The Toy Association is hiring for a Marketing Communications Coordinator. In the role, s/he will be responsible for managing the Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards and the Toy Industry Hall of Fame processes, which includes nominations, submissions, judging, and all related logistics. S/he also supports the Genius of Play initiative and Strategic Communications, as well as provides overall administrative support to the Marketing Communications department. This is a non-exempt position.
The Marketing Communications Coordinator has three major areas of responsibility.
Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards and Toy Industry Hall of Fame
- Administer the TOTY/Hall of Fame nomination process and coordinate communication with all nominators.Coordinate all product logistics for the TOTY Finalists Reveal, TOTY Awards ceremony, and all TOTY related press efforts.
- Manage member interface and other marketing communications aspects of the Awards ceremony.
- Manage and coordinate the TOTY Committee and Hall of Fame Committee, serve as the point of contact for the Hall of Fame inductee and related company, including logistics for conference calls with the inductee, press release review, the tribute video, any website/social updates, and logistics for the induction during the February event. * Throughout the year, monitor TOTY@toyassociation.org for any questions regarding the nominations process, judging process, finalist selection, and any awards ceremony questions.
Genius of Play
- Handle Genius of Play pre- and post- event logistics.
- Booth staffing at multiple events throughout the year.
- Production for events (e.g. design and production of various signage and booth/sponsorship materials).
- Coordinate creative and technical development of emails with the in-house team.
- Website maintenance.
- Track program results against set goals and develop regular updates for the board and committees, including presentations and executive summaries.
- Expense tracking to ensure all spend is within the allocated budget.
- Ongoing research to support Genius of Play claims with new facts.
Strategic Communications
- Handle clip and video repository of all media segments.
- Media tracking (TIA interviews, issues based articles and interviews that may be of value to Government affairs, other TIA groups).
- Manage media log and track conversations with members of the media, topics and information to keep the contact database fresh and diverse.
- Segment preparation, which includes and is not limited to reaching out to members for product samples, ensuring product arrives in a timely manner and is assembled and ready for segments. May also include shipping product to stations, hotels or back to companies.
- Work with Operations and/or other departments to handle shipments and storage of product, collateral brochures, small parts testers, etc.
- Meet with TIA members to familiarize with product and trends to help grow trend product database.
- Handle requests for TIA collateral and brochures for outside events (PEM conference, Science festival, other TIA events).
INTERNAL/EXTERNAL CONTACTS
- TIA and TIF staff
- TIA Board of Directors, Committees, members and non-member industry contacts
- Outside vendors
- Contacts at various events and shows in which TIA/Genius of Play participate
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS
- BA/BS degree.
- 1-3 years work experience, ideally in a marketing, communications, public relations or similar environment.
- Excellent project management, organizational, and planning skills to handle the many aspects of Toy of the Year Awards and Toy Industry Hall of Fame process.
- Ability to multi-task, meet deadlines, handle a high volume of email and phone communications, and work well under pressure when needed.
- Ability to travel and work occasional nights/weekends as required by event/trade show schedule.
- Professional maturity and good judgment are critical, since this position interacts with a wide range of internal and external contacts at all levels.
- Excellent communication and writing skills.
- Detail oriented.
- Ability to work independently, learn quickly, and assume more responsibility over time.
- Experience in events/trade shows, creative development and production, websites/social media, and pitching and/or handling media inquiries preferred but not required.
Interested candidates can contact Angela Oliveri at aoliveri@toyassociation.org.