TechUp Returns to CES with New Presentations, Partnerships

TechUp returns to Las Vegas this month to highlight the future of gaming, play, and immersive entertainment at CES 2020, taking place from Jan. 7-10.

Following a successful debut last year, TechUp — a curated service designed by Toyology founder Peter Jenkinson alongside Collabsco founder Valerie Vacante — will showcase connected play products from a variety of manufacturers including Hasbro, Mattel, Bandai Namco, and others.

On Jan. 9, TechUp will once again partner with Living in Digital Times to host sessions at the Kids@Play Family Tech Summit.

The Future of Play, Gaming, and Immersive Entertainment will be moderated by Vacante. Speakers include Chris Down, chief design officer at Mattel; Tommy Tallarico, president and CEO of Intellivision Entertainment; and Zai Ortiz, CEO of Alta Games and co-founder and president of Virsix Games.

“We can expect to see more options to play ‘connected and disconnected’ in the physical and digital world,” says Vacante. She adds that other trends this year include an uptick in multigenerational families gaming together, the emergence of more gamer makers, and technologies from the past being integrated with new tech for fresh experiences.

TechUp’s Peter Jenkinson will moderate a Toys “R” Us and ASTRA Fireside Chat featuring David Di Bene, chief marketing officer of Toys “R” Us Stores USA, and Kimberly Mosley, president of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA).

The curated product lineup for TechUp’s CES 2020 showcase includes:

tori Explorer Pack (Bandai Namco Entertainment)
St. Noire (Virsix Games)
Lightsaber Academy (Hasbro)
Star Wars D-O Interactive Droid (Hasbro)
Hot Wheels id (Mattel)
Amico (Intellivision Entertainment)
Countdown (Pressure Games)
Blinks (Move38)
Blazer League (Chicken Waffle)

“TechUp is looking forward to uncovering a smorgasbord of technology to mark our embarkation into the ’20s,” says Jenkinson.

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.