NEW YORK - The 7th Annual Digital Book World Conference + Expo(DBW) will present a mainstage session called "Barnes & Noble: The Perspective of the New Chief Digital Officer" on Tuesday, March 8 in New York. During the interview-style presentation, DBW Conference Chair Mike Shatzkin will talk with Fred Argir, who became Barnes & Noble, Inc.'s vice president and chief digital officer in July 2015. Barnes & Noble is the nation's largest retail bookseller and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products. DBW 2016 is the premier event (@DigiBookWorld - #DBW16) for book publishers and content providers of all sizes and business models who plan to thrive through and beyond publishing's digital transformation.

 

The Digital Book World Conference + Expo takes place March 7 - 9, 2016 at the New York Hilton Midtown in N.Y.C. Registration and program details are available at digitalbookworldconference.com (the best early-bird rates expire Feb. 8; the final pre-conference registration rate expires March 6).

 

As the nation's largest retail bookseller, Barnes & Noble is committed to operating the best omni-channel specialty retail business in America, fulfilling customers' needs no matter how they shop or in what format they choose to consume content. At the company, Argir oversees the E-Commerce and NOOK® businesses, which are part of Barnes & Noble retail.

 

"We look forward to discussing Barnes & Noble's long-term strategy with Mr. Argir, including how effective collaboration with publishers will help with the company's strategic initiatives," said Mike Shatzkin (@MikeShatzkin), who's the founder of The Idea Logical Company and a partner at Publishers Launch Conferences, in addition to being the DBW conference chair.

 

Argir joined Barnes & Noble from Toys "R" Us, Inc., where he served as chief digital officer since 2012, overseeing digital businesses in 13 countries. He is an accomplished e-commerce/omni-channel leader, who brings a deep understanding of retail, e-commerce, information technology and supply chain, with a proven track record for driving organizations to high levels of performance and profitability. Prior to Toys "R" Us, Argir was chief information officer at The Sports Authority, Inc., where he led the organization through a formal web redesign, incrementally increasing page conversion through a focus on improved usability and experience. He also served as a consultant to Best Buy, Inc., where he collaborated on productivity and strategic technology investments. Argir also spent five years at Target Corporation as vice president of supply chain development.

 

Overall, DBW 2016 will cover the most pressing topics, including: transformation in the book business and digital publishing community; data, discovery and SEO; tech vs. content; a fresh look at ebook sales, the indie-publishing market and a fast-changing publishing business; understanding SEO in a global, local and mobile world; monetizing relationships with consumers; investing in tech; how digital has changed our culture; copyright; antitrust, tech and book publishing; rights in a globalized world; content marketing; the changing realities for authors; self-publishing; and the book buyer's journey; among other relevant, strategy-focused topics.

 

DBW 2016 is produced by F+W, A Content + eCommerce Company in partnership with Publishers Launch Conferences.