NJSLA eBooks Vendor Fair Wrap-up

The May 12 NJSLA eBooks Vendor Fair held at the Somerset Hills Hotel in Warren, NJ attracted a varied group of attendees with almost half being first-timers and over a third of the 62 participants were not NJSLA members. Meeting co-organizer Cheryl Erenberg summed up the turnout simply. “Attendance was excellent,” she said.

Erenberg, along with her meeting co-chair Kate Creegan, did not directly seek to market the meeting to non-members but rather they attribute the meeting’s appeal to a blend of factors. Erenberg felt that it was a “combination of a good topic, a good location, lots of vendors, an interactive program and a good price.”  She added, “We think we hit the sweet spot with $20 for a full served dinner.” The Kindle raffle didn’t hurt either, which was won by Joan Mruk of Mount Saint Mary Academy (a private all-girls high school).

But the good food and the raffle (and let’s not forget President-elect Ben Beit-Zuri’s signature charm) were only bonuses for a quality main event. Panelists Elizabeth Sosnowska of UMDMJ, Mei Ling Lo of Rutgers University Libraries, and Mary Mallery were the evening’s home-run hitters. Each gave an engaging presentation, which fuelled a lively Question and Answer session.

And hopefully the event’s success will mean many more $20 catered dinners to come.