CTA Intl Annual Report

ChristianTrade Association International 

Annual Report to Members 

13 July, 2008 

Orlando, Florida USA 

(From a presentation by Sylvester Ejeh, Chairman, ChristianTrade Association International during the 

International Vision Celebration held during CBA America’s International Christian Retail Show) 

 

 

 

2007-2008 has been another miracle year for 

ChristianTrade Association International! We 

reached most of our important goals, expanded 

our programs, and ended the year with cash in the 

bank. Praise God! 

 

Two highlights deserve special mention: 

Marketsquare International and Marketsquare 

Asia. In 2007, CBA America announced it was discontinuing the January 

Advance convention. Immediately, international buyers—you!—began telling 

ChristianTrade you needed a January convention. So, we launched the first 

Marketsquare International convention in Toronto, Canada, and more than 300 

attendees participated. The convention was a resounding success. 

 

Marketsquare International 2009 will be 15-17 January at the Sheraton Gateway 

hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. It launches with a two-day Professional Bookseller 

Institute on 14 & 15 January. Please plan to join us! 

 

A second item of particular praise was the revitalized Marketsquare Asia 

convention. Thirty-five mainland China Christian booksellers received 

scholarships to this convention last fall. This September, more mainland Chinese 

Christian booksellers will attend—plus 30-35 publishers from that vast country. 

Marketsquare Asia has become a key convention for Asian buyers and product 

producers as well as for American and other international suppliers. 

 

Some changes for the coming year: 

 • The strongest support for Marketsquare Europe has been from Central 

and Eastern Europe—areas underserved by Europe’s major secular book fairs. 

So, in 2009, Marketsquare Europe will move 

east—possibly to Budapest, Hungary—timed 

just prior to the October Frankfurt International 

Book Fair. 

 • A series of three connected 

Marketsquare Africa conventions will be held in 

fall 2009: in Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; and 

Nairobi, Kenya. The last will be in cooperation 

with Media Associates International’s LITT- 

WORLD convention. 

 • Marketsquare Caribbean will not be held in 2009. Attendance and 

supplier participation has not been adequate to continue this event. 

Membership grew this past year. A significant new member recently joined: the 

Spanish Evangelical Products Association. SEPA represents Spanish-language 

suppliers, distributors, and retailers worldwide, and we’re so pleased they have 

chosen to identify with the ChristianTrade world. 

 

We published the third International Market Directory in June. A record number of 

countries—64—are represented this year. We thank God this powerful tool can 

connect so many member nations and suppliers to suppliers in other countries. 

 

One reason more countries are represented in the International 

Market Directory is because we have more member companies. 

The number of “direct” members—who pay dues directly to 

ChristianTrade—has grown. The number of nation members has 

decreased because several ChristianTrade nations now have 

fewer retail and supplier members. 

Finally, we praise Jesus for our solid financial basis. Though the association is 

just three years old, each year has ended with more reserves for future needs. 

Our ending numbers for fiscal 2008, which ended 31 May: 

 

ChristianTrade is governed by a board of directors elected by our member 

nations at the Annual General Meeting held at ICRS. Our mission is to support 

the growth of the Christian trade worldwide. We crave your prayers as we look to 

the Lord for His leadership in our association. If you have any suggestions or 

recommendations, please contact Jim Powell, our president, or any board 

member.