Toy Fair Climbs Eight Notches in “Gold 100” Review by Trade Show Executive Magazine

September 24, 2009 | The Toy Industry Association (TIA) and its American International Toy Fair have been honored again by Trade Show Executive Magazine as a “Gold 100” trade show.  From its debut in 2008 as the 64h largest industry trade show in the United States, in one year Toy Fair climbed eight (8) spots to capture the ranking as 56th of the “Gold 100” shows.  The ranking was based on attendance in 2008.

The 106th annual Toy Fair, held in February 2009 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, brought together more than 20,000 attendees – including 1,100+ exhibitors and 10,000+ retail buyers from 89 countries – in more than 361,000 square feet of exhibit space.  An estimated 100,000 products were exhibited, with roughly 7,000 products that had never before been seen anywhere in the world.  Showcasing the excitement, innovation and inspiration behind a $67 billion global ($21.6 billion U.S.) toy industry, Toy Fair is the largest toy trade show in the western hemisphere.

The “Gold 100” awards were presented during Trade Show Executive Magazine’s  second annual Summit held last week in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.  The conference brought together the leaders of the nation’s top exhibitions for one-on-one discussions of the leading issues of the day in a setting that is equally inspiring.  TIA’s vice president of meetings and events, Marian Bossard, serves on the “Gold 100” Advisory Board and was present to accept the award.

“It was an honor to be recognized alongside such top tier trade shows,” said Bossard. “This is a great accomplishment and we are proud to share this recognition with everyone in the toy industry.  ‘Inspiring Growth’ really must have been the perfect theme for us … we are so appreciative of each of our exhibitors, buyers, media and other attendees for their continued support of TIA and Toy Fair!”

The 107th annual Toy Fair will be held February 14-17, 2010; for the first time, it will be co-located with Engage! Expo on February 16-17.   The two events will bring more than 25,000 attendees and exhibitor personnel to New York City and the Javits Center.