Category: Events

Licensing Expo (Mandalay Bay Convention Center, May 21-23, 2024), the world’s leading event dedicated to brand licensing, IP extension, partnerships and collaborations, unveils a first preview of the closing content taking place across this year’s campus and curated impactful agenda for the final day of the show. The final day of Licensing Expo opens with AI Futurist Zack Kass, former Head of Go-to-Market for OpenAI, the developers of the pioneering ChatGPT chatbot and previous advisor of brand giants like Coca-Cola and Morgan Stanley. Kass will keynote on the complexities of artificial intelligence, aiding senior leaders to provide foresight and direction to help organizations adapt and thrive alongside rapid advancements in AI (Thursday, May 23). Featured in outlets like Fortune, AdAge and Entrepreneur, amid a surge of proclaimed AI experts, Kass offers experience and pragmatic insights for major organizations looking to build a brighter future with artificial intelligence.

Earlier this year, The Western Toy and Hobby Representatives Association (WTHRA) announced ToyFest’s plans, Hall of Fame recipients, and its participation at The Expo at World Market Center Las Vegas, March 3 – 5, 2024. The Board of Directors and Slate of Officers have spent many months making plans and exciting changes for the 2024 show. 2023 was the most well attended ToyFest show in the past two decades. Buyers came from all over the United States and beyond. The response was phenomenal, making the 2024 ToyFest all that more sensational to plan.

Dallas Market Center announces the launch of Nearshoring America, a new international expo and support services designed to explore and facilitate nearshoring production services for gift, home furnishings, and fashion accessories companies. Nearshoring America EXPO, to take place at Dallas Market Center from December 10-12, 2024, will connect brands and their representatives with vetted factories and supply chain service providers from Mexico and Latin America.

Jada Toys, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of finely crafted die-cast and collectibles has announced its title sponsorship of the Las Vegas Die-Cast Super Convention, February 29 to March 3, 2024 at the Ahern Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Hosted by Mad Mike, Die-Cast SuperCon returns bigger and better than ever with special events and a full size car show. With 25 years in the industry, Jada’s expertise in die-cast vehicles is unmatched and remains a favorite among the die-cast and collector community, car shows and conventions alike. Jada’s leadership team will be present throughout the event hosting over five thousand die-cast enthusiasts, industry experts and the general public will get to experience four full days of activations, convention exclusives, shopping, and panels.

Catastrophe of Hairballs, Hike the Spike, and Blanket Kingdom were among the top place finishers at People of Play’s 18th Annual Young Inventor Challenge (YIC) held in 2023 on November 4th at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair. The YIC is a yearly competition where students between the ages of 6 and 18 have the opportunity to create an original play product and pitch it to professional toy and game inventors for a chance to win big prizes. Past winners have seen their entries licensed, manufactured, and sold in both specialty toy stores and in major retailers including Target and Amazon. Leading up to the Young Inventor Challenge in November, regional events are hosted at independent toy stores, day camps, and summer school programs to inspire and engage kids to create toys and games to be judged in the annual competition.

In celebration of Pokémon Day 2024 and the upcoming U.S. premiere of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, The Pokémon Company International (TPCi), in collaboration with longstanding charitable partner The Toy Foundation, has teamed up with New York’s iconic Empire State Building to illuminate its world-famous tower lights the evening of Feb. 27, 2024. The renowned landmark will light up New York’s skyline in blue and yellow, inspired by the highly recognizable Pokémon logo, between sunset and 2 a.m. EST.

Make-A-Wish North Texas is delighted to announce a partnership with Hey Buddy Hey Pal and their hugely successful EggMazing Egg Decorator line this March for the “My True Wish” sweepstakes. Running from February 15th to March 15th, the highly anticipated winner will be revealed March 30th. The sweepstakes will conclude with an egg hunt extravaganza at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, providing an exciting community event to cap off this special collaboration. This landmark sweepstakes, the first of its kind for the non-profit organization, is an exciting opportunity to showcase the transformative power of a wish for one fortunate recipient. Make-A-Wish North Texas, renowned for granting life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses, is adding a touch of joy to this initiative by collaborating with Hey Buddy Hey Pal.

Wild Republic was established more than forty years ago to support its founder, G.B. Pillai and his wife, Kamala Pillai’s love for children and wildlife, a promise the company has successfully delivered on for four decades. Its diverse and creatively-designed product line of toys and stuffed animals fosters curiosity about wildlife and educates children about the wonders of nature. Today, this mission still holds true for the company, which unveiled its Rainforest plush line in support of rainforest conservation along with hundreds of new plush and playsets at Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, January 30- February 3, in Hall 1, Stand E-16.

Dallas Market Center announced that its recently held Total Home & Gift Market experienced a dramatic increase in buyers attending for the first time, especially from the western US states. The number of buyers attending for the first time was at its second-highest level in five years; attendance by buyers from the western U.S. including California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington was up 27% compared with January 2023; southwest U.S. buyer attendance including from Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico was up 30%.