ASTRA Plans a Tropical Toy Event for February 2023 An interview with Sue Warfield
“When Toy Fair made its datechange announcement, ASTRA sent out a survey to a list of people in the toy industry, asking them if they’d miss a February event,” explains ASTRA’s president Sue Warfield. We were discussing the association’s newest event, ASTRA Toy Boat, scheduled for February 20 through 24, 2023. “The survey included other questions about how the void should be filled. Should ASTRA do it? Alone or with a partner? What were the most important takeaways from Toy Fair that they’d like to see in a new event?” recounted Sue. Within two days, ASTRA had received 250 responses, overwhelmingly in favor of a new ASTRA event. They indicated that in February, the most important goals were seeing new products and connecting
with others in the industry. “Based on those criteria, we started planning. Our goal was to design a toy trade event unlike anything else – we didn’t want to replace Toy Fair, we obviously didn’t want to replace our own show in June, and we didn’t want to replace ToyFest,” Sue continued. “When we brainstormed, the best idea was a cruise.” WOW! In this Q and A, Sue discusses the plans that have been made so far.
Does a cruise make the logistics of a trade event more difficult?
No, because it’s not a tradeshow. There are no booths. Based on the survey responses, manufacturers want to present new products and be able (continued on page 42)
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