The American International Toy Fair 2005 will be held in New York on February 20-23. Sponsored by the Toy Industry Association, Inc., the show will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and special showrooms in the Toy District. This year, be sure to make the most of your time at the event with this brief guide of what to expect.
The Javits will offer pavilions featuring products grouped by type. Among them will be 
Collectibles (one-of-a-kind dolls, handmade teddy bears, and miniatures), Game Zone (board games), HobbyTech (models, die cast cars, radio-controlled vehicles, model trains, and hobby products), Specialty Source, and several International Pavilions.
Two new sections, Sweet Spot and Reading, Writing & Rhythm, were created by request of past Toy Fair attendees. Sweet Spot showcases candy-themed products and candy novelties. Reading, Writing & Rhythm will highlight children’s books, recordings, and musical instruments.
A special feature of the Toy Fair is this year’s professional conference program with the theme, "Play Meets Profit." "This is the first time the conference is going to be set up in a tracked environment," says Beth-Ellen Keyes, Director of Education for the TIA. "We´re going to have a business development track for the first time. We´re also going to have a business innovation track, which will talk about various companies or people who have done innovative things to promote and start up their business." The conference will also have a licensing and legal track, a marketing track, a manufacturing track, and a health and safety track.
"The material will be organized around how small manufacturers or retailers can get the benefits of larger manufacturers and retailers without spending those kinds of budgets,” Keyes continues. “We´ll be talking about how to scale down advertising and promotion, how to get the most out of customer usability on your Web site, how to get venture funding for your company."
For more information on Toy Fair, please refer to the following articles, which were previously published in TDmonthly Magazine:
Toy Fair 2005 Preview Articles
Does Toy Fair Buzz Guarantee a Toy’s Success?
The Talk of the Trade Show
Toy Fair Checklist
Writer's Bio: The mother of two grown children (an artist and a musician), writer Janie Franz once was a radio announcer and did booking for a rock band.
