On my way to Chicago

November 21, 2008

I am on my way to Chicago where I will attend the Tagie (Toy and Game Inventor Awards) ceremonies, serve as a panel moderator, visit with budding inventors and attend CHITag (the Chicago Toy and Game Fair). I am looking forward to seeing my many friends in Toy Nation as well as those who want to become part of our industry.

All of these events are the brainchild of Mary Couzin, a game inventor herself and an individual almost megalomaniacal (actually she is just plain megalomaniacal) about the importance of games and toys in people’s lives.

As is my custom at toy events, I will have my ears to the ground and my eyes open so that I can detect moods, trends, emerging ideas and get a sense of where industry is headed.

The Chicago Toy and Game Fair is of particular interest as it is not a business-to-business show like Toy Fair but is a business- to- consumer event. We don’t get many chances to directly watch consumers interact with manufacturers and their products. Its kind of like a giant focus group so we can all learn a great deal about people’s reactions to specific products and the industry as a whole.

With this being a challenging year, I am hoping to learn that the toy industry is, indeed, recession resistant. I’ll let you know what I find out.

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on November 21, 2008 | Comments (4)

December 7, 2011

In response to: On my way to Chicago
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November 27, 2011

In response to: On my way to Chicago
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In response to: On my way to Chicago
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November 26, 2008

In response to: On my way to Chicago
Tammy Gentry commented:

As an attendee of TAGIE, I would like to highly recommend it to anyone considering becoming involved with the toy and game industry. The information the experts shared, and the depth of knowledge they passed on, was unbelievable. Each aspect of the industry was represented and their panel discussions gave an excellent course on the toy and game industry. In addition, the networking opportunities were incredible. Plus, each inventor had their own table at ChiTAG to gain feedback from the public and sell our product. And if all this wasn't enough, each inventor had up to five 20-minute, one-on-one sessions with industry experts. Those sessions alone were worth the price to attend TAGIE. I came from a much different market (medical) and know that TAGIE would not happen in most other industries for a host of reasons. I have a great appreciation for Mary Couzin and the experts who put the toy and game industry, as a whole, ahead of their personal or company’s interests, and helped inventors understand how an idea becomes a product and how that product comes to market. Thanks to TAGIE, I will be able to focus my time and energy on the most appropriate suppliers, sales representatives, retail stores, trade shows, and marketing opportunities for Penny Stones, my new product. TAGIE has saved me a great deal of time, effort and money and I am truly grateful.