The Toy Association, the not-for-profit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages, announced that Kimberly Carcone has been promoted to senior vice president of global market events, effective June 1, 2021.
As an integral member of The Toy Association’s senior management team, Carcone will be responsible for the management of the organization’s live go-to-market events – Toy Fair New York, the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere, and Toy Fair Dallas, the by-appointment-only event allowing long-lead buyers to scout innovative products to lay the groundwork for the following year’s fourth quarter – as well as Toy Fair Everywhere, the toy industry’s first and only year-round digital social marketplace, and The Toy Association’s virtual Private Previews, connecting toy sellers with key retail buyers in private meetings.
Carcone is a seasoned professional with nearly 30 years of experience in non-profit and corporate event management, marketing, and publishing in both New York City and Washington, D.C. She joined The Toy Association in 2007 and served most recently as vice president of market events. Over the past 14 years, she received numerous accolades for her work at The Toy Association: she was named one of EXPO Magazine’s Expo Elites and was a nominee for Event Marketer Magazine’s B2B Dream Team in 2017. Since Carcone joined the organization’s events team, Toy Fair New York has been awarded three Gold Grand Awards by Trade Show Executive Magazine (“Against All Odds,” “Best in Social Media,” and “Greatest Show on Earth”).
“It’s both exciting and heartening to know that Kim Carcone, someone so integral to the success of our marketplace events through the years and in-tune with our members, exhibitors, audiences and the evolving global trade show industry, has grown and now advanced into this leadership role,” said Steve Pasierb, president & CEO of The Toy Association. “There is so much potential in the future as play and entertainment properties deliver joy from childhood through our golden years. Kim and her team are well prepared and eager to take on every opportunity and continually evolve our offerings to benefit all our association serves.”
Prior to joining The Toy Association, Carcone held various leadership positions at ALM Events, a division of American Lawyer Media; E.W. Williams Publications; Miller Freeman, Inc.; VNU Business Media; The American Society of Interior Designers; and the Council on the Arts for the City of Long Beach. She studied Association Management at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. Carcone is also a founding member of the North American Women in Exhibitions Networking and a recent board member of NYIAEE.
In addition to her professional pursuits, Carcone is a producer of independent film, a breeder of thoroughbred race horses, a strong supporter of the Arts, an avid beach lover, and Godmother to six children.