ICTI Forms Year-Round Working Groups During 42^nd Annual General Meeting

June 17, 2016 | National toy trade association delegates from around the world convened in Annecy, France from June 5-7 for the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) 42^nd Annual General Meeting.

Hosted by the French Toy Association – Fédération Française Des Industries Jouet-Puériculture (FJP) –  the meeting analyzed various issues impacting the global toy industry and established a formal year-round working agenda, which includes an additional meeting of nations to be held annually starting with the Spielwarenmesse Fair in Nuremberg, Germany each February.

ICTI members elected to form three working groups responsible for advancing industry progress:  the future of standards harmonization; communicating the value of play; and strengthening ties to the independent ICTI CARE Foundation.

“The Toy Industry Association (TIA) has volunteered to be involved in each working group,” said TIA President and CEO Steve Pasierb. “Given TIA’s existing work for U.S. companies and our role as ICTI Secretariat, we’re well positioned to support consistency in future regulation and safety standards, leverage the successful Genius of Play initiative, and continue TIA’s commitment to ethical manufacturing practices through support of ICTI Care.”

During the meeting, each participating nation shared a State of the Industry Report to provide attendees with an overview of the challenges and opportunities specific to their countries. These reports will be available online for viewing by ICTI members in the coming weeks. 

The meeting also included the 2016 installment of “The World Economy and the Toy Industry,” delivered by  Anne Agis-Garcin of The NPD Group; “A Fresh Look at Standards Harmonization,” from Ed Desmond, TIA executive vice president of external affairs; and a special “Social Responsibility” report from Carmel Giblin, ICTI CARE Foundation president and CEO.

On the meeting’s last day, Synesio Batista da Costa and John Tong were reelected to serve on the Executive Committee representing the Americas and Asia, respectively, and FJP directeur general Michel Moggio was elected to serve as the new Vice President of Europe on the ICTI Board of Directors.

The 43^rd ICTI Annual General Meeting will take place June 11-13, 2017 in Sydney, Australia, and will be hosted by the Australian Toy Association. More information will be shared on the ICTI website in the coming months.

TIA is a founding member of ICTI and is honored to serve as its permanent secretariat.