Toy Fair New York 2021 Is Canceled; Dates Are Set for Toy Fair Dallas

TFNY

After much consideration given the continued COVID-19 pandemic, The Toy Association has scrapped plans for an interim Toy Fair New York in May.

The focus now will be on Toy Fair Dallas in October and digital marketplace offerings as the Association continues to evolve its mix of physical and digital opportunities for the toy industry.

“Our foremost consideration is the health and well-being of the global toy and play community and setting a clear path forward,” says Steve Pasierb, president & CEO of The Toy Association. “We want to provide our exhibitors, retail buyers, and the larger toy and play community with certainty on important destination shows and the ability to take advantage of immediate opportunities through our year-round buying and selling platform.”

Looking ahead, The Toy Association has laid out the following offerings and schedule:

Toy Fair Dallas 2021, taking place from Oct. 5-7 at the Dallas Marketplace.
Toy Fair New York 2022, taking place from Feb. 19-22, 2022 at the newly expanded Javits Center.
Toy Fair Everywhere will continue in February as the Association’s digital B2B marketplace relaunches as the toy industry’s first and only year-round sales and connection platform.
Virtual Retailer Previews will continue following a successful launch last year. The next virtual event with specialty retailer Claire’s is set for Feb. 4.

“These proven digital opportunities should continue to be a critical part of every toy businesses’ mixed sales and marketing strategy,” says Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association. “As we look forward to our time together at Toy Fair Dallas 2021 and Toy Fair New York 2022, the proof is in the pudding as to the potential of these digital tools and events to serve our members in reaching new audiences.”

More than 3,000 buyers from more than 60 countries took advantage of Toy Fair Everywhere during its 2020 preview weeks. Additionally, the Association’s virtual previews opened new sales opportunities for nearly 400 toymakers.

With Toy Fair New York skipping 2021, the importance of showcasing new products in the Toy Book is bigger than ever! Click here for the Toy Book’s 2021 editorial calendar. For marketing opportunities, contact Publisher Jackie Breyer or Director of Marketing James Devin.

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.