The Toy Association says its focus will be on serving all via Toy Fair Dallas 2021, Toy Fair New York 2022, and Toy Fair Everywhere.

The Toy Association has announced that it will not conduct an interim trade show in New York for 2021, which was previously planned to take place 1st-4th May, due to the ongoing pandemic.

Plans for Toy Fair Dallas remain on course for October 2021, with the organiser focused on providing an ongoing mix of physical and digital business opportunities for the industry.

“Our foremost consideration is the health and well-being of the global toy and play community and setting a clear path forward,” said Steve Pasierb, president & CEO of The Toy Association. “We want to provide our exhibitors, retail buyers and the larger toy and play community with certainty on important destination shows and the ability to take advantage of immediate opportunities through our year-round buying and selling platform.”

As uncertainty about the pandemic persists, The Toy Association remains keyed into what is possible, rather than what isn’t. Concentrating on its digital business offerings, the group will be bringing the industry back together in person for Toy Fair Dallas 2021 from Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th October; and looking ahead to Toy Fair New York 2022 from Saturday 19th to Tuesday 22nd February in a newly expanded Jacob K. Javits Center which will allow for new exhibitors, new educational offerings, expanded networking opportunities and more.

The Toy Association says the Toy Fair Everywhere digital market weeks held throughout 2020 successfully helped toy businesses forge ahead amidst the pandemic, and brought in more than 3,000 buyers from 60+ countries, proving the global potential of the platform for doing business despite travel restrictions and different time zones. This February, the digital B2B marketplace will further establish its position as the toy industry’s first and only year-round platform, making new business opportunities possible every day.

The Toy Association will also collaborate with additional prospective retailers throughout 2021 on virtual private product preview events, which in 2020 created new avenues for nearly 400 toymakers to get their products on shelves. The next virtual event with specialty retailer Claire’s is scheduled to take place 4th February.

“These proven digital opportunities should continue to be a critical part of every toy businesses’ mixed sales and marketing strategy,” said Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association. “As we look forward to our time together at Toy Fair Dallas 2021 and Toy Fair New York 2022, the proof is in the pudding as to the potential of these digital tools and events to serve our members in reaching new audiences.”