President’s Letter – May 10, 2011: Fun
Opportunities
Last week at PlayCon, Bob Wann asked the audience how many possible
combinations there are with six two-by-four LEGO bricks. The
answer: 102,981,500.
Sometimes I feel like TIA is also like a big “construction
toy” … the possibilities for new connections and new
opportunities provided by a vigorous association like ours are
practically endless.
PlayCon 2011 was an excellent example of how the industry can come
together for networking and to help toy companies better understand the
current marketplace. The sessions inspired innovation and fostered
countless partnerships among participants. We were thrilled with
the event and the turnout. Nearly one-third of this
year’s PlayCon participants were attending for the very first
time! It was fun to come together with old friends and to make new
ones.
Similarly, TIA is opening up new partnerships with related
organizations like we did with the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA)
and even more recently with the Hobby Manufacturers Association
(HMA). Co-locating the ENGAGE! event with our Toy Fair in February
brought benefits to both organizations. Next month, we’ll be
at the Licensing Show in Las Vegas to further strengthen our
relationship with players within the licensing community.
TIA is constantly on the lookout for such opportunities. It
helps keep our work interesting. And these opportunities help make TIA
more valuable to its members.
In the world of associations we have a network of executives that
make it easy for me to pick up the phone to share information and
coordinate activities. My experience tells me we will find
synergies that will help us all serve our members better.
Likewise, companies in the toy industry use TIA meetings and
conferences to build relationships and develop new business
opportunities. PlayCon and our go-to-market events are well known
and well proven. Our work with related organizations provides
added value. There are more new opportunities on the
horizon. It’s an exciting time. What could be more fun
and satisfying than that?
Warm regards to all,
Carter Keithley
ckeithley@toyassociation.org
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