The Toy Man®  News &
Views
"A New Year of Discovery in Play
and Education at WTHRA 2010."
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A
new year of discovery in play and education at WTHRA 2010; that
would be the true definition of the experience this year. 2010
represents the first year of many to come in Long Beach , CA for
the WTHRA events.
This
was more than just a trade show, this was an event for buying,
networking, hands-on experience with products, recognition
of dedication, and even a little fun! |
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WTHRA 2010 Re-Visited
Long Beach, CA,
31 March, 2010:
In the information to follow, you
will find a variety of information in the form of text and imagery
which will provide an exclusive summary of some of the companies, products,
events, and people which were all an integral part of WTHRA 2010.
For those who may have been at WTHRA 2010, you will be re-visiting
the experience. For those
of you who were not there, this will give you a glimpse of what you missed, and
can look forward to seeing in 2010.
This new year of 2010 has seen so many positive
changes occurring. The WTHRA is part of these many changes bringing
an exciting new addition to Long Beach, CA.
On March 27th,
the WTHRA debuted its first trade show event at the Long Beach Convention
Center, a location of high activity with easy access and an exciting new
experience to discover.
For some, this was a time of Play and allowing their passion of their
product to emanate strongly in their actions as you can see in the image
at right...
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So Much To See...Where Do You Start?
There was one unquestionable fact about WTHRA
2010 which captured my personal attention; a statement uttered by a woman as
she entered the show floor area, "So much to see...Where do I start?" At
first glance as you entered the show floor it was truly an incredible plethora
of products to see. A landscape of wonder which buyers would have to
explore and discover far beyond the level of what they were looking for.
The images below provide a small sample of the plentiful volume of products
which were occupying the show floor at WTHRA 2010.
No Confusion Here...
One thing that was abundantly visible
was an amazing level of passion exuding from many of the exhibitors in
their presentation of products to the buyers. It was that
strong passion and belief in their products which served as the key elements
to bring a sale to closure.
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As you can see in the picture at left, hands-on interaction with a
product enables the buyer to see the full value of a product first-hand.
This approach evokes a stronger response level out of a
potential buyer. That in turn raises the percentage of probability
of a sale substantially.
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A new location, a new experience
full of passion and person ability; that's what WTHRA was all
about. Most
everyone was quite personable and
eager to entertain any questions from everyone whether a buyer or
not. This was especially prevalent in the "Toyology" aisles
where there were what seemed like an endless number of high quality
as well as innovative new products for buyers to examine.
Each of the aisles were decorated with plenty of color and
easily identified so that buyers had next to no effort in locating
specific products they were looking for as well as others they may
not have been aware of. Well
organized as
well as a popular area of excitement and activity, the Toyology section was
one of the most busy and productive locations on the entire show
floor.
A Convergence Of Play and Education
One of the most popular words uttered
during two events at WTHRA, (Awards Dinner and Game Night), was
the simple word "Wow!" Such a small and
seemingly insignificant word yet so powerful all the same. The
people uttering the word which seemed to supercede all others was
a sign of how impressed the people were at both of the events.
With the Awards Dinner, recognition was given to a number of people
who were responsible for a variety of significant contributions to
WTHRA 2010 and the success for which WTHRA is so well recognized. People
were well educated in reference to many important facts in the history
of the toy industry and the art of Play.
The images immediately below are a glimpse of the exciting
and educating event. |
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There was even more
excitement soon to follow with the WTHRA 2010 Game Night. A convergence
of
Play and Education was even more ever present during this event. With
the WTHRA Game Night, a variety of companies paid to sponsor a table
to have their game available for the guests to play. The game Play
was done in timed periods
which upon completion of each, the players moved on to the next
table.
There was activity and excitement aplenty at this event and I mean EXCITEMENT! Everyone
was laughing and having the time of their lives, active in Play while
learning so much with each game they were taking part in playing with. The
active Play helped to stimulate multiple developmental skills, even brushing
the dust off a few which may have become a bit less used in later years
of maturity.
The images immediately below are a glimpse of the exciting
activity in this spectacular evening of Play... |
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"The
Gallery"
To make this recap experience of WTHRA 2010 even more interesting, we
are featuring "The
Gallery", a 250+ gallery of images from various segments of
WTHRA 2010. To take it even further, we will also be posting
videos from the show as well in just a few days from now. In
the interim we invite you to explore The Gallery and see all of the
excitement which made WTHRA 2010 so special!
WTHRA Videos
Coming soon! |
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The "editor's
favorite™", ef™ notation
provides me, as the chief editor of The
Toy Man® Product Guide™, an opportunity to provide recognition of
the products that are my own personal favorites from
Toy Fair 2010.
My judgment is based primarily yet not entirely upon the following
factors:
- Functionality
- Educational Value
- Contribution to Skill Development
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- Marketability
- Visual Appeal
- FunFactor™ (If applicable)
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The products that have received the "ef™" notation
in this case, are products which were featured at WTHRA 2010 and I feel
are an invaluable investment and/or
provide a substantial contribution to positive skill growth and productivity.
Most important of all to me are the products which contribute to education.
Education is the foundation of success and
has a long term impact in the lives of everyone.
THE "EDITOR'S FAVORITE" AWARD
RECIPIENTS
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PROJECT: Education Outreach - Long
Beach!
Throughout WTHRA 2010, several products which were featured on the show
floor, were also being featured along with a few others at various local
businesses, including the
lobby and restaurant of the Westin Hotel and other local places. Games,
toys, plush characters, and more were available for the guests to sit down
and play with, giving their feedback in regard to their personal impression
of these products.
We would like to express our deepest thanks to the following companies
for their sponsorship of our efforts.
This is just the beginning!
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