HIA and Urban Expositions to Take Over Management, Production of Halloween & Party Expo

November 28, 2014 By

The Halloween Industry Association (HIA) and Urban Expositions will acquire Halloween & Party Expo from its current owners, H&P Expo LLC. Scheduled for February 6 to 9 at the New Orleans Convention Center, the event will be operated by H&P Expo. HIA and Urban Expositions will take over the event immediately following next year’s edition.

Under the new partnership, Urban Expositions will be responsible for managing all aspects of the event including sales, operations, marketing, and promotion with guidance and expertise provided by HIA. Urban Expositions and HIA will focus their efforts on increasing awareness of the event, expanding the selection of the product mix and growing the show into an internationally recognized event for the Halloween industry.

Future editions of Halloween & Party Expo will also take place in New Orleans, with dates of January 20 to 23, 2016; and January 14 to 17, 2017.

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China Toy Expo Shows the Dynamism of the Toy Industry in China

November 27, 2014 By

Resized.EMILIALSINAby Emili Alsina

Over 50,000 professionals of the toy, baby, and licensing industries visited the trade shows organized by the China Toy & Juvenile Products Association (CTJPA) in Shanghai from October 14 to 16: China Toy Expo, China Kids Expo, and China Licensing Expo. This attendance represents a 26 percent increase compared to the previous year. Alsina, editor of the Spanish magazine Juguetes B2B (specializing in the toy industry in Spain) and member of the International Toy Magazine Association (ITMA), attended these three trade shows to witness the latest trends and developments of the industry in China.

The toy market is very dynamic in China, and has a consumer (the parents) increasingly interested in products that provide educational value to their children. The kids, in turn, are increasingly interested in licensed products. China Toy Fair, which has been held for the last 12 years–and is the largest international toy fair in mainland China and the third largest worldwide–was celebrated simultaneously with the China Kids Expo (childcare sector) and the China Licensing Expo (licensing sector).

Resized.LEGOJuguetes B2B, a professional communication magazine specializing in the toy industry in Spain, attended the three trade shows to give informational coverage of the latest trends in the industry that will shape the Chinese market next year. The strategy of holding the three exhibitions simultaneously makes perfect sense, given the synergies that occur between the three different sectors. For instance, the licensing business has a large influence in the toy industry, with licenses for baby care products as well. Therefore, celebrating the events at the same time is an interesting opportunity for the professionals. [Read more...]

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New Lifestyle Hall to Open Its Doors at Spielwarenmesse 2015

November 20, 2014 By

SpielwarenmesseegSpielwarenmesse eG will introduce a new area of products dedicated to letting kids express themselves at next year’s toy fair. The new Lifestyles area will include a range of fashion and trend-related goods including clothing, accessories, and toys with a focus on letting children and young people develop their own style.

Companies in the new hall will exhibit items pertaining to fashion, home decoration, designer toys, stationary, fan and souvenir articles, and licensed products. During Spielwarenmesse next year, buyers and traders will find these products in the central entrance hall of the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre and online at www.spielwarenmesse.de/lifestyle.

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Toyzeria 2014 Grows with More Exhibitors and Visitors

November 14, 2014 By

SpielwarenmesseegA total of 117 national and international exhibitors, as well as 8,972 visitors, took part in Toyzeria from October 30 to November 2, compared to 105 national and international exhibitors and 8,721 visitors last year. Participants traveled to the toy industry gathering at the Istanbul Expo Center from 48 countries, an increase from 46 countries a year ago.

The World of Toys Pavilion by Spielwarenmesse eG also celebrated its premiere at the trade fair, which featured eight exhibitors from seven countries. Next year’s event will take place October 29 to November 1 under the name Toyzeria & Kids Turkey, and will once again be housed at the Istanbul Expo Center.

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Laura Robinson to Host ChiTAG’s Toy and Fashion Show

November 5, 2014 By

LauraRobinsonProducer, actor, and game inventor Laura Robinson will host playCHIC, the innovative play-inspired fashion show, at the upcoming Chicago Toy & Game Fair. In addition, Robinson will serve as a keynote speaker at the Toy & Game Inventor Conference. Both events are part of Chicago Toy & Game Group’s (ChiTAG) annual week of toy and industry-related events.

PlayCHIC combines fashion with top toys during ChiTAG’s Chicago Toy & Game Week. In its third year, the runway show will pair couture designers with familiar toy and game brands to pioneer unexpected and creative designs.

Robinson is the co-owner of Out & About Productions LLC, partial creator of, and contributing producer for Celebrity Name Game, and previously starred in shows like Night Heat, Cheers, and Frasier. As a toy and game inventor, Robinson co-created the board game Balderdash in 1984, which has since has sold more than twenty million copies worldwide.

The 2014 playCHIC show will take place on November 20 at Alhambra Palace Restaurant in Chicago.

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Toy Fair PR Bootcamp Webinar to be Held on December 11

November 4, 2014 By

Toy companies exhibiting at the North American International Toy Fair can participate in the Toy Industry Association (TIA)’s annual Toy Fair PR boot camp webinar, scheduled for December 11 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET.

The free webinar, entitled Tips for Developing Your TF’15 PR and Promotion Strategies, will review tools and techniques for attracting the attention of retail buyers and media outlets, such as The Wall Street Journal, The LA Times, Forbes, as well as trade magazines and bloggers that attend Toy Fair.

Webinar participants will learn how to develop a well-rounded media list; leverage social media to attract media attention; strategically present product, brands, and trend information to different media audiences; and more. The session will be presented by Adrienne Appell, TIA’s senior manager of public relations; Kimberly Carcone, TIA’s senior director of trade shows and event marketing; and Gina Espinosa from Virtual Press Office.

Registration for the webinar is now open and is free for all Toy Fair exhibitors. Questions may be submitted in advance to TIA’s Jackie Retzer at jretzer@toyassociation.org.

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Spielwarenmesse Revises Internet Presence to Offer More Content

November 2, 2014 By

SpielwarenmesseegSpielwarenmesse’s website www.spielwarenmesse.de has a new design that presents information on both upcoming fairs and the world toy market. The new website was developed with Fork Unstable Media GmbH, a Hamburg-based agency, and has flexibility for use on PC, tablet, and mobile phone.

Interested companies can now quickly find information about the fair and exhibitors can discover details on fair services available. In addition, visitors and journalists have convenient access for buying tickets and obtaining the latest press releases, respectively. Information about Spielwarenmesse is also available in 41 languages, including Albanian, Indonesian, and Korean.

Spielwarenmesse will take place in Nuremberg from January 28 to February 2.

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China Toy Expo, China Kids Expo, and China Licensing Expo Grow Significantly Over Previous Year

November 1, 2014 By

ChinaToyExpoAccording to data from the China Toy & Juvenile Products Association, China Toy Expo, China Kids Expo, and China Licensing Expo together attracted a total of 50,515 buyers, an increase of 26 percent over the previous year. The three events also saw visits from more than 4,100 overseas buyers from nearly 120 countries and regions, an increase of 40 percent.

A total of 1,364 global exhibitors participated in the shows, with more than 6,200 booths across a 120,000 square meter exhibition area. Next year, the shows will return, expanding by an additional two halls to reach a total exhibition area of 140,000 square meters.

Among the new exhibitors this year, 90 percent were Chinese manufacturers, and a total of 87 percent of the Chinese exhibitors were export-ready. Nearly 20 production regions such as Chenghai, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, Jinjiang in South China, Kunshan, Ningbo, Pinghu, Cixi, Baoying, Yongjia and Yunhe in East China, Pingxiang, Gaomi, and Qingdao in North China organized local factories to showcase recent products. [Read more...]

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ChiTAG Group Brings Largest Toy and Game Inventor Event to Chicago Toy & Game Week

October 28, 2014 By

CHITAGHosted by the Chicago Toy & Game Group (ChiTAG), the International Toy & Game Innovation Conference (T&GCon) is a networking and educational opportunity in which both industry leaders and those looking to get involved in the industry and/or have their product licensed can come together to share key insights and ideas.

The conference, scheduled to take place on November 20 and 21 at the Navy Pier in Chicago, also includes the International Summit for Professional Inventors (I-SPI), and the Inventor Relations Summit (IRS), which is part of I-SPI. Attendees will have the chance to meet top executives from Hasbro, Spin Master, Ravensburger, NASA, Patch Products, and more.

At T&GCon, new inventors will have opportunities to show their ideas to dozens of toy and game industry companies. Meanwhile, at I-SPI, aspiring inventors can meet colleagues from around the world, experience new technology, meet with manufacturers in private offices, and more. Finally, at IRS, attendees can discover new ideas, products, and innovation from different inventors and companies, as well as discuss ways to strengthen both the inventor community and the industry as a whole.

Registration includes a ticket to PlayCHIC, the toy, game and entertainment brand-inspired fashion show on the evening of November 20, as well as a ticket to the Toy & Game Inventor of the Year Awards. Interested parties can visit the official T&GCon site to register.

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Buyer, Trade Guest Registration Open for North American International Toy Fair

October 24, 2014 By

Oct22.ToyFairBuyer and trade guest registration has opened for the 112th North American International Toy Fair, according to the Toy Industry Association. Toy Fair 2014 is scheduled to take place February 14 to 17 in New York City.

The event, formerly the American International Toy Fair, was recently re-named the North American International Toy Fair, as part of a new affiliation agreement between TIA and the Canadian Toy Association. CTA and TIA will have a single toy fair, rather than single marketplace events in the U.S. and Canada.

Last year’s Toy Fair had a record-breaking 414,060 net square feet of exhibition space and welcomed an 11 percent increase in international buyers, an 8 percent rise in exhibitors, and a 5 percent spike in attendees.

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