Grammy winner cuts the ribbon; over 30,000 visitors expected across four days.
Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys officially opened the 111th American International Toy Fair on Sunday, February 16th.
More than 30,000 play professionals from 100 countries are expected at Toy Fair 2014 to explore a record-breaking 412,000 net square feet of exhibit space at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Upwards of 1,150 toy companies – 285 of which are exhibiting for the very first time – are slated to unveil the year's hottest trends in toys, games and youth entertainment products in front of an estimated 14,000 global buyers.
"New York Toy Fair is the only show in the world that provides the international toy industry with direct access to the tremendous creativity and talent of North American toymakers," said Carter Keithley, president of the Toy Industry Association (TIA), the trade group that owns and operates the show. "The diverse Toy Fair marketplace offers something for everyone – including niche buyers, mass retailers, licensing executives, and many more – all of who consider the show to be a 'must-attend' stop on the global buying circuit."
Toy Fair opened at 10 am with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Grammy-winning artist Alicia Keys, co-creator of the interactive children's app, The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee.
Providing media and trade guests with the inside scoop on which toys will top wish lists this year, TIA experts will reveal the biggest trends of 2014 at the annual 'Toy Trends Tea' on Monday, February 17th.
Educational seminars to be held throughout the show include licensing-focused seminars; global trade and market expansion research presentations; workshops for inventors and designers; and toy safety and compliance forums for manufacturers and retailers.
New for Toy Fair 2014 is a free e-tool that extends the marketplace beyond its four-day run, ShopToyFair365, enabling buyers and sellers to connect and conduct business online before, during and after the show.
