New York City Will Focus its Spotlights on Toys and Games This Week at the 2014 American International Toy Fair

NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The world has been focused on play this month – first the Super Bowl, then the Winter Olympics, and next the opening on Sunday of the 111^th American International Toy Fair!  The 2014 Toy Fair will be the largest toy show ever held in the Western Hemisphere with an anticipated 30,000+ attendees and a record-breaking 410,000+ net square feet of exhibit space – the equivalent of more than seven football fields filled with hundreds of thousands of toys!

Owned and operated by the Toy Industry Association (TIA), Toy Fair will open its doors on Sunday, February 16^th for a four-day run in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and showrooms across New York City.  At 10 a.m., GRAMMY-winner Alicia Keys, co-creator of the interactive children's app The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee, will help cut the ribbon and greet guests at the show opening. Immediately following, Keys will hold a press conference on the app with TIA's vice president of meetings and events, Marian Bossard.

"TIA is proud to welcome back to Toy Fair buyers from more than 7,000 retail outlets around the globe," Bossard said.  "Together, the exhibitors, buyers, licensors, entertainment executives, and other play industry professionals represent over 100 countries – and all are eager to see what's new and what's hot in the world of toys and games."

On Monday, February 17^th at 4 p.m., TIA will host its annual Toy Trends Tea where the Association's trend experts will unveil the year's top six toy trends using examples from the show floor and live product demonstrations.

The four-day show abounds with world-class educational programming covering topics such as play in the 21^st century; toy safety; development, production, and marketing advancements; and doing business in the global toy marketplace.  

Toy Fair will break new ground this year with the introduction of ShopToyFair365, a free e-commerce tool that empowers buyers and sellers anywhere in the world to connect and do business online before, during and after the show.

Registration is mandatory for access to Toy Fair 2014; verification of media credentials is required. Sign up online at www.ToyFairNY.com or on-site during show hours.  Those who can't make it to the show can follow Toy Fair on Twitter (#TF14 and #TFNY) and visit the Toy Fair Online Press Room and TIA's Facebook page for up-to-the-minute show information.

About the American International Toy Fair    (www.ToyFairNY.com) 
Toy Fair is an annual event that is owned and operated by the Toy Industry Association (TIA). The largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere, Toy Fair takes place each February at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. The show brings together more than 1,100 exhibiting manufacturers, distributors, importers and sales agents to showcase an estimated 150,000 toy and youth entertainment products to 7,000+ unique retail outlets from 100 countries.

About the Toy Industry Association (TIA)    (www.ToyAssociation.org and www.ToyInfo.org)  
TIA is the not-for-profit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages, representing more than 700 companies who account for approximately 85% of domestic toy sales. TIA is the owner and operator of the American International Toy Fair and Fall Toy Preview. Toy safety is the number one priority for the toy industry; TIA has a long history of leadership in toy safety and works with government, consumers and industry on ongoing programs to ensure safe and fun play.

TOY FAIR 2014 EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

Specific details about all Toy Fair educational and networking opportunities can be found in the schedule below and under the Education and Events tabs at ToyFairNY.com.

Creative Factor (Feb. 16-18) and Independent Thinking (Feb. 16 & 18)
These free presentations are targeted to Toy Fair's creative community and independent / specialty retailers. Sessions will tackle everything from starting a business and protecting intellectual property to creative in-store promotions that will keep customers coming back for more.

Global Trade and Market Expansion Sessions (Feb. 16 & 17)
Sessions will provide toy companies with the data and research they need to expand into foreign markets and grow global sales operations. Sessions will include key findings from recent TIA-commissioned research examining the fast-developing toy and youth entertainment marketplaces in Brazil and China.

TIA's Licensing Content Connection (Feb. 16 & 18) 
These fee-based sessions will provide insight into the world of licensed playthings – a market segment that accounts for roughly 30% of all toys and games sold in the U.S. Produced by TIA in association with Advanstar (producers of Las Vegas Licensing Expo) and EPM Communications (publisher of The Licensing Letter and Youth Markets Alert.)

Toy Trends Tea (Feb. 17)
TIA's trend experts will showcase the year's top six toy trends ... and help media and buyers find them on the show floor. Presentation will include live product demos and a Q&A session.

Digital Kids Toys, Learning & Play Summit (Feb. 17)
Hosted by Engage Digital, these panel discussions and presentations will present ways to enrich children's learning and play experiences with both physical toys and digital media.

Safety, Compliance and Environmental Sessions (Feb. 17 & 18)
These sessions will share tools and updates that toy industry stakeholders need to know in order to ensure that their playthings continue to comply with various state, federal and international toy safety standards and regulations. Included is TIA's own Toy Safety Compliance Update (Feb. 18 at 9:30 a.m.), which covers pending state and federal legislation impacting the toy industry and includes a keynote from the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) acting chair and commissioner, Robert Adler.

TIA Annual Business Meeting (Feb. 18)
Open to all, TIA's Annual Business Meeting will provide an update on the Association's recent activities and include reports from the President and outgoing and incoming Chairmen.

8th annual Digital Kids Conference (Feb. 18 & 19)
This two-day conference will bring youth-focused digital media executives, brand owners, and licensors together to learn critical information about engaging children online and through digital devices.

TOY FAIR AFTER-HOURS EVENTS AND SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

TIA's 14th annual TOTY (Toy of the Year) Awards will be held on Saturday, February 15^th at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. The event will honor the most outstanding toys and children's entertainment properties of the past year and celebrate the induction of five individuals into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. This event supports the philanthropic work of the Toy Industry Foundation.

The Toy Fair Opening Ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, February 16^th.  GRAMMY-winner Alicia Keys, co-creator of the children's app The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee, will help cut the ribbon. Immediately following, Keys will hold a press conference with TIA's vice president of meetings and events, Marian Bossard, on the Mama Mae brand and "Mookey," the latest addition to the series.

The International Visitors' Welcome Reception will take place at 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 16^th. All international buyers press and exhibitors are invited.

Creative Factor's 10^th Anniversary will be celebrated on Monday, February 17^th at 5:30 p.m. This free networking cocktail reception is open exclusively to members of Toy Fair's inventor and designer community.

Toy Industry Next Generation (TING) Cocktail Hour will take place on Monday, February 17^th at 6 p.m. at Celsius at Bryant Park. TING is a TIA-endorsed networking organization for young toy professionals.

The Toy Industry Foundation will hold its annual Toy Bank collection at the close of the show (4 p.m.) on Wednesday, February 19^th. Exhibitors may donate product at this time to benefit children in need across the nation and around the world.

SOURCE Toy Industry Association