The Genius of Play to Present at Toy Fair ’17, Empowering Store Owners to Boost In-Store Play

January 31, 2017 |  As part of New York Toy Fair’s robust line-up of educational programming, the show will feature an expert-led presentation to give specialty toy store owners a leg up on the competition.

“How to Harness the Genius of Play to Supercharge Your Specialty Toy Store Business,” taking place Sunday, February 19 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., will be presented by The Genius of Play, the Toy Industry Association’s (TIA) researched-backed initiative to bring more play into kids’ lives. The session will share best practices, tools, and tips for incorporating playful activities into store events to boost traffic and increase sales.

The seminar will be led by TIA staff who will share information on the developmental benefits of play and include a presentation from Cassandra Abramson, president and co-founder of ECi Stores. Abramson will share how she incorporated play into a successful in-store event at Cutie Patuties, her children’s consignment shop based in Leominster, MA. 

Attendees will learn about the online “Genius Play Day” kit to help them organize and promote a “day of play” in their stores. The kit includes activities for them to use during a store event, such as coloring pages and activity sheets, as well as various promotional templates, including an event flyer, email header, and sample social media posts that are easy to customize. Retailers will also take home a store window cling that reads “The Genius of Play: It’s More Than Play” and a sample brochure for parents and caregivers outlining the many benefits of play (with instructions for ordering or downloading additional free brochures online).

“Independent retailers looking to build relationships with their customers should not miss this important educational session,” says Ken Seiter, TIA’s vice president of marketing communications and a session presenter. “Not only will attendees come away with facts and research on how play is critical to child development – information they can share directly with customers – but they will also go home with tons of tools and tips on how to host an in-store event centered on play.”

No registration is required to attend this free session. More information about Toy Fair’s educational programming for retailers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, inventors, and other play professionals can be found in the “Knowledge Network” section of www.ToyFairNY.com.

Toy Fair 2017 will take place February 18-21 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.