The Toy Association

The Toy Association is laying the groundwork to assist toymakers and retail buyers in an era in which in-person meetings and mass gatherings are off the table.

Toy Fair Everywhere is a new virtual market program that will launch in July for the first of three virtual seven-day market weeks.

Using partners such as Balluun — which powers The Toy Association’s ShopToys365 platform —Toy Fair Everywhere seeks to bring together suppliers, customers, and other members of the toy industry in a manner that will facilitate buyer and seller needs. Virtual market week attendees will be able to explore a calendar of daily events, browse exhibitors by category, and book appointments for virtual demos and chats.

“If there is one thing we have all learned in these unprecedented times when we are forced to social distance from friends, family, and colleagues, it’s the power and importance of connection,” says Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association. “These three virtual market weeks can help answer member and toy community needs. They were not created to replace our existing face-to-face marketplaces (Toy Fair New York and Toy Fair Dallas) but to supplement them and help bridge the gap in industry engagement. The Toy Association has the reach, the resources, and the responsibility to play this role for the toy and play community.”

Toy Fair Everywhere Market Weeks:

  • July 13-19
  • August 17-23
  • September 14-20

Toy Fair Everywhere will also include special events and educational programming both live and pre-recorded.

“Our aim is that Toy Fair Everywhere provides the industry with the much-needed opportunity to connect and engage from afar while continuing to make essential headway for their businesses to forge ahead in the current climate,” Bossard says. “We all know Christmas, birthdays, and gift-giving holidays are still coming, and the toy industry’s steadfast optimism and resilience must be met with the ability to prepare.”

More details on these new digital marketplaces will be revealed in the coming weeks. For questions and additional information, please contact Marian Bossard and Kimberly Carcone to learn more.

About the author

James Zahn

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.

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