ASTRA Reveals Keynote Speaker for 2019 Marketplace and Academy

Kickstarter co-founder and former CEO Yancey Strickler will deliver the keynote address at The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA)’s Marketplace & Academy.  This year’s event, “More than a Toy Show,” will take place from June 9-12 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Strickler’s presentation will focus on harnessing the power of creativity to grow your business. In addition to Kickstarter, Strickler co-founded the artist resource The Creative Independent, which publishes daily essays on the creative process.

“Like Yancey Strickler, many ASTRA members share the experience of starting or building businesses, which requires out-of-the-box thinking and the willingness to approach business challenges through a creative lens,” says Kimberly Mosley, president of ASTRA. “Yancey has seen how unleashing creativity has been transformative for so many projects, organizations, and companies. Wee are eager to learn from his insights.”

Strickler’s keynote will be delivered on Wednesday, June 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Following the keynote, ASTRA Marketplace attendees will have a third day on the exhibit floor to find new products that will differentiate their stores and to take advantage of show-only discounts.

Special Early Bird registration rates for ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy are available through Wednesday, February 20. Register online or at the ASTRA booth at Toy Fair New York in booth No. 6414. 

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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