Educational Programming Explores the Metaverse’s Impact on Play

February 15, 2022 | Learn about the opportunities for experimentation, marketing and gameplay that exist in the metaverse and how exactly a non-fungible token (NFT) could work for your brand. Beginning February 21, educational programming originally scheduled to take place at Toy Fair New York will be available on-demand – including the show’s Welcome to the Metaverse educational sessions.

As previously announced this new educational track of Toy Fair programming invites the greater toy and play community to learn about the exciting new space of interconnected virtual communities with sessions covering a range of topics tied to the idea of the metaverse. The sessions are made possible through The Toy Association’s partnership with the Virtual Events Group. Below is an overview of the programming that will be available along with their release dates:

Tiptoeing into the World of NTFs (February 21)

This session will unpack the world of NFTs, looking at the success stories of Benyamin Ahmed, a 12-year-old who made a fortune minting NFTs in the metaverse, and Mike Shaman, creator of the NFT creator collective NFHero. The discussion will explore how toy companies can begin to think about their own audiences and properties in new ways.

Why Every Toy Company Should be Thinking about Minting an NFT (February 24)

You’ve seen them by now, The Bored Apes, the Gucci bags, and the Vans sneakers that don’t exist anywhere but as digital representations. And they’re selling like hotcakes. Tune in as Jeremy Padawer, chief brand officer of Jazwares; Jacqueline Vong, principal & co-founder of Playology International; and Cole Gurman, CEO of Wooshi World discuss what brand owners need to do to build an NFT strategy for their IP. The session will be moderated by Dean Takahashi of GamesBeat.

How the Pandemic Changed Play (February 28)

The pandemic put a spotlight on how kids play and helped us to reexamine screentime, as digital devices became kids’ sole portal to school, entertainment, and socialization. In a session moderated by David Kleeman, senior vice president of global trends at Dubit, this session will discuss how many of these habits will remain and whether the pandemic has changed play forever. Panelists include Mary Couzin, founder & CEO of the Chicago Toy and Game Group; Susanna Pollack, president of Games for Change; Amanda Gummer, founder of Good Play Guide; and Jim Marggraff of Kinoo.

The Pragmatic Metaverse (February 28)

The metaverse can be a great destination for experimentation, gameplay, and creating loyalty, but it’s still in its infancy and raises lots of questions about how it will work. In this session, Steve Leamer, founder and executive producer, NewSky Productions; Andrew J. Nash, CEO of Americas, Rooom, Inc.; Tom Burg, CEO of Americas, Touchcast; Stas Zavlasky, CEO of Vii Events; and Robin Raskin, founder of The Virtual Events Group, will discuss metaverse experiences that can be used today to monetize a variety of experiences for the toy industry.

Influencers, Virtual Showrooms AR & VR: Discover the Trends to Help Grow Your Business (March 3)

Yahoo’s Creative Technologist Kadine James will moderate a discussion that explores some of the top ways to extend brands into digital worlds. Panelists include Tom Emrich, vice president of product for 8th Wall; Melissa Hunter, founder & CEO of Family Video Network; Michel Tzsfaldt, CEO of Tekle Holographics; and Jeremy Whitt, chief strategy officer and CTO of SeekXR.

Inventing in the Metaverse (March 3)

Not only is the toy industry re-inventing toys to be a part of the metaverse, but it’s also re-inventing the process of how products are designed and created. This session gives an inside look into Hasbro’s new metaverse offices to see how it’s done. Moderated by The Virtual Events Group’s Raskin, speakers include Val Vacante and Marco Carvalho of HeadOffice Space and Jarred Wade, senior vice president of design/innovation at Hasbro.

Playing the Future (March 3)

Sharon Weisman of Powerstation chats with Tula Schieber of Scriber and Brian Trunzou of Polygon about the promise of the metaverse – that every object in the physical world will have its twin in the digital world and how gaming and kids’ changing behaviors about gaming are paving the way.

“The metaverse represents an exciting new and largely uncharted frontier of opportunity for toymakers and brand owners alike,” said Kimberly Carcone, senior vice president of global market events at The Toy Association. “We encourage the entire toy community to take advantage of these complimentary, on-demand sessions featuring pioneers and top-tier experts on this emerging space.”

Additional Toy Fair educational programming will be made available beginning February 21 in an on-demand format that allows would-be attendees to access tons of business-building seminars that provide key insights on everything from youth trends, licensing, content creation, DEI work, and more. The full lineup can be found at toyfairny.com.