The annual Chicago Toy and Game Week (ChiTAG) is fast approaching, and this year’s schedule is taking shape.
The Chicago Toy and Game Group revealed the full program and speaker lineup for this year’s ChiTAG Inventor Conference, taking place Nov. 21-24 at Chicago’s Navy Pier. The inventor conferences are a professional development forum that offers opportunities for education, pitching ideas, collaboration, and trend discovery.
“The ChiTAG Inventor Conference is a must for anyone in the toy and game industry,” says Mary Couzin, CEO and founder of the Chicago Toy and Game Group. “The access to professional development, pitching and networking is like nothing else out there and attendees come from over 25 countries.”
Registration is open for the following conference tracks
- International New Inventors and New Business;
- International Professional Inventors;
- International Product Acquisition Executive;
- Design Student;
- and Play in Education (PIE)
Each track includes access to keynote speakers and the opportunity to hear “Tips from the ToyBox,” in which professional inventors share rapid-fire secrets of success, presented in just one minute.
2019 Keynote Speakers
- Richard Dickson, president and COO, Mattel, Inc.;
- Joanne Domeniconi, co-founder CEO, The Grommet;
- David Fuhrer, managing director, BlueSquare Innovations;
- and Robert Fuhrer, owner at Nextoy LLC and KenKen Puzzle
Additional Speakers
- Karri Bean, senior licensing manager, Disney Parks Experiences & Products;
- Tracy Dudkiewicz, owner, TAP Marketing;
- Robert Gehrke, owner, RPD Consulting;
- Richard Gill, vice president international, PlayMonster;
- Megan Hinterman Kanous, national accounts manager, PSI Inc.;
- Mike Hirtle, Paladin LLC;
- Michael Kohner, president, Michael Kohner Corporation;
- Catherine McMillen-Gill, president, McGill Associates;
- Matt Nuccio, co-owner and creative director, Design Edge;
- Katherine Nguyen, owner of Building Blocks Toy Store;
- Wai Or, managing mirector, Longshore;
- Gary Swisher, executive vice president of design, Spin Master;
- and Tanya Thompson, director global product acquisition and inventor relations for Gaming, Hasbro
This year’s sponsors include Longshore, Big G Creative, Cartamundi, and G2/Verisk Financial.
For registration, track dates and times, visit chitag.com.
