American International Toy Fair to Launch TIA's Content Connection in February 2013

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Toy Industry Association (TIA) announced today that the 110^th American International Toy Fair will host Content Connection, an educational program to serve the growing number of licensors, brand owners and entertainment executives that annually flock to the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere.

Taking place during the first two days of Toy Fair – February 10-11, 2013 – at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Content Connection will expand on licensing-focused programming presented in conjunction with Toy Fair 2012.  Sessions led by experts in the field of licensing will cover topics such as: opportunities for traditional and e-enhanced toy manufacturers and designers; preschool market research; demographic trends, media use and retail infrastructure in youth markets around the world; basic concepts and best practices for licensing brands and properties; and more.

"We saw an unprecedented surge in licensors and entertainment executives over the past two years at Toy Fair," said Marian Bossard, vice president of meetings and events at the Toy Industry Association, the trade group that owns and operates Toy Fair. "With that in mind, we've worked with experts in the field to create Content Connection to deliver an informative, interactive, and research-driven program geared specifically to Toy Fair's ever-growing licensing community."

The learning sessions will be produced in association with EPM Communications (publishers of The Licensing Letter and Youth Markets Alert) and JC Inc.

"Toy Fair has long been an informal gathering place for many in the licensing community," said Ira Mayer, President of EPM. "These additional educational opportunities and new data will truly extend the welcome mat."

From its origins more than a century ago, Toy Fair has become a global destination that turns more than 370,000 net square feet of New York City's largest exhibition hall into an annual playground of 100,000+ toys and youth entertainment products. The Toy Fair education program is an important component of TIA's year-round Knowledge Network; in addition to Content Connection, the show is home to a range of educational programming to meet the business and networking needs of a diverse audience that includes retailers (both independent and mass), creative types (such as inventors and designers) and manufacturers / distributors. Held from Sunday, February 10 to Wednesday, February 13, Toy Fair 2013 is projected to connect nearly 1,100 toy sellers with 10,000+ forward-looking and fast-acting global retailers.

Content Connection will overlap with Toy Fair on Sunday and Monday, February 10-11. The sessions will be fee-based and can be purchased as individual classes, allowing participants to pick and choose the topics that are most pertinent to their interests. For more information, visit ToyFairNY.com.

About the 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. The largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere, Toy Fair brings more than 1,100 exhibiting manufacturers, distributors, importers, sales agents from nearly 100 countries to showcase an estimated 100,000 toy and entertainment products to the 6,000 unique retail outlets that annually attend. For more information about the show, please visit www.ToyFairNY.com.

SOURCE Toy Industry Association