Register Now for the 2019 Toy Fair Credit Meeting

January 8, 2019 | The Toy Association’s Toy Fair Credit Meeting will take place on Monday, February 18, from 9 a.m. to 6:15 p.m., at the InterContinental New York Times Square Hotel in New York City. The annual event will provide crucial insights, networking opportunities, and critical trade information to industry finance, credit, and operations professionals.

Held in conjunction with Toy Fair New York, taking place February 16 to 19 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, the Credit Meeting is open only to Toy Association member manufacturers. Registration is open through February 11.

Highlights of the 2019 program include:

  • Speaker Presentations – David Tawil, founder and principal of ETG Capital, and Jason Torf, a partner at Horwood Marcus & Berk Chartered, will present a joint session on lessons learned from Toys“R”Us liquidation, and adjustment of manufacturers’ expectations and strategy as a result of the debtor’s mistakes when dealing with vendors; Pinder Basi, CFO of Mastermind Toys, Canada, will present about his company’s vision for its growth; and Dennis Cantalupo, president of Pulse Ratings Inc. and partner at Reimer Plus, will provide a thorough analysis of credit risk for key retail accounts.
  • Review of Accounts – moderated by Colleen Veilleux, chair of the Credit Committee and senior finance manager at Wicked Cool Toys, and Dean Stewart, vice chair of the Credit Committee and vice president of credit and risk management at Spin Master.
  • A Workshop for credit managers exploring the challenges associated with current conditions of credit and collection, moderated by Joy Christopher, chair of the Midwest Chapter of the Credit Interchange and accounts payable/accounts receivable manager at Radio Flyer, and Anna Valles, chair of the West Chapter of the Credit Interchange and senior manager of credit and collections at Bandai.
  • “Beyond Credit” Roundtable – a closed session for senior finance and operations executives focused on issues facing toy manufacturing companies, moderated by Colleen Veilleux and Dean Stewart.

“The annual Toy Fair Credit Meeting is a must-attend event for toy professionals who are involved with their company’s finance, credit, and operations departments,” said Paul Vitale, The Toy Association’s executive vice president of finance & operations. “As many traditional retailers continue to struggle, toy companies want to make sure they are taking appropriate measures to protect themselves and get paid for product sell-ins. This conference will help make companies more efficient, more profitable, and provide invaluable tips and resources.”

Registration information has been sent to qualifying members. Questions about the Toy Fair Credit Meeting may be directed to Dina Gittings, The Toy Association’s Credit Interchange program manager (646.520.4849). For information about hotel bookings and Toy Fair, visit ToyFairNY.com.

The Toy Association Credit Interchange is a unique, comprehensive, and complimentary trade credit assessment program that serves its member manufacturing companies. The program offers convenient, 24/7 access to a secure proprietary online customer database to the contributing participants; moderated forums on finance, credit, and operations; and access to national educational meetings and conferences.