The 20th Audio Publishers Association Conference kicked off with a "State of the Union" address from APA President Michelle Lee Cobb at the Javits Center in New York City on Wednesday morning.

"We're pleased to say that the Audio Publishers Association is doing well, " Cobb tells Show Daily. "All of our volunteers are contributing heavily—and both financially and in a marketing capacity, we're doing big, great things."
The presentation—titled "APA 2014 and Beyond, " and meant to review all things audio for the coming year—was just the start of a busy day of programming at APAC featuring dozens of sessions and networking breaks.

Among some of the day's highlights were the keynote address—"Thinking in New Boxes"—from Alan Iny of the Boston Consulting Group, as well as two program tracks: one targeting performance and the other, business.

Iny, the author of Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity, aims to break down assumptions and constraints that hold people back. Cobb pointed to Iny's keynote, the APA membership meeting, and increased attendance as highlights of the show, noting, "We actually sold out this year."

Programming on the business track included a publishers' roundtable, as well as panels on advanced social media tools, useful apps, and a session focusing on children's audio. On the performance track, sessions dealt with home-studio workflow and how publishers and narrators can collaborate on promotion; a narrator roundtable; "speed dating" networking between narrators and publishers; and the ever-popular Listening Lounge.

"It's a great opportunity to hook up with your colleagues, " said award-winning narrator Xe Sands of the conference. "This is one of the few times we actually get to see each other in person. And that's wonderful. It's also a great time to reconnect with the publishers you work with. There's been a lot of changing in audiobook publishing this year... so it's a great time to check in with everybody."

Audie Award–winning narrator Robert Fass, who took part in the collaborative promotion panel, also praised APAC, pointing to the Listening Lounge—hosted by narrator Jonny Heller and featuring live readings by some of the best narrators in the business—as his favorite part of the show.

"I'm a panelist this year, so I'm excited about that, " said Fass, a participant in the Listening Lounge.