People of Play, formerly known as the Chicago Toy & Game Group, is excited to announce its first wave of notable speakers and keynotes for the Toy & Game International Innovation Summit November 16-20. Sponsored by Longshore Limited, this virtual education and networking event focused on the toy and game inventing community will cover a wide range of topics including creating new IP, promoting your brand, best practices for pitching, navigating the pandemic and much more.
Participants from around the world will enjoy more than 35 panels over 5 days plus daily networking sessions. Keynotes will feature industry leaders, legends and key executives including:
● Mattel 75 Years and Fisher-Price 90 Years: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow with current and past Mattel presidents moderated by Richard Dickson with Jill Barad, Tom Kalinske and Neil Friedman
● Spin Master founders Anton Rabie, Ronnen Haray and Ben Varadi
● Industry Trends and the Future of Play moderated by John Barbour of Volta Capital with Tim Kilpin, President of PlayMonster
● Listen in on a conversation with industry titans Adi Golad, founder of the Goliath Group and Gerry Crown, founder of Crown & Andrews who recently won the Peking to Paris Endurance Rally for the 3rd time at age 87
Closing the conference, participants will hear from legendary inventors Reuben Klamer, founder of Toylab and inventor of the Game of Life, and Eddy Golfarb, inventor of Yakity-Yak Teeth and KerPlunk. These TAGIE Lifetime Achievement Honorees with 150+ combined years of inventing and friendship will share the secrets of their success.
More speakers and more panels are being added everyday. For updated information go to www.chitag.com/2020-innovation-conference.
Tickets include:
● Toy & Game International Innovation Summit
○ Expand your knowledge of how the toy and game industry works and connect with new people to grow your business with 5 days of education from veterans of the business, meaningful networking and multiple pitch opportunities.
● Toy & Game International Excellence Awards (TAGIEs)
○ Cheer on your colleagues Friday evening, November 20 during a highly-produced virtual awards show that celebrates the innovators who made their mark on 2020.
● POP’s Got Talent!
○ New this year, immediately following the TAGIE Awards, be entertained as your fellow toy and game industry professionals show-off their talents. Hosted by Bob Fuhrer of Nextoy and brother David Fuhrer, founder of BlueSquare Innovations.
● Chicago Toy & Game Fair
○ Our annual consumer fair goes virtual Saturday and Sunday, November 21-22, spanning 3 stages. The Young Inventor Challenge headlines with winners and a workshop for young inventors everywhere.
● 1 Year Membership to the People of Play (POP) Database
○ Coming soon! A networking platform just for the toy and game industry that’s a combination of LinkedIn + IMDb + Tinder. Make new connections and grow your business!
Ticket Costs:
Individual: $350
Company: $1000 (Invite your entire team to this weeklong event of education and networking.)
Design Students: $25
All new inventors and design students will receive a 30-minute mentoring session from an industry veteran plus acquisition executives from some of the biggest toy and game brands in the world including SpinMaster, Mattel and PlayMonster, will review pitch videos and give feedback.