TFNY: ASTRA Reveals Toy Fair New York Plans

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is planning a number of initiatives for attendees of Toy Fair New York, taking place from Feb. 22-25 at the Jacob K. Javits Center.

The international nonprofit that serves independent toy retailers is sponsoring a variety of programs and services designed to help member retailers, sales representatives, and manufacturers maximize the use of their time in New York for product sourcing, learning, and networking.

“ASTRA programs at Toy Fair are designed to give store owners a shortcut to the best new toys and children’s products in the aisles at Javits,” says Kimberly Mosley, president of ASTRA. “ASTRA members make a big investment of time and dollars to attend Toy Fair so we do all we can to get them great deals and to make their time in New York as productive, fun, and comfortable as we can.”

ASTRA Toy Fair Activations:

ASTRA booth No. 6511: Member ribbons will be available for pick up at the booth, plus attendees can enjoy quick and easy Early Bird registration for Marketplace & Academy 2020. Giveaways and promos are offered for buyers who become members of ASTRA or register for Marketplace & Academy at the show.
ASTRA Toy App: Available for download on Feb. 1, the app offers members-only discounts and offers manufacturer booth numbers and information.
Manufacturer Support: Manufacturers who are ASTRA members will receive a package of materials hand-delivered to their booths, packed with tools for connecting to ASTRA buyers.
Sales Rep Support: The “Sales Rep Wanted” list includes manufacturers who are looking for representation of their products.
Member Hospitality Lounge: Open Saturday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday in Hall 1E 12.
ASTRA’s Night in New York: A happy hour event with live entertainment will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17 at the Paramount Theater, 1501 Broadway. The ticketed event includes food, drinks, and great ASTRA conversations
Share the Fair, a signature member retailer event at Toy Fair: The annual breakfast event brings together ASTRA retailers to share information about not-to-be-missed products that they have seen on the show floor. The breakfast takes place Monday, Feb. 24 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Hall 1E 11.

For information about ASTRA membership and other ASTRA activities at Toy Fair, visit www.astratoy.org.

Click here to view the Toy Book‘s full coverage of Toy Fair New York.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.