
He will come and tell publishers a little bit about his organization and the benefits of joining.
(Conincidentally, PubWest is having their annual conference in the same hotel, at the same time, that we are).

www.pubwest.org

5:45 pm – 7:00 pm

Creator Retailer Meet-up.
Sponsored by Dynamite Entertainment

Grand Ballroom I

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Dinner on Your Own

9:30pm – 10:30pm

Dark Horse Reception

Skyline

7:15am – 8:00am

Vendor Registration

Grand Ballroom Foyer

8:00 am – 9:15 am

BREAKFAST

Introduction:  Colin McMahon
Vendor Presentations
8:15 – 8:23 1First Comics
8:25 – 8:33 Drawn and Quarterly
8:35 – 8:43 Mad Cave

8:45 – 8:53 AWA Studios

8:55 – 9:05 Matthew Rosenberg

Grand Ballroom I

Egg, Cheese Blend, Winter Squash, and Herb Frittata
Italian Sausage
Breakfast Potatoes
Coffee, Hot Tea, OJ, Season Pastries

Vegans please ask for Vegan Option

9:20 am – 10:00 am

3 Workshops

1.Diversification:Tim Stoltzfus
Galleria I

Having a wide variety of products isn't just a good idea, it is critical to survival. When done well, it will also make your business even more profitable! Join us to learn ways to make your business healthier and more resilient by broadening your product mix!"

2. The Philosophies of Running a Comic Book Shop:John Dudas
Galleria II

Start your morning with John Dudas and go over some core concepts to keep the money coming in while keeping your brain in a comfortable place.

3. Human Resources: Jenn Haines
Galleria III
Hiring, training, and retaining staff are some of the biggest challenges faced by any retail business. Learn tips and tricks on how to minimize staff turnover and build a happier, healthier team, which will help free up your time to work on your business instead of in it.

Gallerias I, II, III

10:10am –10:35 am

Introduction:  Peter Dolan
Keynote Speaker
Nick Barrucci, Dynamite

ComicsPRO Industry Award

ComicsPRO Memorial Award

Grand Ballroom I

10:40– 11:15 am

Industry Discussion
What are our successes in the stores?
Introduction:  John Dudas

Grand Ballroom I

11:15 AM

VOTING FOR
BOARD MEMBERS ENDS

11:20pm – 1:25pm

Lunch

Vendor Presentations
Introduction Steven Olsen

11:35 – 11:47 Rebellion
11:50 – 12:02 Dynamite

12:05 – 12:17 Valiant

12:20– 12:32 Vault
2:35– 12:47 Bad Idea
12:50 – 1:06 Dark Horse

Grand Ballroom I

it's a Fiesta Buffet

Tortilla Soup
Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salad
Beef Barbacoa Braised with Chipotle, Chiles, Garlic, Oregano, Cumin, and Cloves
Tequila Lime Cilantro Chicken
Fajita Vegetables – Bell Peppers – Onions sauteed in Oregano
Flour Tortillas & Tortilla Chips

Assorted Toppings:  Sour Cream, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Tomatillo Salsa (Medium), Red Chili Salsa (Hot), Queso Fresco

Cilantro Lime Brown Rice and Refried Beans
Sopaipilla dusted with Cinnammon
Coffee and Iced Tea

Vegans please ask for Vegan Option

1:30pm – 3:00 pm

Roundtables

See Roundtable Assignment Page

Grand Ballroom II – 20 roundtables
Galleria North – 10 roundtables

Galleria South – 10 roundtables

3:00pm – 3:20 pm

Break with Snacks!

Grand Ballroom Foyer

3:25pm – 4:45pm

Vendor Presentations
Introduction:  Joe Murray
3:25 – 3:41 DC Comics
3:45 – 3:57 ONI

4:00 – 4:16 AFTERSHOCK
4:20 – 4:36 IDW

Grand Ballroom I

4:50 pm – 6:20pm

Roundtables

Grand Ballroom II – 20 roundtables
Galleria North – 10 roundtables

Galleria South – 10 roundtables

6:20pm – 9:00pm

Break for Dinner on your own

9:00 – 9:30

CBLDF Cocktails

Grand Ballroom Foyer

9:30pm – 11:45pm

CBLDF Charity Auction

Grand Ballroom I

Breakfast

Introduction:  Tim Stoltzfus

Vendor Presentations

8:15 – 8:27 First Second

8:30 – 8:42 Viz
8:45 – 9:25 Diamond + QA