ASTRA, ChiTAG Partner to Offer Educational Sessions

Courtesy of ASTRA E-Bulletin

ASTRA is collaborating with the Chicago Toy & Game Group (ChiTAG) to provide toy inventors and specialty manufacturers with strategies for bringing new toy innovations to market.

Two educational sessions focused on the needs of inventors have been added to ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy, to be held from June 16 to 19 in Nashville, Tenn. These sessions are for toy manufacturers and inventors only, and any manufacturers or inventors who are exhibiting at or registered for ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy may attend these sessions at no charge.

The sessions—“From Great Idea to Hot New Product: The Basics of Production, Packaging, and Promotion” and “What It Takes for Success: Leveraging Licensing, Social Media, Gamefication, and Marketing Opportunities”—represent the first joint effort planned by ASTRA and ChiTAG.

Chicago to Host Toy and Game Events

The Chicago Toy & Game Group is hosting three events for the toy and game industry this November. The Toy and Game Industry Networking and Inventor Conference event will be held at Chicago’s Navy Pier from November 18-19. Jill Moore from Disney Consumer Products and Steve Rehkemper of Rehkemper Design and Innovation will present the welcome.

The Toy and Game Inventors of the Year Awards Dinner (TAGI Awards) will be held on November 19 at the Museum of Science and Industry, which features a private viewing of the Jim Henson Retrospective Exhibit. Eddy Goldfarb will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement award. Hasbro is the presenting sponsor.

The Chicago Toy and Game Fair will be held November 20-21. Open to the public, ChiTAG allows exhibitors to meet consumers face-to-face.