In the wake of The Toy Association’s plans to reimagine Toy Fair New York as a fall event beginning in 2023 and retiring Dallas Toy Fair, independent retailers and specialty toy and game manufacturers have been buzzing about the changes.
While the timeline shift will create some uncharted waters for the entire toy industry, independent toy stores and the specialty market have different needs and the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is calling upon its members — and the industry at large — to help chart its future course in the trade show space.
“We are hearing from our members on social media, and via emails and calls about their feelings about the big change
in timing for Toy Fair,” says ASTRA President Sue Warfield. “We don’t yet know what the changes mean to the format and attendance of the show, but we do know that our members are concerned. We hear you.”
Earlier today, the ASTRA Executive Committee held an emergency meeting to discuss how the shift in plans for Toy Fair New York will impact the specialty industry.
When the full board of directors convenes for its annual meeting in Las Vegas this spring, the changes will be on the discussion schedule, and with that, it is important that the industry has a voice in shaping ASTRA’s plans for events and programming options.
ASTRA has opened a survey that welcomes both members and non-members to weigh in. ASTRA says that it is open to all sides of the story and ideas and will accept responses until March 3, 2022. Click here to complete the survey.
Following a successful return to a live format last year in Minneapolis, the 2022 ASTRA Marketplace & Academy trade show is slated to take place June 12-15 in Long Beach, California at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center.
