FEATURE
Time to
play
Majen Immink, head of
operations and sales for Toy
Fair, on growing an historic
event and organising for an
association – The British Toy and
Hobby Association
How has Toy Fair evolved over the years?
Toy Fair has been evolving ever since the
very first fair, which was organised by Jack
Watkins in February, 1954. The inaugural
Toy Fair took place across a string of
locations in Brighton, and since then the show
has moved around the country - to the NEC
in Birmingham, back down to Brighton again
and then to London and its current home
at Olympia. In the early 60s we welcomed
European manufacturers for the very first
time, as the retail industry boomed to an
estimated worth of £85 million. Today, the
UK toy market is valued at £3.5bn.
Toy Fair has grown and evolved alongside
our industry, recognising trends and
innovations that would come to change the
business. We saw the enormous success of
licensed toy lines change Hollywood in the
70s and 80s, and more recently we’ve seen
collectibles become a genuine phenomenon.
Toy Fair is where our industry gets a first look
at these emerging trends and it’s where we’ll
find them in 2019 and in the years ahead.
How does organising an event for an
association differ from running an event
as a standalone organiser?
Toy Fair is the flagship event for the toy
industry, where all aspects of the toy and
games sector are represented. All profits made
from the show go straight back into the work
we do for our members, including promoting
the value of play through our Make Time
2 Play campaign, various industry events
throughout the year and the administering of
the industry charity, The Toy Trust.
What are the responsibilities to
association members and has that
changed over the years?
As a benefit of membership of the BTHA,
we give BTHA members a 24 per cent
discount off their stand at Toy Fair. However,
Toy Fair isn’t just exclusive to our members;
we welcome all manufacturers from around
19
the world, whether they’re small or large,
members or not. Our chief responsibility is to
ensure that all exhibitors and visitors have a
successful show!
How do you approach creating fresh
content and features for the show each
year?
When it comes to developing new ideas for
Toy Fair, we always start with feedback from
our exhibiting companies and those visiting
Toy Fair. But we also look to broader wants
and needs in the industry, and where Toy Fair
can help support with new initiatives.
For example, in 2004 we introduced the
Greenhouse Area, which shines a spotlight on
small businesses and the innovations they’re
bringing to the industry. The Greenhouse has
been an enormous success and expanded to its
largest ever size last year – 80sqm! This year
we’re sticking with the expansion to ensure it
continues to offer such a diverse spread of up-
and-coming companies and their inventions.
There’s also Toy Fair TV, which has given
us an amazing channel for highlighting the
best the show has to offer over the past seven
years. Toy Fair TV is broadcast to attendees
across all three days, with presenters Gavin
Inskip and Anna Williamson rushing about
the show floor to ensure no one misses out on
the biggest launches and news.
What sets the show apart from the
competition?
Toy Fair presents a unique opportunity to
meet and network with the UK toy industry,
from the companies presenting major new
product lines to the inventors and innovators
behind the next big thing. There’s really
no better place to see so much of what the
industry has to offer. The feel of the show
is very important to this as well. Toy Fair
is huge and vibrant – everything the toy
industry is as well.
Is there anything coming up at the 2019
event that you’d like to highlight?
This year we’ll be introducing the Content
Creator Zone, a dedicated space for attending
influencers and vloggers to go hands-on with
toys and produce amazing content, live or
recorded, set back from the hustle and bustle
of the show floor. It’s incredibly important
that we support these channels, which are so
vital in reaching the industry’s widest possible
audience.
We will also have the Toy Fair’s Hero Toys
awards, which we introduced last year and is
set to return. It’s an award we hand out to the
most exciting and innovative toys at the show.
The winners are announced on the first day
of Toy Fair, and you can see them for yourself
outside the press office on the Upper Gallery.
exhibitionnews.co.uk | January 2019