Spring Road Trip Pitch
Showcase your bookstore and community by pitching your city as our 2026 or 2027 location
We're excited to offer our member booksellers the opportunity to propose your community for the 2026 and 2027 Spring Road Trip. This would be an extraordinary way to show off your store and community and form lasting connections with our bookseller members.
Our Spring Road Trip is a time to strengthen our network of bookseller and industry members in a close-knit setting. While Heartland Fall Forum will always be held in a major metro area near an airport, the Spring Road Trip is designed to celebrate our booksellers' own communities, highlight what each store does well, and bring our members together to get acquainted and have fun while also having in-depth conversations about bookstore operations.
Send us your pitch!
- Attendance: 70-120 booksellers and industry partners. MIBA covers the full cost of the event.
- Click on the destinations below to reference previous proposal examples. Gather inspiration and the types of info provided here and create a PDF with your pitch information. Things we want to know...
- The road trip is scheduled in March, April, or May. You don't have to propose a specific date, although feel free to suggest what works for you. Let us know if you're interested in 2026, 2027, or either year.
- Are you proposing your store as a solo destination or will you be working with a group of stores in your area? When there are multiple stores that are not within walking distance, we try to facilitate a bookstore tour via chartered bus.
- What else is in your area that we would enjoy? Include a suggested venue for our meeting, pre-event kickoff party, and lodging (preferably independent).
- Programming content: What does your store(s) do best? What what you love to show off about your bookstore and your town? The pitch doesn't have to include programming descriptions in great detail; just a taste is fine.
- Email your PDF pitch to Grace Hagen (grace@midwestbooksellers.org). If you want to be considered for 2026's Road Trip please submit your PDF by 10/20/2025.
Feedback from previous Spring Road Trips
"My co-worker and I were both very energized on our drive home, with SO MANY tangible ideas to increase sales and focus our mission in our bookshop."
"Having an association of like-minded and supportive bookshops and individuals to lean on is so important. I can't wait until next year!"
"It was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot, met fantastic people, and walked away enthusiastic about the industry."
Industry Friends
We would love to hear from you as well about collaborating with us on Spring Road Trips. These meetings bring 60-80 independent booksellers who are eager to connect and learn from one another and you. We want all our member types to be a part of this authentic experience. Would you sponsor a meeting? Send us your author(s) and educational ideas? Let's collaborate! Contact Grace with questions and/or ideas.