Spielwarenmesse Toy Business Forum to Showcase New Perspectives

The 71st Spielwarenmesse international toy fair will take place from Jan. 29-Feb. 2 at Germany’s Nuremberg Exhibition Centre, and the programming is already taking shape. The Toy Business Forum will take place in the TrendGallery (Hall 3A) with new perspectives on industry topics presented daily. The free talks are simultaneously interpreted into English or German, and will focus on five key topics — trend, change, digital, retail, marketing — with one presented daily from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Trade fairs are forums for new products, knowledge transfer, and communication. For many years, trade visitors have valued the Toy Business Forum at Spielwarenmesse as a useful source of information. The presentation area within the TrendGallery in Hall 3A is well-known for shining a light on new perspectives. The chosen topics gravitate around the challenges facing the industry, now and in the future. The talks are free of charge and are simultaneously interpreted into German or English.

Additional insights will be showcased in the LicenseTalks series presented by License International (formerly LIMA) and License Global. Talks will take place from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday-Friday at the Toy Business Forum.

The full programming schedule will be made available in mid-November at www.spielwarenmesse.de/en/toybusinessforum.

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.