The Large Stores Group (LSG) Annual Meeting will take place February 7-9, 2027, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. This event will feature educational sessions and networking opportunities designed to support the unique needs of larger independent stores.

Attendance is limited to current LSG Members. To qualify as a current Member, your store must have completed the 2026 Independent College Stores Report (ICSR) Financial Survey and meet LSG’s Membership criteria: LSG Info & Membership Criteria.

LSG Annual Meeting Registration includes:

• Sunday, February 7
  • LSG Dinner at Max Lager's Wood-Fired Grill & Brewery
• Monday, February 8
  • Breakfast, Lunch, LSG programming, and LSG/ICBA Dinner/Reception.
• Tuesday, February 9
  •  Breakfast, Lunch, and joint programming with the ICBA Conference

Registration fees for the 2027 LSG Annual Meeting:

Invoices will be issued separately from the ICBA Conference fees. Invoices will default to say “LSG Annual Meeting Registration.” If you would like your invoice to say “LSG Annual Membership Dues”, please contact ShaunGarrett@ICBAinc.com

LSG stores who are also Full Members of ICBA:

• Registration fee of $699 for the first attendee
• Registration fee of $549 for additional attendees

NOTE: If the first LSG Attendee is also registered for a non-Scholarship Track at the ICBA Conference, there will be a “dual-event” discount of $240 (total) applied at the time of invoicing.  This $240 “dual-event” discount does not apply to registrants who are attending LSG at the additional attendee $549 registration rate.

LSG stores who are NOT Full Members of ICBA:

• Registration fee of $799 for the first attendee
• Registration fee of $549 for additional attendees

Questions about LSG registration? Contact SondaUitermarkt@ICBAinc.com.

Agenda - in development below, to be finalized!

We’ll begin with an Opening Reception & Dinner on Sunday, February 7, offer a full day of programming on Monday, February 8, and join ICBA attendees for joint programming on Tuesday, February 9. The ICBA Conference will then continue through February 11 (then additionally, system provider user group sessions are available the morning of February 12).

Bonus Opportunity Available on Sunday!

FREE Pre-ICBA and Pre-LSG Bonus Tour of Boxercraft/Recover and Kennesaw State University Store

Giving you more ways to maximize your time and investment while in Atlanta is important to ICBA and to LSG. Here’s a great chance to observe and learn by getting an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of a strategic ICBA Vendor Partner and a successful ICBA Member Store (while networking with other Members throughout the afternoon).

Boxercraft - Loungewear and Comfortable Clothes

Recover Brands - Closed Loop Recycled & Sustainable Apparel

Kennesaw State University Bookstore

Buses will depart from the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel promptly at 1:00 (please meet in the hotel lobby at 12:45) and will return to the hotel by 5:00. Please register for this also on the ICBA Conference and LSG Annual Meeting registration site.

TOPICS IN DEVELOPMENT - We're still developing the program, but we’ll be emphasizing topics that are particularly relevant to large stores including: 

• Keynote on Organizational Leadership & Culture
• ISCR Results & Analysis
  • “What Are We Seeing in our ICSR”

Examine how stores are using ICSR data to better understand performance, identify trends, and guide decisions. Covers what the results are revealing about sales, operations, course materials, staffing, and customer behavior; how stores are applying the findings to planning and benchmarking; and how the data can help leaders spot opportunities, validate assumptions, and prioritize next steps.

• Staffing, Hiring & Orientations
  • “The People Behind the Operation”

How to build and onboard a team that actually sticks around. Covers recruiting and hiring strategies for student and full-time staff, structuring effective orientation and training programs, organizational charts and reporting structures across different store sizes/models, and setting new hires up for success from day one.

• Pricing, Margins & Tariffs
  • “Squeeze Points”

What's actually happening to your cost structure and what to do about it. Covers the current tariff and supply-chain landscape and how it's hitting different product categories differently (apparel/gift vs. course materials vs. general merch), margin compression and where it's coming from, pricing strategy responses (absorbing cost, passing it through, bundling, private label, rental mix), and how to communicate price changes to students without eroding trust. Grounded in current data/trends, not just theory.

• Technology Mindset & Current Platform Offerings
  • “ERP, POS, Ecommerce… Oh My”

Explore the rapidly evolving technology needs of college stores and how to adapt systems, platforms, and mindsets to better support today’s business models and customer expectations. Covers the technology mindset leaders need to navigate ongoing change, along with current and emerging ERP, POS, ecommerce, and related platforms designed to improve operations and meet store needs.

• Marketing to Drive Traffic & Sales
  • “Getting Noticed on a Captive Campus”

Covers campaigns and channels that have actually worked (social, campus partnerships, loyalty programs, events), how to measure ROI when much of your traffic is required purchases rather than discretionary shoppers, and what to stop doing even when “everyone else” still does it. Focused on tactics stores can take home and try, not just brand-building theory.

• CHOOSE A SESSION:
  • 1. Course Materials

“The Future of Course Materials”

What trends and changes do our course materials leaders anticipate will shape the future of the industry? What are we seeing from publishers, and what new or alternative course materials are emerging?

• Merchandising and Store Examples
  • “What New Stores and Remodels Look Like Today”

Explore real examples of new and remodeled stores, including how updated layouts, fixtures, merchandising strategies, and customer experiences are influencing store operations and business models.