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Spring Road Trip Des Moines

Spring Road Trip Des Moines

Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 10:00 AM (CDT) to Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 5:00 PM (CDT)

Des Moines, Iowa

Event Details


Come along for the ride!

MIBA and our Central Iowa bookstores would like to invite you to Des Moines, Iowa and the surrounding area for our Spring Road Trip. We are proud of our bookstores’ dedication to working collaboratively, encouraging one another, offering unique experiences to customers, and supporting a robust indie bookselling community in this part of our region. Learning from other booksellers makes us all better, and we would love to learn together with you.

Our Spring Road Trip is a unique opportunity to strengthen our network of booksellers, industry staff, and authors in a close-knit setting that allows for relationships to form.
Des Moines, a city of 215,000, is conveniently located and has much to offer visitors, including unique retail, excellent restaurants, and other attractions. We boast several longtime and newly opened bookstores that each offer something special to area book lovers - all within easy driving distance. We are honored to welcome the bookselling industry to Des Moines to experience numerous bookstores all thriving in different settings.
Industry members: See sponsorship and author opportunities
Date and location
Estimated attendance
  • 100 booksellers plus industry partners
Deadline
  • Author pitch deadline: March 31 (sooner is always better!)

Drive times
  • Bismarck - 9.5 hours
  • Chicago - 4.5 hours
  • Milwaukee - 5 hours
  • St. Louis - 5 hours 
  • Minneapolis - 3.5 hours
  • Kansas City - 3 hours
  • Omaha - 2 hours

Linda Crookham-Hansen
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Linda Crookham-Hansen Manager The Book Vault
Sara Crow
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Sara Crow Owner Crow & Co. Books
Lisa Deyo
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Lisa Deyo Owner Sweet Reads Books
Danielle Eby
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Danielle Eby Owner Elleinad Books
Carla Ketner
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Carla Ketner Owner Chapters Books & Gifts
Judith Kissner
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Judith Kissner Owner Scout & Morgan Books
Dawn Kitchell
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Dawn Kitchell Owner Neighborhood Reads
Kelly Klein
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Kelly Klein Owner Reads by the River
Carrie Koepke
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Carrie Koepke Manager Skylark Bookshop
Scott Kriegshauser
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Scott Kriegshauser Stonecrest Book & Toy
Sherry Kriegshauser
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Sherry Kriegshauser Owner Stonecrest Book & Toy
Ursla Lanphear
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Ursla Lanphear Owner Swamp Fox Bookstore
Terri LeBlanc
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Terri LeBlanc Co-Owner, Event Coordinator, Marketing Swamp Fox Bookstore
Shane Mullen
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Shane Mullen Event Coordinator Left Bank Books
Mary OMalley
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Mary OMalley Bookseller Skylark Bookshop
Abigail Paxton
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Abigail Paxton Owner Storyhouse Bookpub
Melissa Peterson
Melissa Peterson Production Manager
Kate Rattenborg Scott
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Kate Rattenborg Scott Owner Dragonfly Books
Kristen Sandstrom
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Kristen Sandstrom Manager Apostle Islands Booksellers
Holly Schellbach
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Holly Schellbach marketing, event support, occasional bookseller Scout & Morgan Books
CoriAnn Theroux
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CoriAnn Theroux owner The Green Dragon Bookshop
David Underwood
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David Underwood Regional Field Sales Director Penguin Random House
Ashley Valentine
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Ashley Valentine Owner Rooted MKE
Betsy Von Kerens
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Betsy Von Kerens Front End Manager The Bookworm, Omaha
Ted Wheeler
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Ted Wheeler Co-Owner Dundee Book Company
10 Other Registered Attendees

Agenda

May 2
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Bookstore Tour Hop on our chartered bus to enjoy a tour of Des Moines area bookstores.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Welcome to the Garden Pick up your badge at the registration desk and enjoy a walk around the beautiful Des Moines Botanical Garden.
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Programming at the Garden - Round 1 Content to be revealed
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM East Village stroll Visit Storyhouse Bookpub and wander around Des Moines' East Village, enjoying local shops and community partner surprises to be revealed
8:00 PM - 12:00 AM Drinks on the AC Rooftop
May 3
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Programming at the Garden - Round 2 Content to be revealed
11:45 AM - 1:30 PM Industry Luncheon Make lasting connections with our sponsors and our Midwest sales reps
1:45 PM - 3:00 PM Author Signing Party
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Closing Reception at Dog Eared Books

For More Information:

Melissa Peterson
Melissa Peterson
Production Manager
Airports
  • Des Moines International Airport is located close to downtown and offers all the conveniences of a major airport.
Lodging
  • AC Hotel Des Moines East Village for $169 USD per night. The hotel is a 12-minute walk from the botanical garden and a 2-minute walk to Storyhouse Bookpub
  • Room block available: May 1 through May 5
  • Last day to book: April 5
  • Book your room

See the stores on a map