President’s Letter – September 20, 2011: Networking
Gold
On September 12, TIA Board member Bill Campbell hosted a networking
event for current and prospective members of the Association at Leapfrog
Enterprises’ headquarters in Emeryville, California. The
event included a guided tour of Leapfrog’s facility and remarks
from Harry Chang of Li & Fung who spoke to the group about current
manufacturing trends in China and, more specifically, how China’s
five-year plan will impact the toy industry. Representatives from
Wild Planet, Diggin Active, Kimochis, IAG Media, Bossa Nova, Plan Toys
and numerous other Northern California toy companies attended the event.
For the time being, our members in the area have agreed that they would
like to continue hosting these events under TIA’s umbrella.
In June, our friends and colleagues at the Toy Association of
Southern California (TASC) – a TIA associate member – hosted
a networking event of their own; another is scheduled on October 27 at
Otis College on October 27. I am honored to have been invited to
attend and offer brief remarks on the current state of the global toy
industry.
In July, we hosted a networking gathering here in New York attended
by more than 50 of TIA’s metro-area members. These
networking events augment our winter Toy of the Year and Toy Fair
activities, PlayCon in the spring and October’s Fall Toy
Preview.
As a trade group, TIA’s formalized structure provides a
legitimate venue for competitors to gather and exchange ideas without
any suggestion that anti-trust prohibitions might be violated. We
see facilitating connections among our members as an essential role of
the Association and a true benefit for our members.
It’s impossible to know how many new business opportunities
have emerged at these networking events, but their popularity suggests
they are a “petri dish” for growing toy business
ideas. As Woody Allen said: “90% of success is just showing
up.”
I look forward to seeing you at industry events throughout the
year.
Warm regards,
ckeithley@toyassociation.org
|
