| Toy Fair 2001 Preview | |
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The American International Toy Fair 2001, North America's largest and most important such event, will take place in New York City from Sunday, Feb. 11, to Thursday, Feb. 15.
Our man on the scene this year will be Frank Sobyak, designer of the party game Fib or Not? (compare prices). Frank will provide daily reports of the goings on in the Javits Convention Center on 11th Avenue, with a special focus on the Game Zone section.
As a preview of this big event, Mary Couzin of DiscoverGames.com recently answered a few questions for us.
Couzin, who has attended Toy Fair for seven years (both as an independent game inventor and with DiscoverGames.com), will be located on the main floor in booth #3253 -- so if you're going to the event, be sure to stop by. She also said that, as of Feb. 4, 2001, some space remains available in the DiscoverGames.com booth for new members. Couzin can be reached at mary@discovergames.com for more information.
Why does Discover Games maintain a presence at Toy Fair?
DiscoverGames.com is the only means many inventors have of getting their game "discovered." Manufacturers won't look at products sent to them at their offices. They will look at games in our booth. Retailers come in droves in search of games not yet in the mass market. They want something new. Same with licensors and the press. All of these people look for us every year. We simply accommodate all of the above.
What sort of response can an independent game designer expect to receive at Toy Fair?
I keep a record of who stopped by and what games they were interested in. I send two spreadsheets to each member. The first is comprised of people (manufacturers, licensors, press, retailers and the like) interested in receiving information on all the games. The second spreadsheet is comprised of those just interested in certain games (they don't want to be inundated with information about other games). Every year every game has had some level of interest, even games I was initially worried about. We are talking about hundreds of leads. It's up to the member to follow up on those leads.
What games will be featured at your booth this year?
A mix of games that have been with us for years and new games: Blackmail, Teams of Enemies, Scenarios, 40 Love Tennis, Composite Index, Proverbial Wisdom, Chebache, Time's Up, Hollywood's Reel Schpeel, Don't Make Me Laugh, Auction America, Sense-ation!, Hidden Agenda, Strange But True, Stops, Touch, Family Baseball, Fraction Action, Hole in One, Ultimate Soccer, Wicked Words, Forge Out of Chaos, Whales, Dragon Epic, Chalkwave, Peopling, DAO, King Row Checkers, Duoword, Wordopoly, What About Baseball, Fishing Away the Day with Eric, Music Mayhem, Philately-The Stamp Game, Masterminding A Mystery Dinner, Kootie Katchers, Xiangqi and others (members who are in the process of renewing and new members signing up in time for Toy Fair).
Who should consider attending Toy Fair?
I think everyone should experience Toy Fair at least once. It is three floors, miles of aisles and people everywhere. The food could be worse.
Is it important to have finished games available at Toy Fair, or could a designer make his/her time worthwhile with high-quality prototypes?
A finished game is not necessary. Some of our members are just looking for a licensing deal. They have no interest in self-production. We probably have three or so prototypes each year. I do ask that they look as good as possible. There are many companies that can make a prototype that looks like a produced game for a very reasonable cost. We have a few listed under "suppliers" on our site.
What do you enjoy most about Toy Fair?
Seeing industry people that I have come to know over the years. They know they can stop by and open games and look at them without a hard pressure sell that can be a turn off. I love their smiles and the "Hey, Mary, Long time no see. What do you have this year to show us?" I also enjoy meeting in person the member inventors that attend the show.
Is there anything about Toy Fair that might surprise people who have never attended?
The expense people and companies go through to have an attractive booth. I'll probably spend more than $6,000 on the booth this year. That obviously excludes the travel and lodging expenses. Toy Fair is not an inexpensive proposition.
Can the general public attend?
The event is not open to the general public. People need to show at least two forms of identification indicating their involvement in the industry. (That includes inventors.) I suppose, with the use of a computer, anyone could come up with a company, the appropriate stationery and a business card.
How much of a presence do games have at Toy Fair compared to toys and other diversions?
Frank DiLorenzo (a four-year member), president of R&R Games, started the games aisle on the lower floor for smaller game companies. I am guessing there are dozens of booths there with games. Then there are scattered booths, mostly larger game companies (Hasbro, University Games, Endless Games and the like) throughout the show. I've maintained my prime position on the main floor due to seniority. Many of our members have booths downstairs in the games aisle, but want to have a presence on the main floor.
Thanks to Mary Couzin for taking the time to answer these questions.
