| Toy Fair 2001 - First Report | |
by Frank Sobyak
Fib or not?
There's certainly no fibbing about the headline for this report, as more than 2,000 exhibitors are hustling to prepare for the show. I'm Frank Sobyak, inventor of the new board game Fib or Not? (compare prices), and I'm reporting from Toy Fair 2001 in New York City at the Javits Convention Center for About Board Games.
Over the next several days, we'll be bringing you daily updates from the show floor. You'll be apprised of what's hot and what's not in a blow-by-blow dialogue. And we'll be providing key insight from game exhibitors in the Game Zone as well as providing information from some of the larger game manufacturers.
Then, to give you the perspective of the independent entrepreneur, we'll be sharing our personal experiences as first time exhibitors at Toy Fair. Plus, look for photos from the show floor, so you can feel just like you're there.
Toy Fair Background
Attending Toy Fair 2001 -- what an exciting achievement for the board game inventor. This event for Fib or Not? represents the culmination of efforts over the past nine months as we have taken our product from a concept to the customer. This will be our first opportunity for exposure to a large audience of game buyers ranging from small specialty store retailers to large corporate toy and game retailers... and we are certainly excited!
The American International Toy Fair is the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere. Nearly 2,000 manufacturers, distributors, importers and sales agents from 25 countries will showcase their toy and entertainment products here.
There is no admission fee, however, registration is open to the trade only. So, unlike the auto shows some of us have attended, Toy Fair is unfortunately not open to the public.
There are many types of products represented by exhibitors at Toy Fair. Some of the categories range from action figures to dolls to yo-yo's, so board games are only a part of the show.
In previous years, buying for the toy and game category was split between two weeks and two locations. Traditionally, during the first week buyers would visit manufacturers at many of the Show Room locations in New York City. Then the following week, Toy Fair would be held at the Javits Convention Center.
This year both the Show Rooms and Javits Center will be open concurrently. We've already heard reports that the buyers will be rushed. So for independent entrepreneurs who attend Toy Fair this year, it will be more important than ever to attract the attention of the buyers and make a good first impression.
The larger game manufacturers (Hasbro, University Games, Pressman, Endless Games, etc.) are scattered among the booths on the main level (which is Level 2) of the Javits. Game Zone is located on Level 1 at the Javits, which is directly below the main floor. This area was started to help give smaller game companies the proper venue for their products. This year the size of Game Zone has doubled and will comprise 43 booths, with mostly 10 x 10 configurations.
Pre-Show Preparation
In August 2000, even before the actual launch of Fib or Not?, we decided to attend Toy Fair as a premier opportunity to showcase our new game. We quickly submitted our paperwork to secure booth space in the Game Zone because space is allocated on a first come, first served basis. The cost to rent space is not inexpensive, a 10x10 booth space for the show is $2,200, with costs increasing proportionately as booth space increases.
In October 2000 we received a 2-inch binder with various types of information necessary for the show. We read through the information probably a dozen times before it all began to solidify, as there is a lot of information for the first time exhibitor to understand.
But securing booth space is just the beginning. You then need to furnish your booth, purchase carpet (and we recommend also getting the carpet padding), obtain a booth backdrop or structure, design and produce booth graphics, and arrange for electrical, cleaning, etc. We also designed and produced show apparel with the Fib or Not? logo, which is nice to have but not necessary.
Great, the booth is done. Next, hours are spent preparing marketing materials, designing promotions for the show, developing presentations and solidifying show strategy.
Add in hotel, travel and entertainment, and to do it right, the costs can easily approach $10,000. This might sound like a big investment, but it's worth it. Attending Toy Fair is necessary to meet the proper buyers, to make contacts for sourcing game pieces and game production, to meet key industry influencers and to learn from other exhibitors.
Toy Fair Setup (Saturday, February 10, 2001)
To save on expenses, we designed a booth that we could transport ourselves and that could be assembled without any tools. We purchased a pop-up display from Artfair Displays (www.artfairdisplays.com), who also produced the graphic panels -- they come very highly recommended. We arrived at booth #5920 and assembled the booth in less than an hour. We then walked around the showroom floor to gain familiarity and to scope out the scene. This was a great opportunity to meet with some of the other independent entrepreneurs who we'll be highlighting in some of our upcoming reports. Back at the hotel we practiced our presentations and then were off for a day of relaxation before the big event. Tomorrow we'll report on our experiences during opening day, and our Show Spotlight will feature the games Don't Make Me Laugh and Orange Barrels.
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