Deadline Extended: Apply For a Chance to Pitch Your Idea at Toy Fair Now Through Jan. 17

November 15, 2019 | The deadline has been extended for the second annual CF@TF Creative Factor Inventor Day, which invites toy inventors and designers to directly pitch their ideas to top toy and youth entertainment professionals and manufacturing partners at Toy Fair New York. The application period will now close Friday, January 17.

“In response to feedback from the inventor community, we’ve extended the deadline to offer more time to prepare,” said Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association. “We recognize that these individuals are passionately creating, inventing, and designing product and the more time they have to do so, the more rewarding the outcomes will be for all parties involved.”

Presented by Creative Factor, The Toy Association’s program for inventors and designers, the pitching opportunity is open to all toy inventors and designers attending Toy Fair. The pitch sessions will be held Friday, February 21, the day before Toy Fair opens, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

“This is the perfect opportunity for designers and inventors to get one-on-one time with industry experts who can help move their idea up the pipeline,” said Brett Klisch, director of Creative Factor and president of Peru Meridian Studios. “Making these connections, especially for those just getting their feet wet in the industry, is critical, and we’re thrilled to provide this resource to the designer and inventor community.”

Interested applicants must complete the online submission form and submit a 90-second video (required) to support their written application. The deadline to apply is Friday, January 17.

Creative Factor advisory board members, led by Mr. Klisch, Robin Raskin of Living in Digital Times, Billy Langsworthy of Mojo Nation, and Matt Nuccio of Design Edge, will perform the initial review and selection of applicants to participant in CF@TF Inventor Day.

Creative Factor’s full schedule of educational programming during Toy Fair New York will include workshops, roundtables, and tech demos that include the lifecycle of a toy, design innovation, IP protection, VR character modeling, robotics, connected play, and more. Sessions will be held throughout the four-day show and are included in Toy Fair registration.

Questions about applications for CF@TF Inventor Day may be directed to CreativeFactor@ToyAssociation.org. Toy Fair New York will take place Saturday, February 22, to Tuesday, February 25, 2020. Learn more at ToyFairNY.com.