Diamond Comic Distributors is joining forces with its sister company-- Alliance Game Distributors--to host three regional 'Retailer Summits' in the fall of this year.  The first will be held in Fort Wayne, Indiana on September 8-9, with the second set for Baltimore, Maryland on September 22-23.  The third Retailer Summit serving the mountain states and the Far West will be held in Las Vegas during October (the exact dates are yet to be determined).

 

Basically these Retailer Summits are hybrids of the old comic distributor trade shows, the more recent Diamond regional retailer events (a la 'Spring Flings'), and the game distributor open houses.  Events at the Retailer Summits will include an opening night reception, a 'table topics luncheon,' and a variety of industry-specific and general business Retailing Workshops.  Retailers will also be able to meet with a variety of suppliers from the comics, gaming and video worlds, who will be set up at an exhibition hall.  Space will also be provided for open gaming so retailers can test drive the latest games.

 

Diamond plans to unveil a number of exclusive items that are available only to Summit attendees.  Additional incentives to attend include special Summit Sale Pricing on a range of backlist items available to attending retailers, as well as a package of freebies which will be given to each attending retail organization.