Apr 25, 2017

The Toy Association responds to evolving member needs

The Toy Association ended 2016 with 1,098 member companies that design, produce, license, and deliver toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The trade group has a long history of propelling the health and growth of the U.S. toy industry, which has an annual economic impact of $80.25 billion in the United States.

“The Toy Association’s members are the ‘North Star’ of our new strategic direction, assuring that everything we do is about them and their business success,” says Steve Pasierb, president & chief executive of The Toy Association. “Refining our strategic blueprint demanded a refreshed mission, which led to a change in name, an emphasis on branding, a new approach to digital communications, and new office headquarters to serve staff and members alike. We challenged ourselves to question every aspect of our reason for being, and found ways to be more agile, more relevant, and more successful at bringing our members best-in-class services and support.”

Mission Refresh Reflects Member-Focus

As part of its new mission statement to be “a unifying force for members’ creativity, responsibility, and global success, advocating for their needs and championing the benefits of play,” The Toy Association has elevated its presence on the world stage, effectively and powerfully advocating on behalf of its members’ businesses in North America and in markets spanning every continent.

The Association has also expanded its core services and embarked on new ventures, including Play Fair, a large-scale kid and family business-to-consumer event; ShopToys365.com, a first-of-its-kind business-to-business digital marketplace for toy retailers and suppliers; and The Genius of Play, a consumer-focused initiative which encourages families to make time for play by educating them about play’s critical role in healthy childhood development.

The group’s world-renowned trade shows showcase the brightest innovations in toys and play along with stunning technological advancements. Its North American International Toy Fair continues to shatter records with sold out space and attendees from more than 100 countries, while Fall Toy Preview remains committed to serving the long-lead planning needs of mass and high-volume specialty retailers. With its actionable research, The Toy Association is helping companies tackle business challenges – from rapidly changing global economic and population trends and intellectual property protection, to new chemical regulations and an empowered consumer base of millennial parents with nontraditional shopping habits. The Association’s advocacy work provides insight and support on key legislative and regulatory issues affecting members in global markets, and it maintains education outreach to American consumers and media on all aspects of toy and play safety.

David Hargreaves, chairman of The Toy Association’s board of directors and strategic advisor at Hasbro, Inc., emphasized the need for change: “This is not your father’s Toy Association, because this is not your father’s toy industry nor marketplace. The global toy and play landscape has transformed dramatically over the last few years. Our team is effectively overhauling every aspect of the Association with an eye to the future to make certain we continue to provide members with best-in-class resources, business insight, and support to help them grow and thrive.”

Strength Through Global Collaboration 

As a worldwide leader, the Association collaborates closely with international toy associations, foreign governments, and national standards bodies to advance toy safety and align global standards. The organization sustains the Canadian Toy Association; acts as secretariat for both the International Council of Toy Industries and the International Toy Industry CEO Roundtable; and chairs the committee that reviews and revises America’s ASTM F963 toy safety standard – one of the most respected and strictest toy safety standards in the world.

Digital and Workspace Innovation

The Toy Association will soon relaunch its digital presence with a new mobile-first website. It opens for business today in its brand-new Manhattan headquarters designed by renowned architects HLW International to reflect the energy, creativity, and excitement of the toy and play community.  The Association’s advocacy office in Washington, DC relocated last month to a new office space that reflects the organization’s innovative approach to business.