2015 North American International Toy Fair to Host Digital Kids Conference

NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Toy Industry Association (TIA) and media company Digital Kids Media announced today that the 9^th Annual Digital Kids® Conference will co-locate once again with the North American International Toy Fair in February 2015 at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

Taking place February 16-17, the Digital Kids Conference will address important new strategies, valuable tools, and marketplace insight that will enable youth-focused media professionals to create best-selling digital toys, games and media services for kids. The pre-conference Learning Summit, scheduled for February 15, will explore the rapidly changing innovations occurring in learning technology, with a focus on consumer- and curriculum-based learning products and services that enrich the lives and education of children.

"Hosting the Digital Kids Conference under the same roof as Toy Fair presents an enriching opportunity for the 30,000+ exhibitors, retailers, licensors, brand owners and other play professionals who annually visit the Toy Fair marketplace," said Marian Bossard, TIA vice president of meetings and events. "The Digital Kids Conference, which focuses on new and emerging technologies impacting the world of toys and games, is a terrific complement to the well-rounded educational and networking programs already scheduled to take place at Toy Fair."

"We are pleased to partner with TIA to co-locate Digital Kids Conference 2015 alongside Toy Fair," said Tonda Bunge Sellers, president of Digital Kids Media.  "The Digital Kids Con gives toy manufacturers, game and app developers, entertainment brand owners, and licensors the opportunity to come together and collaborate in one location. Attendees will strengthen their businesses by networking with potential partners while gaining exclusive, critical industry insights."

The partnership between the two shows will provide all Toy Fair attendees with access to the Digital Kids Conference and Learning Summit; TIA members will receive reduced rates to attend the sessions. Digital Kids Conference attendees, as well as those who have the "All Access Pass" to attend both the Conference and Learning Summit, will have access to the Toy Fair show floor, where they will be among the first to view hundreds of thousands of hot new toys and games on display by nearly 1,200 innovative toy companies.

The largest toy and youth product marketplace in the Western hemisphere, Toy Fair 2015 will be held from Saturday, February 14 to Tuesday, February 17. In addition to showcasing the year's most innovative new products, Toy Fair will also offer a robust educational program designed to help toy inventors and designers, licensors, independent and specialty retailers, and many more constituents grow their businesses, comply with new safety requirements, identify the biggest toy trends of the year and much more.

2015 will mark the fifth year that the Digital Kids Conference is co-locating with Toy Fair. The conference will overlap with Toy Fair on Monday and Tuesday, February 16-17; the Learning Summit will precede the conference on Sunday, February 15. For more information, visit www.DigitalKidsCon.com.  To learn more about Toy Fair, visit www.ToyFairNY.com.  

About the North American International Toy Fair
Toy Fair is an annual trade show that is owned and operated by the Toy Industry Association (TIA), the not-for-profit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and bringing toys and youth entertainment products to kids of all ages.  From its origins more than a century ago, Toy Fair has evolved into the largest toy marketplace in the Western hemisphere, bringing nearly 1,200 exhibiting manufacturers, distributors, importers, and sales agents from more than 100 countries to showcase hundreds of thousands of toy and entertainment products to the 7,000+ retail outlets in attendance. For more information about the show, please visit www.ToyFairNY.com. To learn about the Toy Industry Association, visit www.ToyAssociation.org.

About Digital Kids Media
Digital Kids Media, a unit of Engage Digital, is a creator, owner and operator of specialized trade events focused on children's digital media. Engage Digital, founded in 2003, has created and produced dozens of conferences and trade shows on topics including software development, technology, mobile, games, toys, social media, youth marketing, apps, small business, angel investing, entrepreneurship, digital learning, 3D virtual environments and more. http://DigitalKidsMedia.com

SOURCE Toy Industry Association