The 117th annual Toy Fair New York will host the equivalent of nearly eight football fields filled with toys from 22nd to 25th February 2020.
Steve Pasierb
Global professionals from about 100 countries are expected to attend the New York Toy Fair, all looking to get a sneak peek at hundreds of thousands of ground-breaking toys and games.
“There is so much anticipation building for the show,” explains Marian Bossard, EVP global market events, The Toy Association. “Creative Factor continues to expand, with educational offerings that will highlight the intersection of technology and play from concept to consumer. Now in its 18th year, Creative Factor celebrates and serves the creative professionals across myriad job functions including inventors and designers, sales and marketing, and retail. Also, for the first time at Toy Fair we’ll present Robots on the Runway, which is exactly what it sounds like; a fashion show format displaying the latest in service robots, as well as robots to play with.”
Marian continues: “We’ll also continue our popular programming for the entertainment and licensing community, independent retailers and trend-spotters, and other play professionals. I encourage readers to download the free Toy Fair mobile app (available on iTunes and Google Play) for complete show information, including floor plans, exhibitor listings, seminar schedules, and more.”
Marian Bossard
The US Toy Association says the American toy market is facing a number of challenges this year, the most pressing of which is intellectual property protection.
“Without question, this is the most significant issue upon which we and our members collaborate, and we’re working to prevent potentially dangerous counterfeits from proliferating on e-commerce sites and online marketplaces,” says Steve Pasierb, president & CEO of The Toy Association. “While there are over 100 safety and regulatory standards governing US toymakers, and clear accountabilities on the part of traditional retailers, the e-commerce space and especially third-party sellers on marketplaces are not held to the same high level of responsibility. These rogue manufacturers and sellers, which threaten the health and safety of the children we all exist to serve, must be stopped.”
To read the full interview, which was published in our February issue, click here.
