2018 Summer Business Conference Gives Attendees Inside Look into Amazon

June 19, 2018 | Toy manufacturers from across the country last week gathered at The Toy Association’s 2018 Summer Business Conference, hosted by Amazon at their Day 1 building in downtown Seattle, WA.

The June 11 to 12 conference consisted of important seminars and workshops for nearly 75 senior-level executives, credit managers, and e-commerce professionals from manufacturer members. Attendees also received a tour of Amazon’s Fulfillment Center in Kent, WA.

“This year’s Summer Business Conference was a highly successful and educational two-day event, with many new members who made the trip to Seattle to join us,” said Paul Vitale, executive vice president of finance and operations at The Toy Association. “Participants came away from the conference with a better understanding of the scope of Amazon’s fulfillment operations driven by its customer-focused mantra, as well as a variety of other relevant topics. We thank Amazon for allowing our members to get a peek into its business.”

Attendees heard from Amazon’s Anne Carrihill, senior manager of vendor management, and Adam Darany, manager of vendor management. They also heard from Eva Lorenz, Amazon’s general manager of toys and games, and Stephanie Collett, director of supplier operations. Topics included an introduction to the fulfillment center, an overview of Amazon Toys, and the company’s long-term supply chain goals.

The conference held educational programming on e-commerce and supply chain logistics, business valuation, and important freight inspection issues. Attendees participated in workshops and breakout sessions addressing challenges in today’s credit and collections environment and a credit risk analysis of key retail accounts. The event included a networking dinner at The Butcher’s Club, where attendees, presenters, and guests had a chance to mingle and network in a relaxed setting.

“The vibe of the Amazon-hosted conference was full of energy, well-organized, and the presentations were well-maintained on all levels,” said conference attendee Roger Ginsberg, sales manager at Animal Adventure. “The Toy Association did a wonderful job of making sure the conference was easily followed, and the addition of Amazon helped add to the overall networking opportunities. The staff’s hard work is greatly appreciated!”

Isamar Margareten, CEO of NessToy, attended the conference for the first time. “We were impressed to see how well the event flowed; we could tell it was planned down to the most minute detail. With The Toy Association running things so efficiently, we really got to learn so much in such a limited amount of time. We found the session on import surveillance to be enlightening and a real inside perspective on what the toy industry needs to know,” Margareten said.

Manufacturer members who are interested in learning more about The Toy Association’s Credit Interchange Program, may contact program manager, Dina Gittings.