Toy Fair London Soldiers On; Event Set to Take Place As Scheduled

Toys | Source: Adobe Stock

While Toy Fair New York and the 72nd Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair have been called off, the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) is holding firm with its plans to hold its annual Toy Fair in the UK. The Toy Fair is set to take place Jan. 25-27 at the Olympia in London.

Following a statement issued on Jan. 5, the BTHA issued another update on Friday to assure attendees that the London event is a go.

The Toy Fair logo | Source: BTHA

“The BTHA is aware of understandable concerns and rumors about the Toy Fair still taking place … [and] would like to confirm its Toy Fair is planned to go ahead as scheduled,” the organization said. “The Association would like to express its great sadness for and empathy with the organizers, the exhibitors, visitors, and participants of both the Nuremberg and New York fairs in the situation that has led to those shows being canceled … The BTHA understands how tough the decision would have been for our friends at these shows. The Toy Fair in London faces a different set of circumstances, which allow us to proceed to deliver the show and we look forward to welcoming participants from the UK and international toy community to the Fair. Many large businesses, cultural, social, and sporting events are going ahead in the UK and the appetite for the Toy Fair is one of enthusiasm for it to go ahead as planned in most quarters of our sector.”

In the wake of the global cancelations on the trade show circuit, many toymakers are falling back on virtual presentations, but rest assured that Adventure Media & Events — publisher of the Toy Book, the Toy Insider, and the Pop Insider — is moving full steam ahead to showcase all the latest new products and industry insight. The annual BIG Toy Book — which usually debuts at TFNY — will still see a February release alongside the Winter ’22 issue of the Pop Insider.

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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.