A. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE Book Exhibit Coordinator (B.E.C.).

The Local Arrangements Committee is responsible for organizing the annual A.A.H.M. book exhibit. No later than September of the year preceding the exhibit, the L.A.C. should appoint one member of the Committee as Book Exhibit Coordinator (B.E.C.). The B.E.C. must have no other responsibilities at the meeting.

The duties of the B.E.C. have lightened over the years, but they still include

• establishing the invitational mailing lists of both current publishers (C.P.'s) and antiquarian book and instrument dealers (A.D.'s);
• selecting and arranging for (an) exhibit room(s) of suitable size;
• ensuring with the L.A.C. that the dates, hotel room(s) and hours of the book exhibit are included in the printed program;
• estimating the cost of exhibit arrangements and establishing exhibit fees;
• mailing invitations and keeping track of registration;
• arranging for the necessary equipment for the exhibit (e.g., tables, chairs, phone, computer outlets);
• being available during the setting-up and dismantling of the exhibit;
• conducting follow-up correspondence;
• writing a brief report and passing sample letters and lists to his/her successor.

On how Book Exhibit preparation has changed

"Book exhibits have metamorphosed into more commercial and less altruistic ventures. It has been the aim of local committees to cover costs (in some cases to make some money) while providing the attendees with a range of publications as efficiently (I'd stress that word) and painlessly as possible.

"Prior to this change, local committees prepared catalogs of books displayed, counting on publishers to supply bibliographic information in advance..."

[The B.E.C. also used to store, transport, unpack, display, and repack large boxes of books.]

"At some stage it seems to have become apparent that this work was not efficient and that few of the many publishers sent letters even bothered to respond. ... (The recent Toronto meeting [1998] is a fine example, where the U of T Press did not appear)."

Neale W. Watson, contributor to A.A.H.M. Book Exhibits since 1972, October 1998

B. EARLY LOGISTICAL PLANNING

Usually, the exhibit rooms for both current publishers and antiquarian book and instrument dealers are located in the headquarters hotel. The B.E.C. will need to work closely with the L.A.C. in selecting the exhibit space, which should be as close as possible to the rooms in which the annual meeting is to be held.

Occasionally, hotels have provided exhibit space without charge; in other hotels, it will be necessary to rent space. Well prior to reserving the specific exhibit room(s), the B.E.C. must reach a decision on how many dealers should be invited to participate; how many are likely to participate; and how many can be accommodated.

C. INVITATIONS TO EXHIBIT

1. Address Lists of Recipients

The B.E.C. obtains lists of the previous years' invitees and exhibitors from his/her predecessor. S/he can expand or decrease the existing list by reviewing the "Books Received" sections of periodicals.

Mr. Neale W. Watson has been a great resource to former B.E.C.'s in many ways, generously helping with mailing lists and with the preparation of letters of invitation. For several years, he has also provided pressure-sensitive address labels for C.P.'s and A.D.'s. His address is Watson Publishing International, Science History Publications USA, P.O. Box 1390, Nantucket MA 02554-1390 http://www.watsonpublishing.com or watson@nantucket.net).

2. Letters of Invitation (For samples, see Appendix IV).

No later than November, the letter of invitation to exhibit should be mailed to C.P.'s, A.D.'s, and publishers' representatives, such as Scholar's Choice. It can be addressed to "Exhibit Manager," if the name of the contact person is unknown.

It should indicate the following:

• dates, city, location, and hours of the exhibit;
• the A.A.H.M. and local institutional sponsorship for meeting;
• anticipated number of registrants;
• name, address, phone, FAX and e-mail of B.E.C. and hotel;
• fees for participation in exhibit;
• cut-off date for commitment to exhibit;
• cut-off date for receipt of books shipped to hotel;
• statement that exhibitors are responsible for all arrangements and costs of shipping;
• statement that exhibits should be limited to studies in the history, philosophy and sociocultural aspects of medicine and the life sciences; (A few publishers, nevertheless, send general medical textbooks.)
• response form allowing exhibitor to specify number of tables needed.

The B.E.C.'s mailing may include a separate invitation (with its own response form) to advertise in the A.A.H.M. program. (For more on advertising, see Part III.)

3. Fees for Exhibit Participation.

Since many hotels will levy a charge for exhibit rooms, the book exhibit can require a fiscal outlay from the Local Arrangements Committee. Fees help to defray these costs. Book exhibit income usually exceeds expenses. Recently, annual meeting registration is included with the fees for displays.

Fees for Some Recent Exhibits

1999 2000 2001

New Brunswick Bethesda Charleston

one table $300 300 300

two tables 450 600 450

three tables 900 600

In the past, distinctions were made between A.D.'s and C.P.'s with respect to fees and duration of exhibit. The distinctions no longer prevail.

D. THE EXHIBITORS

1. Current Publishers

Over the last decade, declining numbers of C.P.'s have attended conferences. Non-participating C.P.'s claim that they can no longer afford either to send a representative for several days or to donate books to the host institution. Only Watson Publishing International, Cambridge University Press, Johns Hopkins University Press, and Rutgers University Press, have regularly sent representatives to recent meetings.

The A.A.H.M. cannot be responsible for packing and returning books. If they do not plan to ship books home, all C.P.'s who exhibit should expect to have their books donated to the medical library or libraries of the local sponsoring institution. These donations can be a mixed blessing, as the local library may already own most of the books.

2. Academic Book Exhibit Companies

The Scholar's Choice of Rochester N.Y. has moved into the niche created by the C.P.'s waning interest in conferences. It now serves over 300 presses. At A.A.H.M. meetings since 1990, it has rented up to 7 tables to display books and take orders for several dozen C.P.'s. Some C.P.'s no longer respond to B.E.C. invitations because they have already made arrangements with Scholar's Choice. Since 1995, the contact person is Judy Lohr: 716-262-2048 (ext 105); e-mail: scholars@eznet.net.

3. Antiquarian Dealers

Antiquarian dealers have exhibited at the A.A.H.M. meetings in varying numbers. The 1990 meeting, held in Baltimore, Maryland, drew a large group -- seventeen dealers; nine dealers exhibited in Bethesda in 1982 and in Buffalo in 1996; only two exhibited in Toronto in 1998. The participation of A.D.'s in A.A.H.M. annual meetings can be expected to correlate with the location of the meeting city, the adequacy of the security and display arrangements, and the perceived likelihood of sales.

Some Recent Statistics on Exhibitors

1998 1999 2000 2001

A.D.s 2 4 7 2

C.P.s 6 9 9 4

Scholar's Choice (33 C.P.s) present

tables 25 30 16

 

E. HOTEL CONSIDERATIONS

1. Exhibit Space

During the last five years exhibit arrangements and space for A.D.'s and C.P.'s has been identical. In earlier years, A.D.'s required substantially more space than did the C.P.'s. For example, at the 1982 meeting in Bethesda, the nine antiquarian dealers each used a minimum of three large draped tables arranged in "u"-shaped booths. These concerns meant that B.E.C.'s needed to establish an early cut-off date for A.D.'s registration; if more than three A.D.'s participated, separate rooms were needed. More recently one large room for both A.D.'s and C.P's is preferred.

2. Security Arrangements

Hotels will not assume responsibility for thefts. Security guards can usually be arranged through the hotel. Total costs for security guards for the book exhibit have risen from approximately $200 in the early 1980s to more than $800 by 1996.

Some A.D.'s will want assurance that a security guard will be hired to protect their holdings throughout the exhibit, overnight, and during the "set-up" and "take-down" hours. On the other hand, former B.E.C.'s report that exhibitors have sometimes surprised them, by being content to set up the night before the meeting--when no additional security had been promised (other than the locked door).

For the 1999 meeting in New Brunswick, exhibitors will rely on hotel security after hours and no extra security guards have been hired. Whether or not additional security has been engaged, the B.E.C., or his/her representative, ought to verify locks after the exhibit closes.

3. Floor Plan

The B.E.C. should prepare a floor plan/diagram, based upon room measurements, the anticipated numbers of exhibitors, tables, chairs, computers, etc. A copy of the floor plan should be given to the hotel manager at least a week before the meeting. It is best to meet in person with the hotel manager involved and to review the floor plan with him/her in detail, specifying the furniture requirements. Absence of a floor plan led to some awkwardness among exhibitors in the past.

4. Signs and Refreshments

Several months before the meeting, the B.E.C. should ensure that the L.A.C. will print two or more signs: one for the exhibit room door(s), specifying the days and hours of the exhibit; and at least one other to be placed at or near the registration desk indicating the location, days, and hours of the exhibit.

In the past, vendors sometimes asked the B.E.C. to make up individual signs for each exhibit; such requests are no longer acceptable. The B.E.C. also used to arrange with the hotel for the delivery of refreshments to exhibitors in the book exhibit room. That task too has vanished.

F. EXHIBIT CATALOG

In lieu of a global exhibit catalog, individual vendors now provide their own lists, sometimes offering preferential conference prices.

More A.A.H.M. Lore

On top of all the other weighty burdens, the B.E.C. of the not-too-distant past was expected to prepare a unified catalog of all titles on display. This task was particularly onerous in the pre-computer age, and when exhibitors failed to reveal the chosen titles in advance. By 1990, Ed Morman decided to forego the exercise, although he expressed some ambivalence about the decision in his report. Since then, most B.E.C.'s have followed his lead. The last A.A.H.M. book exhibit catalog was a handsome, twelve-page document with a stiff cover prepared for the 1993 meeting in Louisville; it is fast becoming a rare book collector's item in its own right.

G. OPENING AND CLOSING THE EXHIBIT

1. Final Arrangements

About three weeks before the start of the annual meeting, the B.E.C. should send a memorandum to all participating exhibitors, with the final instructions and the floor plan/diagram. Exhibitors ship books ahead of time to the hotel, which should be primed to receive and store them. A.D.'s usually travel with their wares in tow.

2. Setting up the Exhibit

Sometimes, the book exhibit has been opened simultaneously with the registration desk in the afternoon preceding the First-Night Reception (Thursday). Some A.D.'s and C.P.'s choose to set up at that time, although the exhibit does not open officially until the following morning.

3. Opening Day

The B.E.C. should be available well before the opening to greet exhibitors and to resolve final emergencies. Most exhibitors are experienced in their roles and need little assistance. The B.E.C. should also plan to be available during the peak hours of the C.P. exhibit.

4. Closing the Exhibit

Most A.A.H.M. book exhibits formally close by early afternoon just before the banquet (Saturday). If the exhibit is not to be dismantled until the following day (Sunday), the reservation with the hotel for the exhibit room must continue through to the next morning. Exhibitors pack up their own displays and arrange for shipping. Transportation arrangements for the books donated to the local depository library should be made in advance and are coordinated by the B.E.C.

5. Follow-up

During the week following the meeting, the B.E.C. should send letters of thanks to all exhibitors with a view to encouraging publishers' participation in future meetings. The location and dates of the next A.A.H.M. meeting, together with the name and address of the next L.A.C., should be provided.

The B.E.C. should also write a short report on the exhibit to be attached to the L.A.C.'s final report on the meeting.

The B.E.C. gives his/her report, sample letters, registration forms, and mailing lists of exhibitors and invitees to his/her successor via the L.A.C. of the next meeting. Copies of the mailing lists and sample letters should also be given to the A.A.H.M. Secretary-Treasurer and the Chair of the Committee on Meetings to update Appendix IV of these guidelines.